$1/2

V is 35 y/o super buff white guy loaded with tats. He's brand new to the table. I get the feeling he's not an experienced poker player. He sat down on a hand where there was a button straddle and he spent 2 minutes grilling the dealer on why the action starts in the small blind on a button straddle. He finally accepted the dealer's answer "I don't know, man. I don't make the rules. That's just the way it is." It's fine if you've never played a game with a button straddle and you don't know what it is, but the dude came off as a total meathead. That's all the info I have on V. Unintelligent meathead.

V has $165. Hero covers.

Pre-flop
UTG straddle for $4
V calls $4 from the MP
Folds around.
Hero raises to $20 from the SB with JJ
Folds to V who calls

Flop ($40)
2 34
Hero bets $30
V raises to $60
Hero calls

Turn ($160)
T
Hero checks
V goes all-in for $85
Hero folds

I thought about making it $25 pre-flop, but I thought that would get zero calls. I didn't hate the flop because I had an overpair and a flush draw. I thought a c-bet was in order. I was totally confused on what action to take when he raised.

I thought he could be raising with the A I thought he might also might min raise with a set, 2 pair, straight. Maybe he had a hand like me with an overpair and club. Maybe he just had top pair and a straight draw. I wasn't sure exactly how to range him because I had no reads on his poker play. I wasn't sure if my jacks were ahead. I wasn't sure if my flush was good if I were to hit it. I thought about shoving, but decided to call and see what he did on the turn.

Shove flop.

Putting in half of your effective stack and then folding is generally something you want to avoid. I don't think this spot is an exception.

Folding to the flop raise, shoving over the flop raise, or calling and calling the turn are all lines I would take against various players.

I like shoving here because 55-99 probably look pretty good to this guy on that flop, maybe even without a club. So does the naked Ac. He'll have sets and straights occasionally, but you can probably discount flopped flushes (especially nut flushes) since people tend to slowplay. If he flips over a made K or Q high flush just tip your cap and move on.

Preflop is fine, normally I would have gone to $25 but if you thought $20 would get you heads up (which it did), then I think your sizing is perfect.

Flop bet is fine, but when he raises to $60 and he only has $85 behind, you need to either ship it here or fold IMO, and I'm leaning towards shipping it given the villain description.

The only hands you are doing really poorly against are Q, K, and A high flushes and slow-played QQ-AA with a club. Against a range that is currently beating you, you are just a little worse than a 2:1 dog. But I think his range includes a ton of 55-TT that you are absolutely crushing on the flop, so I am just going all in.

I think the worst part of the hand is calling his min raise on the flop and then folding to a turn brick half pot all in bet.

against a super bluffy fishy guy maybe jam over his min raise

Agree .. need to make a decision on Flop. Overs can come on Turn .. you only hold 4th flush. You are either beat by flush or QQ here IMO. Flating is spew on Flop with stack sizes unless you are calling the shove anyway. What if an under-card flush comes?

Take the thinking out of it on the Flop. GL

I usually give people the benefit of the doubt when they raise me, but his range is pretty wide. His hole cards are pretty much anything he'd limp. I really doubt he has an overpair higher than yours. Watch out for new players, though, sometimes they're better than they look.

On the flop, he'll probably have flushes, straights, sets sometimes, but I think a larger part of his range are flush draws (A,K,Q,Tc), straight draws (A,5), pairs smaller than yours (55-TT), and also single pairs (maybe w/ a smaller flush draw).

I still think a fold is ok, if you want to be nitty. But calling his min-raise commits you. So either shove the flop or call the turn.

it's a high variance spot, but pretty happy to get it in here against a possible spaz, especially with the Jc in our hand.

I prefer to just shove the flop, but definitely can never fold the turn for a 1/2 PSB once we've called the flop raise.

I think calling flop is fine against this opponent if you are calling any turn shove. Calling flop and folding turn is probably the worse line you can take.

I agree. With stack sizes and action that took place just stuff it in on the flop. U have the best hand a lot. U have him crushed when he has those 55-1010 with club hands that he loves this flop with. They will just stick it in with Ax also. However if u r just gonna call raise on the flop it has to be with the intention of getting it in on the turn IMO.

I like a bet/raise on flop.

if you pot the flop there is less than 1psb left. We have a fair amount of equity against most of his holdings and are never in terrible shape.

Furthermore I expect population tendency to want to slow play made flushes and V could be raising any over pair 55+

With deeper stacks/smaller pot and/or a read I may change my tune but against unintelligent meathead I get it in.

I had 5c5s btw.

So how much would V have to have behind in his stack after his flop raise for you to consider a line where you bet/call the flop? Is b/c a better line with $500 effective stacks?

Agreed.

If you're not ready to commit to your hand fold the flop. Otherwise calling is fine.

I think the larger the stack sizes get and more we are leaning towards a fold.

I almost never like a bet/call here mostly because when a 4th flush card comes in that shuts down all action and we are going to have a hard time squeezing out any money from a hand that is worse then ours and a 4th club or straight card can kill our action and our hand.

However when stacks are small like they are here it would be an error to call flop and fold turn because we are then getting offered such a tremendous price on a hand that may currently be good or may become good.

If he would ever bluff(semi or otherwise) this flop or raise for value with a worse hand it becomes a bigger mistake to fold then it is to call mostly from a pot odds point of view.

So for instance if the pot is 40 and you bet 40 and he moves all in for 100 more. You know have to call 100 into 220 so your getting 2.25 to 1 but for simplicity sake lets say 2-1.

You need to win the pot by showdown 33% of the time to hit the break-even point. We have a strong flush draw but may be dominated so lets say discount some outs for the times we get it in against a bigger flush draw or an already made flush. by the rule of 2 and 4 we are roughly 28% to make our hand. Not good enough.

However, as I said before if he is EVER doing this with 55+ I think we can profitably call.

I think its a bet/raise here because there are so many cards that can come that can either kill our action or our hand and we can definitely get called by worse often enough to show a profit.