Both hands are against the same V.
V is early to mid 30s WG, probably the strongest villain at the table. Aggro pre and post, capable of squeezing/3betting light and firing three streets post with air. Positionally aware.
Hero is mid 30s WG. Aggro, winning image. Ran $500 stack up to over double that amount in his first hour, and with very few showdowns. Have not been forced to showdown light or caught bluffing. Mostly been getting paid off on thin value river bets.
V and H have history with each other and respect each other's games. Have discussed strat away from the table a few times.
Table is 1/3 with a mandatory UTG straddle to $6-$15.
Hand #1
Effective stacks ~$1,000. Hero is $6 straddle UTG. V is on Hero's immediate left (full table, no choice to seat change) and opens to $25. Call from MP, call from LP. Folds to Hero who looks at A
T
. This might be a squeeze candidate for Hero sometimes, but I don't relish the idea against V's UTG open range. Hero calls.
Flop (~$100 after drop) 9
8
5
Hero checks. V bets $45. Other two opponents fold. Hero thinks V is almost always capped to one pair here, he might have some sets in his range but I have all of them, plus 98 and 76, while he has very few of those if any. Also since I hold the As, the only draws he can really have are the ones I'm ahead of. Could go either way here, call seems fine with the BDSD but I elect to raise to $180. V thinks maybe 15 seconds and calls.
Turn ($460) 2
Hero bets $250. V thinks 20-30 seconds and calls. He's almost certainly capped to one pair now, I think he would GII with all sets given how sopping wet the board is.
River ($960) 3
Brick city. Hero jams $500ish.
Hand #2
Effective stacks ~$1,500. Hero is BB, V is $6 straddle UTG. Call from MP, call from LP. SB completes. Hero looks at 9
7
and completes. V checks his option.
Flop ($30) Q
5
6
SB checks, Hero checks. V bets $20. Folds to SB who calls. Hero calls given this deep with gutshot to disguised nuts and BDFD.
Turn ($90) 3
Best card in the deck besides a black 8, perhaps. SB checks, Hero checks, V bets $50. SB calls. Call is probably fine here too given that we should have implied odds on hearts since its backdoor, and an 8 is still a well disguised straight. Probably hard to get paid on a 4, though. Hero again elects the aggressive line, SB is unlikely to be strong here and my range should be entirely uncapped. Hero raises to $200. V thinks 20-30 seconds and calls. SB folds.
River ($540) A
Still suck at hitting mammoth draws. But now I have probably the worst hand I ever have in this spot, and draws V might have been on have missed, and if he had gotten station-y with Qx on the turn he might now be afraid that any NFD hands I was bluffing with on the turn have pulled ahead.
Hero bets $300.