If you read my other post, I'm going to try and transition into 2/5. Played 6 hours of 1/2 and was up $140. It was a surprisingly busy night and they opened a second, must move 2/5 game. I eyeballed it and people were buying in for 250-700 with one regular buying in for the 1k max. Decided to move over for a few hours.

V1 - 30's WG like me. Definitely a 1/month regular and for sure a reg 2/5 player. Towards the LAG end of things, definitely active. Got stacked off in the first 30 min when he raised in EP, got 3 bet in MP and called down each street on a 9J998 board. His Jx was no good to QQ.

He squeezed once or twice and 3 bet me once. I had AJs on the button and made it 20, he raised to 70 from the BB and I mucked. I think he knows I'm tight and not usually at this level.

OTTH

Hero: Bought in for 640 and chipped up to maybe 700 at this point.
V1: Covers
V2: Has $90, doesn't matter.

1 limper in MP and I make it 20. (15 was getting all callers, 20-25 seemed to narrow it down.)
V2 calls in SB, V1 calls in BB, limper folds.

Flop 5d6d10s ($65)

Check, check, Hero bets $50
V2 calls, V1 check raises to $200.

Hero??

stick it in his eye

Classic. I called. Anyone ever shove here? I feel like he never has AA/KK/AK, but shoving feels bad if he has any set or 56.

Turn is 4x. (Pot $560ish)

V1 checks to me. Hero?

This is where I'm certainly out of my element.

stick it in his eye

Shove flop, shove turn, probably has Txdd but could also be trying to iso the short stack SB with some other Tx. I’m not folding QQ on this board with this stack size and when he checks turn he’s telling you he can’t beat an overpair yet. 2p and sets are all shoving turn on a super wet board

I think at this point just GII

With $420 left, gii as played.

As you make your transition, keep note of the suits of your card. If you don't have the Qd, the opponent's range would have a few more FD combos, making your hand stronger.

As played, just jam the turn

PS...you said this guy is a LAG so you played it fine, but against 90% of players, you need to fold to the flop check raise.

mike
do you think that's especially true at 2-5 where that likely means 2p or better?

I’m more than willing to admit my thought processes are wrong, but do you guys just go broke every time someone out flops you?

For the record I knew I had to bet something so I bet $200. He called and river was Ah. Check check and I win. He doesn’t show.

Not every time but if someone's a lag you just have to pay them off with overpairs most of the time. We aren't paying off nits who can't have all the flush draws for instance.

The lag likes to steal pots, probably not the type to x/c a lot like a passive fish, and the board is T65. This board doesn't help you very often and even a hand as strong as TPTK isn't comfortable stacking off. If he's going to attack this board then we can't fold overpairs. I kind of like it is T high since he probably squeezes TT, and he probably never has T5 T6. So he's got 65, 55, 66, and basically all the flush draws.

Fair enough. But can we flip the hand around? Let’s say I have a LAG image and a new guy, usually see him at 1/2, raises in the cutoff. SB calls and I call with J10dd. Flop come 5d6d10. I check, and he cbets 50. Check raise to $200. He pauses but calls.

Will all you 2/5 crushers say I should blast the turn all in? That you have decent fold equity and even if he’s at the top of his range (JJ+, AKdd) you got outs?

Should I be making a fundamental shift in my play to be the most aggressive at the able and be the first to jam? Obv we don’t play with our eyes closed, but should aggression be my goal?

Marsh

We are still looking to exploit so we are not trapped into one style or mode of play (LAG / TAG / nit / whatever). You can play the JTdd either way depending on your V. The x/r OTF could buy you a free card (some Vs may check behind) to get to the river if you're playing against a passive V that likely has top pair beat. If V can fold and / or the turn also hits your perceived range a jam may be best. Even if you hit your flush or a T a check isn't terrible since we have less than a pot sized bet left and can easily GII on the river. You don't have to completely re-invent yourself. I think it takes more effort and observation to see what the table is doing and figure out how to adjust accordingly 1/2 vs 2/5.

I wouldn't advocate for a x/r in that spot with JdTd with a lag image. If I was a nit or something then I like it more.

How do you get a LAG image if you don’t want to apply pressure with a hand like this?

Do you prefer leading or check-calling?

I can’t see how you pass up punishing cbets by check-raising this hand.

Anyone else care to opine on this line that we should be b/f this flop to 90% of players?

I don't hate a x/r and I think it isn't bad but we are so far ahead of his air hands I don't think it is necessary to push the action so hard. If we have like KdQd or 9d8d then we have more incentive to get his A high hands or 77 to fold. But with top pair and decent flush draw we are never a huge favorite when we get action and overpairs get to play the turn pretty well against it. I'm more in favor of x/c though. I want strong hands in the x/c range and we have no reason to want to get his air to fold.

Maybe 90% of mike starr's players since he frequently plays the afternoon nit crowd... I am b/f to those kinds of players but whether or not they make up 90% of the pool is something you should decide for yourself. Plenty of 2/5 people would hate to call oop with a flush draw and would also hate to fold one on the flop so that leaves x/r. I'm not folding against players who have a lot of flush draws in their range.

Flush draws are nearly always in opponents range. Since majority of hands they are calling are suited.

90% is fairly close to what I see midday. In evenings maybe a touch lower. But most regs stop raising flush draws because they end up punting to much. Guys who bomb pot on flops alot tend to induce a few extra check raises with flush draws though.

No. Your goal should be to win the most money. Whatever style wins is what you should be trying to play.

It seems to me like the biggest mistake you made was on the turn. By betting too small you probably gave him a correct call on the turn with whatever he had. You should either shove or check, and the only reason to check would be if you think he bluffs the river a lot. (But since he already checked I would be very slow to assume that and would probably just shove.)

Imho, trying to implement an overall LAG style while transitioning up in stakes would likely be a losing strategy. Your playing style should be dictated by opponent images. Nevertheless, generally a tight, selectively aggressive style will work best when moving up.

In your JdTd example, that hand is a favorite vs. a one-pr hand. That said, I’d suggest focus on playing most hands ip during your transition. This will allow flexibility in turn aggression vs. checking back to see a river.

this. you can't make hero folds on wet boards to Laggy opponents. Don't get fancy. just get it in before the board gets any worse.

He probably did have TdXd, because he would have won with the NFD and 78dd, but on the flop I wouldn't necessarily expect TdXd to raise, with the showdown value it has, so it might be closer than we think to just auto-stackoff here?

If he had a hand like 78 that he was check raising there isn’t much of a reason for him to check this turn. He has no reason t assume you’ll fold and there are still action killing rivers for him. This also goes for sets. It’s a very weird line to check raise two pair, a set or 78 to then check this turn. To me this seems more like an ax of diamonds hand or a hand like 98dd or 97dd that now doesn’t think he can make you fold on the turn and is hoping to cheaply realize his equity. So, yeah we are getting it in with Qq imo

Post your suits next time. It matters whether you hold the Qd.

Calling the flop c/r is good. Too many draws present to release an overpair yet against an unknown. Would consider 3bet jamming as well, but would probably need more info on V before doing that.

But heavens to betsy, if you don't jam turn after he checks to you, you aren't ready for 2/5 and need to move down.