10-handed 1/2

Villain (late 30s / early 40s WW, Covers) BTN: Never played with her before, but she is drinking (getting drunk) and playing very LAG. Seems to be doing well with a very large stack and running over the table, which is mostly passive when I get there. Huge raises pre-flop almost every hand – it’s usually at least $40 to see a flop. She will bet into any weakness and will often raise bets from others. One of my early hands against her, she raised to $50 pre over a $10 straddle, flop was 3s7s3c, she checked, I checked with Ac7c (never folding a suited A to her pre, btw), turn was a 2h, she bets $25, I flat. River was a 4d, she bets $70 and I think it looks bluffy so make the call: she has 32o (I did not show). She does show up with the good sometimes, but she is extremely wide.

Hero (MAWW, ~$575) BB: On the tighter side, but V knows nothing about me and I doubt she’s paying any attention. I tripled up earlier with JJ all in pre vs. AQ (SB below) and slightly crazy player (limper below) who couldn’t beat AQ for the side pot. (BTW, I flopped quads )

OTTH:

Passive limper UTG, couple more limps, V OTB raises to $40, SB (good, aggressive player who would have raised V with any decent hand) calls, Hero BB calls with Ac9c, UTG calls, others fold.

I probably should have raised here, but I’m OK seeing a flop /w a suited A vs. this lineup. I think I would have raise in position. Also, there was another slightly crazy player (above) who had limped, so wasn’t sure what he would do, but he folded.

Flop ($155): 9s9dTd

SB checks, Hero checks, limper checks, V bets $75, SB fold, Hero flats, limper folds.

Turn ($305): 9s9dTdTc

Hero checks, V bets $150, Hero? Flat or shove (or fold, but I can’t imagine anyone actually doing that)?

Pre seems like a trivial fold when BTN makes it 20x(!), and if we are not folding we should be 3betting.

Flop i think i mostly lead, this flop will get checked through often. X/call is fine also.

Turn it becomes a WA/WB type spot, so x/call again here and on the river.

Never, ever folding a suited A to this player. This ($40 - $50 raise) happened almost every hand. I would have 3bet in position, but not from BB with crazy limper behind (and other limper who might have been waiting to trap, but doubtful). I actually wanted to give crazy a chance to pop it up. Probably not folding to him, either.

Seriously, if you are folding suited AX to players like this, you should just rack up.

I agree that this is a raise or fold spot being OOP. Based on history, I would be 3betting like a monkey with marginal hands until we bust the Villain but we are reacting to the aggressors actions incorrectly. We can try to trap here and get chipped away to nothing or we can force the Villain into making a bad decision. Calling is allowing them to play perfectly in position.

IMO calling is worse than folding.

^Then 3bet pre, calling is easily the worst option. We are gonna end up oop in a multiway pot and are gonna have all kinds of trouble realising our equity. Our big blind "discount" is worth nothing vs this ridiculous sizing and our hand is vulnerable at best. Folding out some hands definitely would help.

OTOH, if we would be in position flatting makes much more sense when we can keep weak ranges in and can always put in a last bet to get max value. Even then i think A9s might play better as a 3bet.

Is nobody taking into account the crazy guy who limped -- the same one who gii for $200+ pre vs. JJ ($175) and AQ (covered) and couldn't beat AQ?

FWIW, and I should have mentioned, the JJ hand was very similar to this one, I was OOP, called a raise (expecting crazy or LAG to 3bet), crazy limp/3bet, SB called, I shoved, and crazy and SB called.

And, again, I am never folding. I agree 3bet can be good, but I didn't do it here (for multiple reasons already explained). SB ended up pounding her pre, which was good and bad for me.

Ace small just doesn’t connect enough to warrant calling pre against such a huge raise. Raise or fold. As played, I’d just call down. Wa/wb

Maybe the crazy guy makes this a fold instead of a raise. It doesn't make a call stronger or a better option.

It's your money. Call all day if you want.

I almost didn't post this hand because I knew I'd get this reaction from 2+2. You guys are so predictable It's also why I started the hand on the flop, not pre-flop.

If I had raised the JJ hand, I'm 99% sure he would have folded a hand that couldn't beat AQ.

I guess you just had to be at the table -- and/or be used to playing in games like this. I know a lot of players aren't comfortable in games where the average to get in pre is $20+, but that's pretty normal here, and tonight was special.

