I have a few questions and request for advice on a couple of situations for 1/3NL.

I'm visiting Vegas for a couple of months, and have been playing the Bellagio 1/3NL game for most of that time. It's been a few years since I played poker and am noticing some situations that I don't know how to best respond to. Hopefully you guys can help me out.

I'm a pretty standard idiot recfish Fit or Fold player. I know the ABC basics, and have graduated just past being a weak-tight supernit to being able to consistently make a c-bet and occasionally double barrel. My image tends to be weak-tight mostly nitty, though I am very talkative and friendly at the table.

9 sessions so far, 7 winning sessions. I'm very comfortable sitting in this game, and rarely feel outclassed unless a 2/5+ player is slumming at the table. I play weak-tight supernit because I choose to for image reasons, but am comfortable switching up to ABC or TAG. Not comfortable playing LAG, pretty clueless there.



Situations I would appreciate advice/discussion on:

1. Exploiting my image in general. I'm OK at this, but would like to be better. Most of my efforts here come from targeting aware TAGs by occasionally (<10%) calling a PFR after limping, floating the c-bet, then check-raising the turn. This works pretty well. Can also sometimes do that and fire out on that turn OOP if it's a scary board. I will also very rarely 3bet nits and TAGs preflop in position with ATC, followed by a c-bet on the flop. This also works pretty well. I'm looking for some more tools to add to the mix.

2. Specifically exploiting my image against LAGs. I find they are usually reluctant to slow down against weak-tight nits once a flop appears. It seems like post flop, if the board gets scary, a float/float/bet line will work OOP and a double or triple barrel sometimes work IP. The problem OOP is that the really bad ones often end up just double barrel shoving. My only decent success against them seems to from the float/float/bet or float/bet line. There has to be a better way. I have no problem calling down light, but that's not an image exploit.

3. Exploiting Villains who love to see a flop with any ace, including any AXo. Standard PFRs do not deter this behavior, which is great. I don't know how to take advantage of this beyond taking them to kicker school with my own AX. Even in a situation with a better ace pre, this behavior leads to villains making weird two pairs fairly often, because they also almost always call a flop bet if they hit either the ace or their kicker. I'm pretty good at not stacking off with TPTK, but have no idea on how to effectively exploit this leak. I especially get lost here when something like this happens:

Hero is dealt 89

V1 call, Hero calls, V2 raises to $12, blinds fold, V1 calls, Hero calls

Flop ($40) 3,8,6
V1 checks, Hero bets $20, V2 calls $20

Turn ($80) A
Hero checks, V2 bets $40, Hero ?


I invariably end up laying it down. When I check the flop on something like (Q,8,6) and they check behind, then I check the (A) turn and they bet it, same thing. There's got to be a better way to handle this but I don't know what it is. If I raise pre, V2 calls, and the scenario stays the same.


A different variant on that is something like this:

Hero is dealt AQ

V1 call, Hero raises to $12, V2 calls $12, blinds fold, V1 folds, V2 calls

Flop ($40) A,8,6
Hero bets $25, V2 calls $25

Turn ($90) 4
Hero bets $45, V2 calls $45

River ($180) 9
Hero ??






My decisions here are almost always based solely on how strong Villain appears, which seems terrible. When I check, I give Villain the opportunity to bet, and then I either fold or make a crying call. That crying call often ends up losing to an Ax two pair. When I bet, Villain almost never raises, but almost always calls with that Ax two pair, and almost never calls with a naked A with a lower kicker. What is the best approach here? I want to keep the pressure on with a better ace, but have no idea how to read Villain for when he makes two pair with his, due to the passive nature of the 1/3 Villains that do this.


I have a few more questions if these are appropriate. I formerly tried to play TAG as a default, but other TAGs were usually better than me and I was often unsure where I was in a hand post-flop, so I found it easier to just play/appear weak-tight and exploit the more common TAG behavior. I have better hand awareness now and could probably hold my own against most 1/3 TAGs at this point by playing TAG, but it seems easier to just go the weak-tight route and exploit them, especially since most 1/3 TAGs don't seem to really know how to play correct TAG strategy.

Looking forward to any advice.

ISO-3bet obviously aware good players who you've seen make bets and the fold. Then Cbet the flop for 100% of the pot.

1) You have a good thing going here. Dont over use it!! You can add some PF steals by using your image to 3-bet regardless of position when there has been multiple limps and a small raise have been called at least twice. 3-bet this thing and take it down PF .. If you do get called you can go after Flops with A or K or really hit the jackpot if your 'trash' hits the board.

2) Playing LAGs OOP is a tough task ... the c/r is your best friend here or donk the Turns to slow them down.

3A) 89 hand is c/c or c/r and then lead the Turn to 'not' be afraid of the Ace. If you donk here and get called it is probably best to give up on the hand if they bet out on the Turn and the board is wet. You can certainly feel free to float to try and spike 2 pair here, but this is a read spot ... go with your gut on this play.

3B) AQ .. need stack sizes and V type. But I probably want to increase the Turn bet to at least the same ratio as Flop bet ... $60+ here to better define 'their' Ax holding. If you get called on Turn with that large of a 'value' bet you may want to c/c River.

The alternative is to c/c your way against an Ace lover but you will probably need to lead the River to get any chips on that street unless you are beat.


Sounds as if you have a decent grasp on things ... I want to try what you are doing sometime and see how it goes. GL

the best advice i can give you is to stop playing OOP so much. playing OOP sucks. you usually win a lot less and lose a lot more. in hand 1 just fire turn Ace since you led flop. you probably have to fire 3 barrels to win against overpairs though. again that's the price of playing OOP.

you're thinking about exploiting which is good but realize when you are limp calling OOP with 89, the one getting exploited is you.

on hand 2 with AQ, you might consider checking the turn, you pick a lot of bluffs up that way. if they check back turn, bet river and you'll get some light calls.