Table: Your typical 1/2 table. A bunch of loose passive fish, at 8pm or so on Friday evening.

Hero:
I should have a fairly terrible image overall. My first hand I sat down and raised to $15, got a few callers, and a short stacked rec player shoves over top with AJo for $50, I 4bet iso and end up mucking without showing on a J high, no flush board.
Next hand I 3bet a LP opener from $10 -> $25 and when it folds back around to him he 4bet jams for $250 or so. I just sigh fold and don't show.
Since then I opened in various positions, for varying raise sizings, mostly not getting to showdown (and losing) on some terrible run outs. I've won a few small pots, but I've been seen putting in a flop cBet with less than Ace high (against Villain) on a pretty dry board. I'm stuck about $300 at this point (V has seen me lose every penny), but I've somehow managed a few small pots and I'm back up to $400. Late 20's early 30's white guy, very quiet, looking pretty obviously annoyed with current run of cards. I've been here for about an hour or so at this point. Maybe 90 minutes.

Villain: Seems like the sophomore of rec players. He clearly has some idea of what's going on, and likely has a clue how to play, but he isn't 'good' from what I can tell. Mostly been limping in from all sort of positions, but when he comes in for a raise it's over sized compared to the table. Generally in the $15 range. Pretty clearly has a 'I don't believe you at all vibe' when it relates to me. Likely late 20's early 30's white dude, no headphones. A little bit chatty with the table. $Covers.

Hand:
Pre flop:
1 limp from the CO from a terrible short stacked rec player who never has anything good, as he'd raise anything quality 100% of the time in an unopened pot.
V opens to $15 on the button
SB folds
Hero looks down at Black JJ and?...

Flat. Set mining or maybe look for a decent flop texture.

~~~
Et même si ce n'est pas vrai. Il faut croire à l'histoire ancienne.

Although it is tempting to reraise and play off your bad image from earlier hands I'm not convinced JJ is strong enough to reraise gii or reraise and then stack off over flop and turn 200bb deep vs a guy who "mostly limps but raises bigger than normal" when he does raise.

I guess villain's raising range is already on a par with your hand on average before you do anything. If you reraise his continuing range is likely going to be ahead or flipping with you more often than not. At best you are hoping a reraise combined with your image will gii now or postflop vs TT-88 but you're more likely to own yourself against AA-QQ.

Like Lapidator says; call the raise and see if you can spike a set or a lowball flop. Then you'll be able to make use of your awful image but not before.

If he's been limping a lot in BTN/CO/HJ he probably only raises with a pretty high range. Set notwithstanding, I'd probably x/c the flop and turn unless both an A and K show up. There's no way he'd triple barrel the river against you if he's losing based on your description of him, so if he does the triple you probably have to fold. If he checks a low card flop I'm probably betting the turn/river for value since he's probably got a lower pair than you do.

What is the stack size of the CO? Short stacked ~70?

What is your read on him?

Loose semi-passive, stack of $85 or so. Will likely call with any PP he limped with (88-), KXs, QXs, and 76s+ for the $15. Will ck/cram all flops where he has top pair or better and 30/30/30 on ck/cl, ck/jam and open jam if he flops a flush draw.

As described, I would flat preflop and have every intention of a half pot ($25) donk bet to any board texture. CO is more than likely going to call any flop bet if someway connected and we crush his range. It puts BU in an awkward spot to over-call/raise.

Otherwise we raise to $40/45 lose the CO and only get called by hands that are beating us or we are flipping with.

Be a shame to lose the fish overlay. I like a cawl with a plan to x/c most flops.

Image sounds like you're running bad and frustrated, right? Not that you're making desperate moves. That said, it seems like you can benefit from under-representing your hand and keep villain's range wide at this point - from what you say it's not clear what his button-raising range is, but if he has half a clue, offsuit broadways and lower PPs are in there. I favor a call.

Raise to ~ $45

I'd prefer a 3bet to $45-55 also.
Most "sophomore recs" i play with aren't folding many worse hands and likely only 4betting AK/QQ.
Perhaps if he really has a 'i don't believe you' vibe he might have some 4bet bluffs but i wouldn't worry too much about it.

IMO, this is a spot where JJ plays more like a middle PP instead of the smallest-big-PP. Position disadvantage is a big problem.

Now, if we were OTB, or if we had a maniac who would like to shovel $$$ in to try to bully us out of the pot... then we can play JJ as if it was QQ+.

Raise to 45.
To put it as succinctly as possible, I'd far prefer to play a bigger pot w JJ and initiative than a smaller one without it. Even moreso here for value with a losing image against a passive player whose postflop toolbox is limited to calls and not much else. I'd expect to be able to get to showdown on neutral-good boards one way or another, and perhaps find 1-2 streets of value along the way.

Agree with others on flatting pre. Our best chance of getting stacks in versus this guy is hitting set. If we get stacks in pre or on the flop without hitting our set we are probably never good.

With that said, we can still get a lot of value postflop from this V, even if we miss our set. Boards where he makes top pair w/ A10 type hands, not to mention if he holds TT-88. I could see him folding TT-88 to a 3bet or playing fit or fold on the flop, when we could of got get 2 streets from him post flop because he thinks your trying to buy the pot.

Gotta go with the call crowd. JJ hands usually are defined by how you play them preflop. You can keep some fish money in the pot with a call and also it's a pretty good spot to possibly value bet and get called by worse that doesn't believe you're as strong as JJ later in the hand. I don't see this as a big value spot however.

Welp... since school didn't start today, perhaps you have time to continue your PAHWM?

I'd rather call this because if you 3bet it to 45-50 then what will you do if he shoves? Since he's only raising premium hands you are either ahead 55%-45% or way behind.

Set mine him for his short stack.

Since when is 200bb a short stack?

Maybe I gave the wrong impression of this guy. I think he's perfectly capable of raising the button with a reasonable range. Something easily as wide as 55+, A6s+, KTs+, A9o+, 76s+, 97s+, and some off suit other combos.
But if there was a limp train going on I think he'd just follow along with a big portion of that.

In a single limited pot otb I think he's going to be reasonably active though.

Hero 3bet to $45
Short stack snap folds
V cuts out $50 or so in chips thinks for 7 - 15 seconds and calls.

Flop: 88:6 ($86)

Hero?


I felt like this was a great spot to 3 bet.
He will likely call me with his entire opening range, and I felt he would 4bet JJ+, AKs, and maybe AQs given his "I don't belive you" mentality. Plus button/BB dynamic. So we get him to call off with the worst part of his range where he will likely make mistakes post flop.

When he doesn't 4bet pre I think we have the best hand about 100% of the time.
In real time my lolliveread was that he was briefly considering 4betting, but chose not to. So I gave a bit more weight to the 88-TT AK/AQ portion of his range.

30

x/c. If he checks back, delay-C-bet OTT for $55. Probably fold to a raise (unless its a min-raise).

I would have made it $50 pre.


AP, making a bigger cbet to take advantage of a a good board and a bad image. $65-70 for pure value. He might even call a bet with A high.

Flat pre.

As played, $65 OTF.

Awesome 3 bet preflop, absolutely the right place for it. Would probably have sized it to 85 myself, but that is a minor quibble.

AP, I would bet 65ish, and proceed from there.