With online poker gone, I've started going to this local card room that has 1-2 nlh game that plays like a 2-5 game because you can rebuy up to 75% of the biggest stack at the table

BB- $1000- mid 40s older business guy- super super fish, never folds pre, wont fold if he thinks he has any outs post flop, found out when i sat he was down 5k over 2 days playing 1-2 n was already down 1k tonight n was starting to raise a lot of hands, raised 4 out of the last hands since he rebought

C/O-$800 Young guy- regular- have some but very little history- says he is a big winner, plays pretty creative at times but seems like a very straight forward player, nothing special but in this game have seen him check the 2nd nuts and nuts on river about an hour before, also called 2 big bets with A8 on 1010854 so think thin value is possible

Hero-$600- button- I've been playing what seems to be tight, as i have splashed around pre trying to hit a big hand and stack someone, but never committing chips in a bad spot; A couple of the regulars at this game(horrible players but think they know what the are doing but honestly wouldnt win at any other game in the world), have been saying how bad I am to each other because I called 3 barrels with KJ on J high board n played QQ very passive on a 1084610x board n lost to the A) But have steadily been winning, bought in for 400 and have always shown a winner besides the hand above, but have made some moves but they dont know that and 1 of the regs said hell catch me soon and I have no idea what I am doing

There was a straddle on in this hand

UTG-limps, UTG+1 limp, H/J - limps, C/O limps, Hero Limps AQ sb - calls BB- raises to 18 everyone folds to the C/O who calls Hero re-raises to 65, BB snap calls, C/O thinks a bit and calls

I have no problem with how played pre because I wanted to isolate the fish, with the rerasie and if i just open raised the first time I easily could have played this hand 5 or 6 handed (that type of 1-2 game)

POT (207) Flop comes AK7

Checks to me I bet 115, BB snap folds C/O thinks and calls

Thinking he has AJ A10 type hand here and just cant fold top pair

POT(437) Turn J

Checks dark to me and I think a bit and check (might have been a mistake, because I have the nut flush draw so I cant be far behind of much in this spot)

River (437) River Q

He thinks a little, checks to me and starts to stare at me for the first time in the hand

This is my question as played; is this a spot where i could throw out a value bet, because of the line i took (thinking I can get called out of a KQ or AJ in this spot because who limps AQ on the button and then reraises pre and said previously he will make light calls), or is just smarter to check behind and play it safe because player will check better hands sometimes

I think his range is never a set except for 77 (but he should be raising that on the flop because of the texture of the flop) and never a better two pair because he plays AK much faster preflop, There are maybe 3 10s in his possible hands as A10, K10 or 1010 (the two latter thinking im making move n thinks he can get to a cheap showdown after calling the flop)

before i get yelled at the a flush is possible, i just dont see many hands that call pre that are a flush in this spot, and combo draws will play faster on the flop

I think value bettin %30 pot is good here thou I dont mind checking either

This buy in structure is amazing. Where is the game?

as the games get tougher, you'll have to go for thinner value, like in spots like this, but i would just check here, cause i have no plan for and hate a check raise, which will happen a certain, albeit low, percentage of the time... plus you have a good read for what he is likely to do in this situation so check, he makes mistake, you win(lose less)

so pretty much what ive gathered so far, is no one really knows the right play??

Well, if we're in doubt here, I think the safe default is to c/back... I would personally.

bet small,it's very thin but there's some value.river c/raises as bluffs are very rare in live poker.so going for thin value here is the optimum play,imo.

I would have bet the turn - which could have changed a lot. However, because of your earlier statement about thinking the CO would pay off a thin value bet, I would go ahead.

My reason for the thin value is that, though you are on plan B, or C, you sound like you were planning a thin value bet against the CO and without good reason to change, you should go with your plan.

My reason for checking behind OTR is that your hand has significant showdown value, but you would have a very hard time calling a big check/raise. But then, I play fairly aggressively and people love to wait for the river to c/r me.

When in doubt, go with your preflop plan that matches the situation.

There shouldn't be ton of Tx hands in his range - considering we have the Ad, Qc, and Jc is on the board.

There shouldn't be many 1 pair hands in this range, and the ones that are certainly are not calling a value bet.

I think there are going to be some sets, some flushes, and some weaker two pairs in his range.

Considering the board texture, we can never get value from worse two pair hands, especially not with your passive calling station image.

So with your post are you asking if we can bluff the river and hope to get folds from stronger hands?

I think I check this back and I might bluff the river sometimes but close to not that often.

if this guy is gonna donk off his chips eventually, check it back and wait for a spot where you're more confident..

what I don't get it is why you defend limping PF because you wanted to iso the fish, yet state that he "never folds pre." wouldn't raising accomplish the same thing without the gamble of hoping he raises his big blind option?

this game was the type of game if you open for a raise, and the first person flats, they all flat behind...so my plan was to play AQ multi way or if the fish raised ISO him, im going to have re read my post but im pretty sure I said that

If he has a flush or a T his play is super terrible. How can he expect you to bet after checking behind on the turn?

Since you have seen him check the nuts OTR previously I would check back and make him show first. If he has you beat insta-muck without showing and tell him you weren't falling for the old banana in the tailpipe trick.

If we hadn't seen him be tricky OTR previously I might value bet $105-$125.