Hi all! I have been reading this forum for a few years and (hope that) I have learned quite a bit. Thanks all for contributing. This is not a super tough spot so consider this as the first HH test-run post.

1/2 NL @ local casino Sunday midnight

H: moved down from 2/5 (#takingshots) with $700. Removed $400 at the table, so table knows. 30s white rec guy (no hoodie or headphones, friendly at the table). Played for ~1-2 hour. Opened a couple of times with AK/mid-pairs and took pots down with c-bets. Limped a couple of times, missed, and folded. I don't think I have shown down a hand yet. Taggish image. Table: nits with two regs, who are not afraid to put money in, and one mark, who keeps rebuying $100 every 1-2 orbits (that's why everyone is still in I guess and hard to table change to better this late).

~$300

V: 30s black guy. Seemed competent. Not spewy but not a nit. Was betting almost very time he was in a hand and was betting when checked to. Probably opens wider IP; fairly tight OOP. Calls wider. Standard 1/2 player.

~$450

HH pre-flop:

V opens 12 utg

3 calls

H calls in CO flats with 6d6c

Btn and blinds (all super nits - so no squeeze expected) fold.

Pot: $63 - rake

Thoughts: utg v opens AQ+/99+. Flat standard after 3 more calls?

Flop:

6d5h4h

V leads $20

3 folds

H: thinks for a 20-30 secs raises to $65.

Thoughts: likely overs or at worst nfd. Straight/SD are not in utg range.

V: hesitates (seemingly cursing life) and reluctantly calls.

Turn: Qs

6s5h4h Qs

Pot: 193

V: leads 60, very quickly and looks confident.

H: Fold, flat, raise?

Thoughts:
Fold: QQ? What else is he leading into me after flop raise/flat? AA/KK/JJ flat here. Potentially heart or backdoor spade draws but I think those flat, too. 60 looks value and not trying to buy the pot.
In any case, he is not a super McNit, so I don't think I am ever folding.

Flat: best option? Keep rare bluffs and over pairs in but may let draws get there? Saves money if QQ versus raise but what to do if he leads river?

Raise: get value from draws; he may also call with ak/kk if he puts me on draws.

H: tanks ~1min and ships ~220 AI over 193+60.

Thoughts on the turn but welcome to comment on other streets, too.

I'll post the rest later of the HH.

Cheers!

Sent from my A0001 using 2+2 Forums

I'd probably raise enough to set up a river shove. Exactly 1 hand beats you...and I wouldn't put too much on him being "confident". You say he's pretty aggressive, and a Q would be a scare card for 77-JJ. $60 into $200 is not exactly a strong bet. Looks like he's trying to bet + act strong as a blocker or potentially get you to fold. I guess if he's holding 77-JJ/AQ+, you could try to induce another bet on OTR if you flat.

Flat pre is good. With $300, you don't even need other callers. And the fact that V likely has a strong opening range means you have even better implied odds. With all the callers, positions, and tighties behind, it's an easy call.

Flop raise is great imo.

Yeah turn is a call or shove. He sometimes has KK,AA, pairs + draws (AhQh), etc. QQ is very possible but it's just 3 combos and you really can't fold.

I actually don't hate a call with the plan to call all rivers. Calling leaves you with $155 in stacks and a pot of around $310. So exactly 1/2 PSB left. I'm never folding here but there's a chance V is doing something weird with a medium strength value hand or bluff on the turn, and I don't want him to bet/fold those hands on the turn.

So yeah, I would call turn, call all rivers. Shove river for value if he checks.

But shoving turn isn't terrible or anything.

this is exactly how I would want to play your hand in this situation. IMO, it doesn't really matter if you flat or push, cause all the money is going in the middle anyway. Why not get it in when you're 99% sure you're ahead. WP. Hope it held up.

If he has QQ, we're losing our stack anyway, so it doesn't matter whether we shove or call turn. Similarly, if he happened to UTG raise 55/44, it's probably all going in so our decision there is irrelevant.

Thus, we need to target the rest of his range. If he has anything else (AA/KK/AQ etc.) he probably can't call a turn shove, but he may interpret a call from us OTT as strange/weak/confusing and talk himself into putting the rest in OTR. We fear no river cards so just flat turn and GII on river.

These spots are never easy when you add the live reads to the mix.

1) I would've raised slightly more OTF .. you 'only' raised $45 into $100. If V pays attention to such things (and most dont) this is a pretty good price for him (or you on a flush draw) to continue. But no harm is trying to get $10-15 more to tilt the scales more -EV if he is on a flush draw. Only the rake wins when we bet =EV ...

2) You did notice the change in V from not really wanting to call Flop to now donking the Turn ... alarm bells!! Now it comes down to you ... are you ever folding the River based on a card (4-flush) or a live read? If not, then shove away and take the thinking out of it. You may get to run the River twice if you want which wont happen if you flat.

The tone of your post is set over set and you also seem confident in your opponents range not including straights from UTG.

I agree your actions need to consider V whole range, but I really don't like letting my opponents set their own price when I think I am ahead unless I am sure to get paid OTR against a reg. Not sure if you have that 'assurance' here so I think shoving is the way to go here without a definite soul read on a reg or an 80% fold on a 4-flush. GL

I am raising more on the flop because of pot size and to set up a turn jam. If he's calling $65 then he's calling $90 or $100; this extracts more value and it charges his draws more.

As played when he leads the turn I jam. If he had QQ and hit his Q then its a cooler and you can't get away anyway. Based on your description of tells and your read it feels like he has AhQh and now he's not folding either so you might as well just stick it all in there and see what happens. #twss

Thanks all for the feedback.

Most of you have guessed it (people tend not to post winning hands here anyways unless it is a royal brag ) - I jammed and ran into QQ.

I think answer20 summed it up in terms of my main question being whether I can soul read and fold the middle set here DESPITE his range being slightly wider than the nuts. I was pretty certain that he had a QQ but did not want to suffer from MUBS either.

Lesson learned: bigger flop raise (looks like all agreed on that) for EV- call and turn jam.

P.s.: rebought in full immediately (did not used to do it but learned here) and got my stuck from him 1-2 orbits later.

Same V utg/utg+1 raised 12. Couple of flats. I flat 6s7s late IP.

Flop: 779r
Pot: ~50-60

V leads 20.
H raises to 85 (better now? )
Small talk: we have been here before, haven't we?
V flats.

Turn: 779 7 (thank you poker gods)

V checks (note the difference where he led nuts in the original hand)
H jams AI ~200
V calls

river 779 7 j

V shows KK.

Based in this hand, it shows that his stacking off range is wider than just nuts, so I think there are more reasons the jam the original hand. He said he put me on 9 and tilt/playback because of the previous hand.

Cheers!


Sent from my A0001 using 2+2 Forums

65 otf is too small given the board is so wet. It will kill your action on any heart, 4-to-straight turns.