This is a spot I have noticed I struggle with - I get a hand in the blinds that feels like a mandatory raise over limpers, but then end up unsure playing OOP post. I think I misplayed every street so looking for thoughts on each part

Saturday night, 8-handed
Both H and V in LJ (unknown) have about 200

EP limps, MP limps, LJ limps, SB completes
H raises A J to 14 from BB
What size would you use here?
LJ and SB call

Flop: 3 players (~$40) 7 9 3
SB x, H bet 12
I cbet thinking two overs and BD spades is enough equity if I don't take it down here - should this be a check?
LJ call, SB fold


Turn: 2 players (~$60) 7 9 3 A
H bet 35
I hit TP and hope to get value from worse pairs or draws, but should this be a check given I don't really have a hand for 3 streets of value?
LJ calls

River: 2 players (~$130) 7 9 3 A T
H x, LJ shoves for 135
I assume his medium strength hands would just take a showdown. Does he have enough missed draws that get played this way to make this a call?

I play it different on all street. Check, check, check aas played. Fold as played

I would have raised pre, but multi-way I would check the flop. I’m a coin flip on a River call. He can have a busted draw. His bet is polarized to nuts or air. Any reads? How fast did he bet River/

Preflop sizing depends on what is needed to get folds at this table. I would start around $20. There are a lot of 1/2 tables where $20 won't get enough folds and if I have to go higher then that I'm not raising AJo. If you can't take it down or get heads up most of the time don't raise AJo from the blinds, just check.

The flop is sorta wet so making a small bet against multiple opponents doesn't work. Your only going to fold out the total air hands that you don't care about. I would check and likely fold to a bet.

On the turn I would check. The optimal play depends on opponent, against an unknown being a bit passive and trying for some pot control is best.

River is total guess work against an unknown. He could have been chasing spades, he could have made a straight or missed a straight, he could have a worse one pair, he could have AX also, he might have two pair or a set. Absent any other information at 1/2 I would assume an unknown opponent beats 1 pair when they make a pot sized shove.

He started stacking his chips as soon as he saw I checked, but he was a bit shaky about it so it took him a second. He had a 100 stack of reds and small stacks of reds and whites, and he put the small stacks onto the big one before pushing which I thought was odd. Most people will push the multiple stacks forward simultaneously

What this means though I have no idea lol. I read it as strength at the time. I feel like bluffs are more fluid. But didn't feel decisive enough to include in the HH

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Pre I go a little bigger.

I check flop. We're in the worst position with A high. We sometimes have the best hand or 6 outs to the best hand. Backdoor is a nothingburger, our hand almost never improves. X/folding to most bets unless they come in for lol sizing like less than 1/3rd.

I go thick value on turn if I cbet flop. More like 55 or close to pot anyway.

I have no idea OTR. Bet fold small maybe. Or check to induce and call off like you did.

The T changed the nuts on the River but he’s not worried about you having )8. The fact that he took some time makes me think he probably has it, but this is a close call. My guess is long term this is a fairly neutral ev between calling and fold

AJo is close between checking pre and iso raising. Personally I like going $10 without limpers on 1/2 and $15 with one limper. $20-$25 pre.

Flop is fine. Check turn as you have showdown value and lose to hands like aces up.

As played, I would lean on hand history and reads. If he is going to have every suited connectors missed flush draw, but not all the offsuit aces up, then it's a call. If he is going to have all the suited gapper flush draws, it's a call even if he had the offsuit aces up. But if this is not a guy who is bluffing, obviously it's a fold.

I guess you can argue that some players can have AQ here, limp calling pre and floating flop, so technically AK and AQ are better calls, which I assume you could have with 1-2 spades. Maybe some nutted traps if you think villain is capable, but I would mainly bet river with hands like 99, AA. I would play this more exploitative though. Either he has the bluffs or he doesn't.

There are going to be a few straights with spades he can have that you can't, but overall I don't think this should be the deciding factor.