Edit: we can agree to disagree pre. My reasons were based on table dynamics, which I tried to explain, but I understand it would help to be there. I do think 3betting is much better than folding.

Thanks for sharing this hand! It's a pretty common 1/2 situation: Maniac "spot" plus some thinking Vs with Hero in the middle.

I'm ok with flatting pre-flop assuming you've got a good enough read that the SB's flat caps him such that you don't have to worry too much post flop that he'll get out of line.

AP flop: Did you consider re-raising this flop? I think it's a little wet to flat and let the 2 checkers with potential FDs and/or QJ/87/J9 draw against you with a decent price.

AP River: is H HU at this point? Assuming yes, I'd flat. WA/WB here. Hopefully you bink your Ace and stack her.

X/c turn ap

Call pre is ok - one of those games where you just can’t fold anything playable. With that, you better be prepared to call down lighter than you’re used to doing. AP the hand is routine post flop, ckc turn ck river is good.

By the way, preflop is the only part of the hand that is interesting to me. Shouldn't have been glazed over because lol 2p2 lol nits. It's really a pretty cool idea to melt players like this by forcing them to play bigger pots that they want with trash and then dominating post even with small sprs. Those are in your favor not hers. If she's opening to 40, just treat it like a 25bb 5T game and get ready to unload clips. Now, if you find that 3 betting this player is going to tighten up her calling range to something reasonable, then don't get too wide.

Did you walk away with all her money? Did she rebuy over and over? You just can't use the same net as the other 95% of players to catch a unicorn. So, when others want to call and fold, consider what calling and 3betting does. How to size it, when to shove. I have to say that the tighter UTG limper makes things a touch trickier as the GG strategy is a max exploit in these games when dealt nutty hands.

Pre is bad and as played it’s an extremely obvious call on the turn, what else could you even be considering

X/C now, not really a decision she has a 10 or she’s hanging herself, you’ll pay to find out

FWIW I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt because she posts a lot with the preflop call here, but this is definitely not standard

H1 dont know eff stacks but looks like A7s is a pretty easy jam over a $50 raise at 1/2. Even at current eff stacks ($575), which probably isn’t the previous HH eff stacks, shoving should show higher EV than call.

Not rly sure what shoving accomplishes ott, and folding is a crime

Also seems like a 3b for value and fold if limper/SB are trapping and reshoves

I like this hand, thanks for posting.

AP I am going into C/C mode - I do not see villain slowing down but I do not see them continuing with a hand we beat if we raise the turn.

I wouldn't have minded a c/r on the flop either, accepting what has been said about the fun player who limped still having to act.

Thanks, everyone.

Flop ($155): 9s9dTd

SB checks, Hero checks, limper checks, V bets $75, SB fold, Hero flats, limper folds.

Turn ($305): 9s9dTdTc

Hero checks, V bets $150, Hero? Flat or shove (or fold, but I can’t imagine anyone actually doing that)?

Hero calls $150

River ($605): 9s9dTdTc Kd

Hero?

I wasn't quite sure what she was doing at this point. I don't think I had been there a full orbit, but she had already raised big and 3bet a few times, so I figured she must be pretty wide. However, sometimes people just get big hands. This is the hand where I learned she'll do this with 32o, though. I also didn't know the crazy limper. (Effective stack was mine at ~$300 -- I bought in for $300.)

Crazy limper folded to the $40. The guy who called was some random, but I wasn't sure if he was limping to raise her, which is another reason I didn't 3bet. He didn't seem the type, but you never know.

How thin do we expect villain to bet? Will they think a flush is a slam dunk shove?

She has been betting into weakness and playing extremely LAG. Then again, what does she think I called flop and turn with? Of course, I did call her on the A7/32 hand, but she doesn't know what I had, and the pot was much smaller. The table thought I had a pair bigger than 7.

If she views checking as weakness then this is a snap check imo. If she automatically associates checking = weak betting = strong then we need to let her blast off. She may view an overpair to the T's as value or the K as a good card for her.

Ah I see, just seemed that from the order the description was in there was room for interpretation that we knew she was crazy wide pre with those lol ridiculous sizings. Guess it was kind of out of scope of the HH anyway so it wasn’t too specific/relevant