This is a very good game right now, with average stack around $1.5k and lots of loose play. Here are two hands which came up and gave me a bit of trouble. I know lots of the players and my image is a fishy LAG.

# First hand

I have 4s5s in CO (cover the table).

V1 is in the HJ with $400 - young Asian reg, tight range in big pots.
V2 is on be BTN with $1.4k - tight-passive reg; always has it when he raises.

V1 opens to $20, I call, V2 3-bets to $100, V1 calls and I call.

At the time, I was thinking in a game this deep this is a pretty good spot to play against two players who are essentially face-up. V2 has AA/KK (I've never seen him 3-bet with anything else) and V1 probably has JJ/QQ (he's aggressive enough that he would definitely get AA/KK/AK in preflop). Against this range, I think calling $80 to likely take down a huge pot is worth it. I almost have direct odds to call for the $300 preflop and can likely stack both of them if I hit.

Flop comes Tc4s5h - Yahtzee!

HJ checks, I check, BTN leads out for $250 (confirming he has AA/KK). HJ shoves for $400 (this is probably JJ/QQ which wanted to see a flop with no overs before getting it in, or the rare trapped AA/KK).

Hero? Calling guarantees BTN comes along but I fear if I raise here he'll possibly smell a set and be able to get away from it.

# Second hand

I have J9dd in the CO.

V3 is a young Asian LAG on the BTN; we have a lot of history together and he knows I'm loose but not insane. He's effective stack with $1k.

I open to 25 and BTN + BB both call. I think strong suited one-gappers are usually worth playing this deep, especially if I end up in position

Flop comes Td8s5d

I bet 40, V3 raises to 100, BB folds

Hero?

This draw seems extremely strong (and this is a draw-heavy board where I'd want to charge the max with sets) so I raise to 250. V3 tank calls.

Turn 7d

Hero?

Seeing my card hit immediately, I snap bet $500. I think this big bet was my biggest mistake - it's too strong and unlikely be called by worse.

V3 tank shoves for $800

Hero?

Is this The Beau Rivage? Sounds like one of our games.

First hand, I’m not putting in a super huge raise but I’m raising. If guy smells a set and folds AA then so be it but with bottom 2 the last thing I want to do is flat and see an A-K-T peal the turn and have my nose open in the hand for 1/3 effective stack.

Second hand, I’m never folding flop, if I think there may be other FDs in the hand I’m just getting it in on the flop perfectly ok with a set calling me.


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Hand 1, you probably want to muck first time to the raise, HJ is a bit on the short side (relative to his raise size, which is a 2/5 raise size) and you can get squeezed. Suited connectors, especially small ones, are overrated hands to speculate with against wide-ish ranges. After the 3bet, if BTN is guaranteed to have a big pair then calling is good. Flat the flop. If the T pairs, you're going to lose to HJ anyway, so you're only dodging BTN making a set. If an A turns, you'll be able to x/f, since BTN presumably won't bet that with KK. If a K turns that will be annoying, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In any case, BTN is 21-1 to hit his set and isn't getting paid that on his $150 even if he stacks you.

Hand 2, reraise more OTF while your equity is strong. You don't want to have him call and be facing a blank turn (or any turn, really) with like 500 in the pot and 800 stacks. As played, 500 is too much, but it's an awkward spot due to flop sizing.

Not the Beau.

In retrospect, I think I should have raised the flop while my equity was still strong.

Honestly, I think there's an argument for shoving here. There are plenty of bad turns for me (A,T,K) which I'll have to x/f fold on, and I'm not convinced that V is capable of folding AA on this board.

For the second hand, I would've much preferred to get it in on the flop but the sizing is super weird. Shoving $1k into a $215 pot seems truly massive like a massive overbet.

Agreed that hand 1 probably should've been a muck from the CO. I still would've called from the BTN (guaranteed position) but being in the middle ended up making this much harder to play. To be clear though, HJ doesn't have a very wide range: he usually only raises high PP in my experience. He limp/calls everything else.

That being said, I do think the call is good pre-flop since I can play with near-perfect information against their ranges.

What sizing would you go for OTF for hand 2? $250 into $215 pot seemed reasonable but maybe this is a spot for an overbet? $350? $400?

O Boy...
In the future I'd recommend an individual thread for each hand. Makes everything much more easy to follow especially in the replies.

