Just table changed and played like 2 orbits.
V1 - Unknown MAWG who just sat.
V2 - Young, large Asian who has been flatting raises in LP pre-flop and stabbing at pots on all streets when checked to. Nothing shown down.

Stacks. Everyone has ~$300

Promotion: High hand for the hour pays $500 and there's 1/2 hour left. Current high hand is quad 9s with a K kicker.

The Hand.
Hero raises to $12 in MP with 9c9s
V2 calls on the button
V1 calls in the big blind

Flop ($31)
9d 7s 2c
V1 checks
Hero checks
V2 bets $20
V1 calls
Hero calls

Turn ($88)
Ks.
Checks around

River ($88)
3h
V1 checks
Hero bets $40
Both Vs fold

Thoughts?

Looks fine. Assuming the plan on the Turn was a big check-raise?

I'd still bet the flop most of the time. People that are able to bluff when checked to are able to float. Depending on V you could x/r many turns or even x/c and x/r river.

Yes. I was hoping for a big turn check-raise. I'm thinking he would have fired the turn if a 3 came off. The king might have scared him. Everyone ALWAYS puts me on AK no matter what I have.

I was wondering if a flop c/r might have been better. It was such a blah board though.

Yeah. Not just that it was such a dry board, but you want to have some super strong hands in your check-calling range too (can’t just be “overcards with a backdoor draw”), and top set is the best candidate for that, *because* it also blocks so much of Villains’ value hands.

Bet vs. check on the flop, whatever. The thing is, once there is a bet and a call, you need to raise that flop. The reason is that because you block so many value hands, the caller likely has a draw. By not taking any aggressive action on the flop or turn, you probably gave someone 2 free cards to crack you.

Noob perspective:

This may be a bit results oriented, but the turn and river action are both evidence for why it's better to take the betting lead.

I don't mind the flop check, even as the 2nd of 3 to act, given your read that V2 will fire at will. But once he does that *and* V1 check/calls, I think this has to be a check/raise, to 50 or 60. It looks awfully weak for either V to fold to that raise and I think they'd be loathe to do it.

Then it's easy for you to keep betting turn and force V's to determine whether you're bluffing, whereas if you merely call the bet and then lead out on the turn, that looks suspiciously strong (which I suppose is why you didn't do it, leaving the risk of it checking through).

tl;dr: check/raise the flop

You can argue about the best line in this situation. I usually prefer leading but check/call on the flop is something you should mix in, particularly against a V2 type that takes a lot of stabs. Sometimes though there is just no money to be made. After everybody checks to him V2 can be taking a cheap stab at the flop with any two cards. V1 probably has something when he calls but most pairs and weak draws are enough to call once. Both are obviously on something weak here and not inclined to make a play after you check/call the flop.

If V1 didn't call then I don't mind a call, V2 can have anything and the entire thing might well play out the same (x/x turn, b/f river) BUT V2 is much more likely to keep firing against a single caller on random turns. The problem is after V1 calls flop and then you overcall V2 has to really have something or decide he hates money enough to fire a second barrel into two callers.

Even HU though you don't need 99 in your x/c range.

I understand balance is cool and everything, but I'd go out on a limb to say it's fine to just not have top set in your overcall range 3 ways and balance by having T8s sometimes or JTs if you don't have the former.

HU I don't think it's that bad to lead turn too ... A or K turn is much less likely to bluff again. Going into turn 3 ways though isn't as great, as you don't have as much random overcards as overcalls.


Note that if you did raise flop it's very possible everyone just folds flop ... sets just win small pots sometimes.

Sometimes we have a good plan and it doesn’t work out the way we expect. Doesn’t make it bad play.

Most likely holdings here, from the way he played, was some marginal made hand, so he probably wasn’t going to give you a ton of action. Lots of random flop stabs turn top pair or a draw on the Ks so we can expect him to keep firing this card a lot.

Preflop and rainbow flop seems standard.

We have to lead the turn. K is our range card here as preflop raiser and puts FD/SD on the board.