$1/$2. Hero is playing aggressively against a bad table. A couple of nits who are limping QQ (yes, limping QQ), a couple of players who seem like they are just sitting there to kill time and a total, total donkey. Donkey is down several hundred, just since I sat down.

UTG makes it $15 preflop and donkey calls. I look down at 99 on the button and decide to call.

Flop is 832 rainbow. UTG checks and looks totally disinterested. He has his cards in his hands like he is going to fold.

Donkey shoves for $103.

Hero takes a few minutes and eventually calls.

pretty standard...nh/wp

^^I call, donkey has 8x most often

Why no cbet? Flop is perfect for your hand two 's out there and you hold the k , when you check back and bet fish will put you on a weak range like your trying to steal the pot. So he raises you to see "where he is at".

^^ its 4-ways to the flop, I think that alone should be enough to advise on giving up. I would agree if there were 2 callers, or our image was rock

Looks like a great board to me.

Hey guys -

Long time limit player here looking to diversify my portfolio; so I've started to dabble in some 1/2 rather than low limit when waiting for my game. Apparently I ran like God in my last session in booking a $700 win but felt kinda lost in this hand:

Effective stacks are ~$300. There's like 3 limpers I complete 86s in the SB, BB makes it 10, all call. BB seems to clearly be the most aggressive and best player at the table and may be reading this (I know, lol seat selection). Everyone else is just very passive pre and postflop.

855
Checks around. Should I consider leading here? I feel like it sorta turns my hand face up and it's not a bad flop for him to Cbet. Of course I'm a limit player so I think every flop that isn't J98 is a good cbetting board, lol.
Turn is the J
I lead for $20, about half the pot. Maybe this was dumb 'cause I didn't really have a plan for the rest of the hand? My thinking at the time was just that I can easily be good and everyone was just so darn passive that I could take it down here, or if called safely c/f a river brick.
Of course BB raises to $75 and everyone gets out of the way.
What's his most likely hand here - like a suited J? Will he throw that away if I shove (it's pretty believable that I can have a 5 here I think)? I ponder for a bit which I rarely do and then decide it's too late to make a move so I call?
River is the Q
How bad did I screw up thus far and what should I do now?

You should shove the river- I dont think villain has many club hands or 88 here. You are targeting QJ, and 5x here. The turn I am probably folding btw. If the board wasnt paired I would think its really close though since its unlikely at a 1/2 game someone is semibluffing with a larger draw ever here- which means you have some implied odds.

yeah, i felt like i had been aggressive enough that i was EXPECTED to bet this board and i was going to get played back at. plus, i just could see in the SB's body language that he liked this board a lot, so why build a pot for him? if i had KQ i'm absolutely going to bet here, but with KQo, i'll take the free card and limit my losses multiway.

1/2

The table opened about an hour ago and is very LP with 3 or 4 players with vpip's of 90+. Average stack size is around $140. Large raises ($15-$20)have been getting multiple callers preflop.

Hero/CO (covers) 78

5 limpers to Hero, Hero limps

Should I have raised?

^^ no, I would overlimp. If you are getting multiple callers all the time with rando hands you are essentially are gambling it up with them. The only thing you have going is you are IP. I raise this everytime if I can somewhat thin the field/steal the button/or get it 3 ways or less. Sounds like they like to limp/call alot.

Deflect conversation?

Sometimes Ipod is necessary.

In the past i've tried changing the topic of conversation e.g. ESPN is always on and I ask some stupid question about whatever game was playing. It worked for a little bit especially around the Super Bowl and CFB.

Now he gets pissed because he knows what I'm trying to do and then he spends the remainder of the night trying to push my buttons. The man used to be a car salesman so he's pretty good at it. I'm a shy person so he'll try to make me blush and then make fun of me for it, and then he'll needle me about the big pots he's taken off of me 5Ts vs AA, AA vs 55, laugh every time he enters a pot with me IP etc.

Anyone not stacking off here?
120bb effective, villain1 is an african american, super duper terrible nit, saw him limp/call preflop with AA, and open shoved on A44...lol yep
Anyway, I have JTo in the CO, a whale limped, i was iso'ing him all night, I made it 12, villain1 calls, whale folds...flop JT6, i cbet 20, he makes it 100

sick spot, any chance he limps then c/shoves for it all with QQ+?

It is possible, he's unpredictable really...the only hand i saw him show down was that AA hand...fwiw he will check it down vs the whale (who is his cousin)
and also fwiw, he is super passive, meaning i dont think he will ever reraise draws, he was otb so IP...my cbet vs him and the whale was 100% really

If you are always cbetting flops I am stacking off here. Its only 120bbs too. Sometimes you chop, sometimes villain has AJ, QQ-AA, and 66. Someone can stove this.

Sounds like you need to implement a smaller "standard" raise size and open your game a little. Nobody should know your raising aces. They should think AK,lol.

If he is a car salesman, chances are he should be easy to level.

You can't let these idiots outmind you. 2+2er's are the level of all leveler's.

ok thanks, yes i am always cbetting, and he always folded

I have opened my game up (not necessarily my opening size though), Most people always joke with me about how I always have AA or the nuts and I encourage it. I use that to steal pots, double barrel, bluff raise etc. Some people think I'm full of **** (car salesman) and a punk with an attitude and they either avoid me completely or they play in lots of my pots.

I bluff catch this guy on the reg and ive bluffed him out of some big pots recently and he knows it so I think he kinda has a chip on his shoulder/ thinks he needs to prove something.

He's started by defending his blinds vs my CO BTN opens ATC and calling my opens w/ any suited semi connected hands IP regardless of stack sizes. LOL. It would work if we were deeper and he upped his aggression but he doesn't. It sounds like I should be printing money vs him but like I said earlier he's running hot vs me.

Although he's not too good at teh pokerz I've NEVER seen him lose in a verbal sparring match. And it happens frequently. Thoughts comments suggestions as to how to handle this or fight back?

I know someone said use Bose (which I have) but I don't want to come off as the douche with the headphones at this small club. It's also true (at least for me) that you get less action when you wear them.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Don't vary your openings anyone can tell the difference you open small with crap and big with aces/kings.

Get in his head, get smarter with him not louder.

HOW DO I GET IN HIS HEAD

Just keep saying smart ****t to him. Eventually he will react and when you get that reaction keep needling him.

Get in pots with him bluff him when the chance arrives. Show the bluff, I was not there so its hard for me to tell you exactly something to do.

I been talking crap for years and years for competition so it comes natural to me. Take all the crap I have seen said on this entire forum. Especially nvg threads, its easy to level. If he is a regular it shouldn't take you long, to come up with a plan.