1st Hand:
Fold Pre, always. Unless you did not accurately describe the villains, it is a huge leak to be calling a 3bet where you are going to be OOP to the PFR. You describe both players as tight so it is going to take a miracle flop to get $ off them in this hand. You are essentially lighting the stack of Reds on fire by calling the 3bet. If they were spewy, or LAG, or any combination, then it might be a different story.

As played, flatting the $400 is not bad, however you open yourself up to a world of hurt if another Ten peels OTT. Bottom 2 pair is one of those hands that only gets weaker with each street. So I understand the temptation to go for the home run, but why risk it? Say a 9 peels OTT, are you really going to check it to him praying he will bet after you have been super strong OTF? Say you go allin instead, are you even getting called by the overpair?

2nd Hand:
Pre is fine.
OTF, I would raise larger, like to $350. You have a ton of equity in the hand, but at the end of the day a draw is a draw and your flush is not to the nuts. Really apply the pressure here where you have the edge and try to take the pot down now.
Turn is a dumpster fire. As played I guess you call the remaining $300 but you're beat 9 times out of 10. Your analysis is correct, you're only getting action from a hand that crushes you. I would C/C the turn, and if he checks behind I would lead river for 1/3 to 1/2 pot.

You said you raised "to" 250 so your raise there is 150 more into 275ish, right? Make it an extra hundred at least, so 350 minimum, then shove the turn.

They are tight preflop but definitely not post - I've seen them get it in for $1k+ with Aces when they're clearly beat. Given their play style, I figured I had a good chance of stacking both if I hit - but I agree it's a marginal situation at best.


Agreed, I think I really butchered this hand. V ended up having a Q-high flush and honestly considered folding because I overplayed my hand so much.

I would get this in right here, as the pot is already big. Plenty of turn cards A K Q T that can put you in bad spot. You re-raise all-in actually looks fishy to some people and they call with their AA here. I think re-raising all-in is probably the low-variance play. Calling probably gives you slightly more +EV, but high variance IMO.

I would call here and evaluate turn. Your hand is not as strong as it looks. We are still drawing. I ran a typical range in Flopzilla, I am actually surprised at how big of a dog we are.



Am I missing something here?

$800 more? Looks like the pot is about $575? A PSB is huge, gets worse hands to fold and better hands to go after us. I would bet small here, maybe half pot.

As played, unless you think he's doing with sets, this is a fold. Considering the flop action and his tanks, I doubt he has a set here.

Flopzilla is set to calculate flop there (the blue F in bottom right). You're calculating whether J9dd or that range is CURRENTLY winning, if the hand ended on the flop.

I am confused. Flopzilla still computes possible turn and rivers assuming we are all-in on the flop and gives us the equity right? What do you mean by hand ended on the flop?

My trial is out and I forget how to do it but you have to tell Flopzilla which street you want to calculate equities for. With flop selected like you have it, Flopzilla will calculate things as though no turn or river are going to be dealt. This enables it to answer questions like "how likely it it that I have the best hand right now?", which is occasionally useful to know. If you want it to calculate what outcomes will be on the river, you have to tell it that. It might be as simple as clicking the R in the bottom right, I don't remember. I usually use Equilab.

Hand 1 ship flip

Hand 2 I think calling flop is best, as played snapping it off, it's a pretty weird line for villain to have a better flush so I expect we are good here at least 25%

You are right. Clicking on the R in the bottom right gives me the right numbers. Now, it makes sense.

OP, scratch my earlier post about equity. We have about ~62% equity, if we reach river. Re-raising is ok, but prefer calling.

Agreed that I should've shoved flop in hand 1. I could've slow-played a set, but there are a lot of bad turns for bottom 2.

For hand 2, don't you think I benefit from getting more money in when my equity is strong? I'd hate to call and then have to make a tough decision on a brick turn.

It depends on the EV of two options

1. Call the raise. We have great equity and can get value, when we hit, especially if it's a straight, which is more disguised. We don't hit, we don't lose that much. Also, this will be low variance.

2. Re-raise. I think, most people are calling the re-raise considering the size, as they have a strong hand, otherwise they wouldn't be raising. There might be some meta-game and balance if it's higher stakes, but lower stakes people are going treat this with a lot of respect and only call with strong hands like sets, combo draws and nut flush draws. I don't think, you will get all the money in here unless they have a set, against which we still have to catch up.

I prefer (1). Maybe a solver can give more accurate answer of why we should choose one over the other.