1/2 NL, 9 handed, hero and villain have ~500 hours together. Villain is VERY tricky, and hero dreads sitting at tables with him when he doesn't have position. He's a fairly large loser though, losing big, I'd say, two times for every big win.

He plays about as loose as the average loose passive 1/2 player when he has a stack below 100 BB, but anything above, especially anything 150 BB+, he plays borderline maniac loose, and calls sizable raises with hands like 53o, T3s, etc regardless of position, and calls massive 3 bets to almost 100% of his raises. He also floats a lot of flops, then bluffs on scare cards even if he doesn't hit. Overall he's pretty well balanced, but bluffs a little too often.

However, villain had said to hero several times that he thinks hero is tricky, af definitely plays hero a little differently, for example, he folds top pair to hero a lot on turn/river but calls down 95%+ players with top pair. He also never value bets hands like TPTK vs hero for three streets. If villain 3 bets hero, he has JJ-AA 100% of the time, but 3 bets ~ 8% of hands vs 95%+ players, regardless of position.

Anyways, there were really only two hands specifically from this session that stand out, but I'd appreciate it if I could get feedback on + one pre flop action hand:

1. Effective stack size $300. TAG opens UTG $12, villain in MP calls, loose passive calls in CO and hero calls in BB with T T.

Flop ($49): Q 8 3. Hero checks, UTG checks, villain bets $25, and only hero calls.

Turn ($99): 9. Hero checks, villain bets $35 and hero calls.

River ($169): 4. Hero checks and villain checks. Are we calling a river bullet? Do we fold turn if the bet is bigger?


2. Effective stack $400. Villain opens $12 UTG and it's folded to hero in CO who 3 bets to $45 with A K and only villain calls.

Flop ($93): T 9 5. Villain leads for $30 and hero calls.

Turn ($153): 3. Villain checks and hero checks.

River ($153): 2. Villain checks and hero checks. I was fully planning on calling a river bet here, but do we call turn if villain fires? What if villain fires small on turn v big? What if villain lead flop a lot bigger, like, say $70, do we just give it up?

3. Effective stack $40. Loose passive UTG limps, UTG +1 folds, and villain UTG +2 raises to $12 and it's folded to hero in SB with K K who 3 bets to $60. Thoughts on sizing?



Anyways thank you very much for reading this and I very much look forward to the discussion!

1) Why would you call a river bet when your description says "He also never value bets hands like TPTK vs hero for three streets". I think that answers your question.

2) I wouldn't call a turn bet or a river bet. The guy sucks but he can still have a pair, especially if he seems to play more careful against you specifically. (I probably raise his flop bet though)

3) I assume effective stacks are $400, not $40. Sizing is fine. You said he calls massive 3 bets almost 100% of the time. This one isn't all that massive. I like the size.

1) While he won't go three streets with TP, he will from time to time go three streets with missed draws and bluffs that make zero since (i.e. 55 on this board.) Though, he's even doing that with a lower frequency vs hero. Are you calling a bigger turn bet?

2) Why are you raising the flop? I'd expect to have the best hand here fairly often, and if I raise and he's drawing, he's almost certainly jamming, then we're stuck calling with A high. Only reason I'm calling a river bet is because his line would have made zero sense.

3) Effective $400, yes.

2) I wouldn't always raise but mixing in a raise is really good. Calling bets in general sucks. Unless you know you're ahead and youre trapping, then calling is fine. Otherwise you would do good to never ever call a bet unless you're drawing. Actually I raise most of my draws also. A raise makes you much tougher to deal with. He could also very easily be ahead of you with any pair and he should fold it most of the time sine your repping a big overpair.

Try playing the next few sessions literally never calling a bet post flop. Youll be amazed at the difference it makes.

I still really don't understand why we would want to raise the flop with our specific holding. Sure, we have an OK draw with two overs and two backdoors, but why would we want to gii? Villain is jamming or folding every time.

Are you saying we should never call a bet post flop as the pre flop aggressor, or in general never call a bet post flop? The ladder sounds quite reckless.

I find that hard to believe. Nobody knows what goes thru the mind of maniacs like this guy. But if hes going to jam or fold 100% of the time and he will fold hands like 56, then Im raising.

I'm gonna trend spewy on hand 1.

I've taken to 3! TT pre more in spots like this. (JohnnyBuzz pointed out that I should have done so in a hand I posted and I made the fix) The only cause for concern is you say UTG is TAG. But ultimately, it's 1/2. He could just be bored. He could just be trying to play against the donor. We certainly might fold out AQ or AJ. Unlikely to fold JJ, but it's possible. It's a scary spot for him post flop, sandwiched between a 3 bettor and a maniac.

If you get through him, you play against a loose passive and/or a massive donor with a very strong hand. You can also rule out a lot of hands for them, but they will be kind of decieved by your hand. Plus, almost all players become fairly straight forward in a 3 bet pot. Anyway, I think it is playable enough against the bad players.

If UTG flats, they probably do so too and you're largely set mining, but that's not so bad getting 3-1 immediate odds. If UTG stuffs, oh well. Wouldn't always 3! but would def consider, and try to get a read on UTG. For 1 thing, why didn't he make it like 16 with these 2 guys behind? You might wanna raise to $20 with your premiums if they would call it. $12 seems like something speculative.

Flop, ch/call.

Turn: I'd again consider spewing with a CR here. His bet size is weak. You've picked up a gutter and likely have 6 outs when beat. Block the nuts. Can easily have the nuts and 3 sets. Maybe a set of 9s too. Maybe Q9. Maybe AQ. QQ very unlikely for him. You didn't say how aggro he was pre, but maybe he would 3! AQ a lot. Assuming he is making his loose pre calls here and there based on his gut or whatever, and not calling like 75% of raises, the two pairs are reduced. Even if he is calling 75%, that's not 83.

Dude has told you he treads lightly against you cuz you're tricky. Also, a lot of maniacs actually realize that people expect them to stack off light and will try to trap them. So they will learn to dodge the bullet against very value-ish, trappy lines, as opposed to straightforward bet/bet lines. So, taking such a line could def. get a fold from a weak Q. If you fold out a 3 an 8 a gutshot or some other hand with a little equity that would have played perfectly on the river, that's good too.

I prefer this play to a check call and check call on the river for about the same price. So if I did just call, it would probably be to fold unimproved on the river.

It is a pretty odd pot for him to 3x bluff, maniac or not. Maybe with 9t? You have tt. And really, he probably just shows down the 9.

Okay, in the somewhat large sample I have with villain, he doesn't just flat in these spots.

You didn't elaborate on what you meant by never calling a bet post flop.

I feel like in these spots we are no where near the top of our range and raising AK to the lead isn't great.

I don't love a 3 bet here because of UTG TAG opening, if opener was in a little bit later position, or was a big LAG I'd be more comfortable 3 betting, but in this spot I feel like a flat is our best option, though I don't think a 3 bet is awful. I really don't want to get jammed on.

I really don't like a x-r on this turn. He's folding all of his air and all of his marginal made hands and then continuing with only hands that beat us, in my opinion.

Looks like a very showdown oriented strategy with hands that do best showing down in small-mid sized pots. Both hands look like routine call-down candidates to me. Sizings are fine.