I hate playing draws OOP and this hand is no exception.

Hero has about $500 and V covers. V is a younger guy and a pretty solid TAG. Definitely a winning player. He tends to raise on the smaller side for 1/2, often opening to $8, but otherwise plays a pretty solid game.

1 limper, V makes it $10 in the CO, BTN LAG and SB fish call, limper folds, hero calls with A2, limper folds.

I suppose this could have been a 3-bet spot, as V is going to be fairly wide here. In hindsight, that's probably what I should have done, but I was getting a good price, and was effectively closing the action as the limper had already telegraphed his fold.

Flop($35)J88

Checks to V who bets $15. BTN & SB fold. Hero raises to $55. I figure there's a decent chance I can take this down now or OTT. V thinks for a while (he's a slow player so I don't read too much into this) and calls.

Turn($145)J889

Hero bets $85, V thinks for 20 seconds or so and calls.

River($315)J889K:clu b:

Hero bets $130. I realize now this feels like a gutless size. It's a size I might use for value against a weak range, but I think it's pretty bad as a bluff vs. this player. My hope was that he had something like AJ/TT/QQ and I can get him off his hand for a decent price.

Overall thoughts on this hand? Assuming just a call pre, do you prefer the x/raise barrel off line, or just x/c down here? Do either the turn or river cards make us want to give up?

Def 3 bet pf.

I think I prefer a call on the flop, but CR is fine. The only thing is that other than 8x you have a lot more semi bluffs and he probably knows that.

Yeah the river bet is pretty bad. You just need to shove if you're going to take this line.


Your turn bet is too small as well. I see a lot of the bad regs online try to bluff using this type of line and sizings and it's just so transparent.

Pre : I like a fold here. This is not a good hand for a raised pot. Often we will be dominated, and we won't make flush / straight / two pair often enough to balance all the times we lose $10. Also the preflop action is impossible (you act only once when you must be acting twice). What position are you in?

Flop : I dislike the c/r here. What about all the times you brick and are first to act on the turn? The board is paired, so we are drawing to a non nut holding, and not even getting the correct direct pot odds to do so. We are getting 3:1 but I really dislike drawing to non nut hands. Not only could we easily make our hand and lose, we also can't try to put in that much money if we make our hand, since we can easily make our hand and still lose. If too much money goes in after we make our flush we are probably not the winner of the pot. Anyway I think calling or folding here are fine and c/r is a mistake.

I think you’re deep enough for pre to be w/e. Not loving any of my options but not hating any of them either.

I like a c/r flop, overbet turn line. If this villain calls, I exploitatively give up on rivers such as this one and jam river when I bink.

My concern with your turn sizing is that you’ll need a third barrel to get the job done and I’m not sure we have enough info on this villain to profitably triple.

I like the c/r OTF since solid players have learned to (correctly) overfold to c/r in LLSNL