I have j9 in the cutoff and have been playing very tight at 2-5. I play 1-2 in the room, but recently have been playing 2-5 and have played with villain many times. I think he thinks I am tight and don't bet unless I have it. He is a calling station preflop and will call a raise with any two preflop. He will raise post flop with top pair good kicker or more, and call down with almost any piece of the flop.

I have $250 and he covers. I have been buying in short for the most part in this foray into 2-5 (usually the biggest game going in the room) and did so today.

Villain limps utg and there is one more limper to me. I raise to $25. Folds to the villain who calls and we are heads up. Pot is $60 or so.

I guess you can debate the merits of this raise. Maybe I'm not deep enough to play a speculative hand, but I thought I would get called at least twice, and with relatively good position could play profitably.

Flop comes 578 giving me a double gutter, overs and a backdoor flush draw. Villain checks and I bet $35. This was probably too small, but I thought Villain would think I wouldn't bet without top pair, over pair etc. so I sized my cont. bet as small as I thought would get the job done. Pot is now $130. I have $190 or so left.

He calls. Turn is 9. He checks. You?

Thoughts welcome on all streets. Thanks.

If you think you can get the isolation to work a good % of times, then raising pre is good especially if he's not loose aggressive but passive aggressive.

Bet looks a bit small, but is "okay", and obviously hitting a 10 would be really good so getting called is not awful despite board being somewhat connected.

Turn is a check if he shows any tendency of bluffing or raising, and probably safer. You probably have the best hand a large enough portion of the time that bluffing is out of the question when he can very likely have 6x. If you think he'll c/c a lot, betting the turn to check back brick rivers is good too because firstly you get value, won't get c/r by a wide value range that you have equity against (that is, two pairs won't c/r here and you have equity vs those hands), so you can do it as a bet for free showdown.

Don't put 10% of your stack in preflop with J9. As played I like a turn check here.

RULES ARE RULES ARE RULES ARE RULES ARE RULES.

How do you think people play J9s in tournaments where they have 25-35bbs? Limp? Fold?

I'd probably fold it in a tournament but this is a cash game.

They usually 3bet shove with it :-p.

Folding J9s in a tournament... really? You clearly haven't been following the latest trends, sir.

But for your benefit:

Thanks Artemis. I thought he had spades, and would likely call any bet (that's this villain), or an 8 which I was beating. I shoved and he called and showed j10 for the made gutter. If he had two pair, overpair or set which seemed nearly impossible, I had plenty of outs.

Doh.

Which kind of gets to my second topic- any way to avoid getting stacked in a raised pot by a gutter hitter? That's a little general, but he did not have odds to call my flop bet with the gutter only- maybe with the two overs he did, so with the fundamental theory of poker, do I buy him lunch for calling with a gutter then stacking me because I was so shallow?

My friend who I discuss poker with said "Does [villain] even know what implied odds are?" which is a good point because I doubt he does.

I understand both the frustration and logic which make you ask this question but as always it is not that simple. Villain can win the pot a variety of ways.

Variance is variance, not much you can do about it. Just remember you are dealing against a range of hands as you stated here: A gutter or a made straight is clearly not an overwhelming part of his range, and he may call worse as well as fold better (fold some two pairs with no outs), so this is fine.