1/2 NL casino.

Action is normal. V2 in this hand has been a card rack playing almost any two and winning tons of pots. Has about $800. V1 in this hand has been tight/quiet so far as sits on about $150. Hero has been playing fairly TAG and sits on about $300. Won a good pot on first hand of session off V2 when hero opened with AQ and V2 called 3 streets with A8 on a AQ66x board.

Here is the hand in question:

Hero opens to $7 in MP with Ad7d
3 callers including V1 (SB) and V2 (BB)

Flop = 3s3c5c

V1 donks for $10
V2 calls $10

Hero raises to $40
V1 folds
V1 calls $30 more

Turn = 6c

V checks
Hero bets $50
V calls

River is irrelevant.

Questions:

1) Should we even be opening with A7s from mid or late position or is this usually a fold? Sometimes I like making a small raise with hands like this because our villians calling ranges for this kind of opening size is still very light and we usually end up with position and can fold out better aces, etc on dry flops. On the other hand, its not a great hand and I think a fold is never bad either.

2) OTF I think more times than not raising a donk bet on a flop like this is profitable. However, when V2 calls, that should have changed my mind but I'm not sure. Most often I can put V1 on a pair and V2 on a flush or straight draw. V2 does play sort of passive so a 3 is also a small possibility. Still, I feel like a raise on the flop easily reps a mid overpair and its hard for many hands to continue.

3) OTT I kinda hated this card but I hate changing my story too. I guess if I am going to continue my story I should bet more like $70 but somehow I feel like if he is calling $40 on the flop he is calling the turn too. It just feels weird to give up after raising flop. So I settled on a pretty wimpy and stupid bet I will admit. Plus this guy is running hot so maybe I shouldnt even be bluffing to begin with IDK.


Constructive and logical thoughts please. I know we really shouldnt be bluffing much especiall mutliple barrels in 1/2 but sometimes good spots come up that I know work and I was just not prepared for V to call my flop and didnt really have a plan after that because that sort of result doesnt happen much.

Limp pre-flop. Just nut-camp with suited ace-rag. Against some players you can make semi-bluffs profitable. Against others you can get great implied odds to chase. But A7 is a terrible hand to "play" a pot with because it flops well SOOOOO rarely.

Also, with ace/rag, if you do flop an ace, you are either way ahead, or way behind. If you're way ahead, you'll likely make nothing, as even KK can find a fold on an ace high board. If you're way behind....well it sounds like you already know how that story goes.

Also, if you're going to open pots for the purpose of taking them down post-flop when your opponents don't improve, then RAISE MORE. $7 is wholly inadequate for the line you've chosen.

Fold flop. Can poker be any easier than this? By leading out villain told us right away that he/she likes this flop that totally missed our hand. We didn't even have to waste money on a Cbet much less a double barrel.

Fold flop to the donk and the call. Never raise limp/callers on a paired board with air. They never fold. They just don't believe that you have a 3, and A5 becomes the nuts to them.

AP, OK, you tried it. Now, what calls this raise OTF that folds turn? FD got there, SD got there, 56 now has a "better" two pair, and any random 3 is never folding anyway. You're second barrel is targeting basically A5 with no club only. Way to thin a range to target with a bluff. Take the free card and hope to hit a straight, though no excite if we do.

I had to learn this lesson the hard way-folding is allowed. You don't have to play aggressively every single pot to have a winning session. I don't mind a raise with A7s preflop. I don't love it but I don't hate it. Basically it's only profitable when your V's will call with A6, K7, or 87 type hands, which they likely do. You're deep enough that the suitedness matters, but meh it's not coming up that often. I really don't like that you vary your raise sizes based on the strength of your hand though. So your actions preflop are meh. It's a pretty easy fold postflop too. I'm not concerned about the donk bet as I think that's often bluffing with air on a board that is difficult to connect with, although he very easily could have a 3, 5, or draw out of the blinds. I'm terribly concerned about the call though, which to me is a flush/straight draw almost all of the time, rarely a 5 or slow played 3. Here I expect that one opponent has a draw and one has a 3. You have no reason to make a move against two players. Once you take your shot and raise then get two callers you have to realize on the turn that all draws got there and just shrug your shoulders and c/f. Remember the chips that you save are as valuable as the ones that you earn.

There's nothing wrong with putting 7 dollars in the pot with A7s. If you just called a raise would you feel compelled to (randomly?) bluff off 80 dollars post-flop?

Sorry, but no. Basically no one is bluffing air on a paired/straightening/FD board as first to act in a 4-way pot after calling a small raise pre. If they do, they are definitely not bluffing for 1/3 pot.

This is a draw setting a price, a 5 "seeing where he's at," or a 3 "trying not to scare off his customers" basically always.

This raise works sometimes if you credibly have overpairs in your range (which you don't by opening with a pot sweetener). I would only 3 barrel an opponent who I knew 1. Chases draws, and 2. has a demonstrated history of call call fold. If both of those are not true I would not even consider it.

As for opening crappy Ax suited. I do in late positioin. Sometimes a tad earlier. But I open for my normal raise. I want my perceived range to be stronger and I really want to be heads up or 3 ways to the flop because I'm going to be taking the pot with A hi a lot.

Generally if I am opening the pot I'm not limping in. I may overlimp these hands but rarely am I open limping.