1/3 Brooklyn Private Game
7 handed

Hero ($1000) SB TAG winning image

V1 (~$300) CO. Young Indian guy. First time playing with him but seems reasonably good. Didn’t get OOL in the last 3-4h. Probably ~25/15. Was up to $600 and lost a couple hands (flush vs flush etc) to get back to buy in.

V2 (~$300) BTN. Early 30s whale. Contributes to 50%+ of my profit in this game. Will call with anything “sexy” preflop (suited 2 gapers etc). Never folds on flop if he hits any tiny piece (bottom pair, gut shot, back door flush). Aggressive with his draws, any “draws”, a bit more contained when he has a monster (reverse betting tell). Poor guy also has a really hard time folding on the turn. Usually goes thru 10-12 $2-300 buy ins in a night. Recently rebought $500 and his “girlfriend” is seating next to him at the table (not playing). I stacked him ($350) an hour ago with KK OOP on T8h7h72 when he went AI for $185 on the river with T9hh. I tanked quite a while before calling. I have made several “hero calls” vs him in the past, almost all winning. But he keeps trying.

OTTH
$12 Mississippi straddle from V2 whale.
Hero first to act with AdJd, raises to $40 (probably enough to iso whale. He would call more, especially after straddling, probably $50 but not $60. But I didn’t want to go too big as first to act as someone might wake up with a better hand between us. Players between us a healthy mix of recs, one competent tag and one lag)
V1 calls. V2 calls.

Flop ($120) Td6d2c
Hero with NFD bets $75. Both call.
Would probably Cbet with my entire range here. Thoughts? Size?
Knowing that V2 calls with any two napkins that got a little wet, I am now thinking I could have potted it and shove the turn?

Turn ($345) 7c
Hero?


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Ship it they have less than half pot each

Think I'd rather prefer a limp (this hand plays fine multiway in high SPR pots) or perhaps even a fold (due to relatively small stacks with very big straddle and OOP, especially if this often generates raises). Really dislike building bloated OOP with this hand (domination is a real thing); yeah, we're ahead of what the whale is typically calling with, but we still have the rest of the world to deal with.

SPR is lol ~2ish. Think I'd either check/jam or even just open jam. We should have big equity and some FE and we want to see all 5 cards and not be left hanging on the turn, so let's do this ASAP.

Flop play has just left us in a dumb spot now, imo.

GcluelessNLnoobG

What would you do on flop? (Assuming you get there AP ha)



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We only have a 2xPSB left. Just check/jam or open ship, imo. If anyone is fond of betting anything when checked to, the former; otherwise, the latter.

GcluelessNLnoobG

What position is V1? It matters. If they are in one of the blinds, then we have position for the whole hand. If they called in later position, then they pose a bit of a problem for us for the rest of the hand (less so as SPRs get small).

I would open larger, something like $75 (6x the straddle, and also 1/4x effective stack). I hear you, about someone waking up with a better hand, but this is going to happen only so often, and it happens when it happens. We should be more concerned about people who three-bet wider ranges, because they are the ones who can torture us often when we open for large amounts in early position. Before we raise, we should ideally ask ourselves, "Which one of these muppets is likely to 3-bet?" That said, AJs is a fine open in the lowjack, even in a three-blind game.

If we bet 75 and get this configuration of callers, then the flop is an easy-peasy jam. We will take the pot down a lot, and we will win a lot when we get called. Even if it is head-up, jamming is the right play.

As played preflop, a reasonable-sized bet is going to pot-commit us anyway, so we may as well jam. I don't like check/jamming if V1 is acting after us, because fold equity is significantly smaller. Because of the SPR, if V1 bets, they are pot-committed if they have any part of the flop, and our money goes in substantially worse.

As played on the flop, we are up against two players, at least one of whom has a pair. Continuation betting doesn't have much fold equity, so we should check here, basically giving up unless we make a hand on the river.

Our bread and butter in games like this is to get our opponents to put too much money into the pot preflop and then fold them out on the 70% of the time they miss the flop. That's part of the problem with having V1 in the hand: there is now only a 50% chance of folding them both out. And that is why we want to raise bigger preflop.

Positions in intro of OP. Sorry should have put in hand too.

V1 is in CO sitting right of whale.
It’s a weird set up because I am SB but it’s a Mississippi straddle on the btn so i am first time act Pre AND OOP for the whole hand.

I think I agree that bigger pre / jam flop is better.


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This is a key piece of information that you kind of left out of the OP.

Now it's an easy-peasey preflop fold. We make our money from whales like this by getting them to put too much money into the pot with a wide range when we have position. Playing out of position is asking for trouble.

My post start with that info for the record. But all good.

I agree that it’s better to play him in position and he is on my direct right for a reason.

But folding AJdd 7 handed vs tight table where I am likely only getting called by whale and crush his range seems waaayyy too nitty.

What would you raise with?


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literally never folding pre

In the SB in a 7-handed game, versus a button Mississippi straddle who is very sticky preflop, I want to open for large amounts with big hands, and fold everything else. So something like {TT+, AQs+, AKo}, opening to 7x (85) or so.

In bigger games with smarter players and deeper stacks, there is an argument for flat-calling the straddle in the blinds. and especially in late position (like CO and BTN after a HJ straddle) with 100% of our range and 3-betting at least some of our best hands. Note that this is tough for ordinary mortals to balance, but unless you are playing a winner straddle game (winner of previous hand straddles the current one) the situation isn't going to come up very often, so balance is much less important.

Very much respect your perspective.
But if AQss is always a raise. AJss can’t be a clear fold.

I hear you. This game is only Mississippi BTN straddles and regular UTG straddles (no limit in straddle size though. Last week idiot was putting $100...)


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