Hero 1/3 live $500

AKss in BB
Utg straddle $6
Utg+1 calls, mp calls, btn calls, hero raise to $40, utg straddler calls, MP calls.

Flop ($132) AQ9r
Hero bets $45, utg calls

We have close to same stack size.

Turn ($222) Tx completing rainbow

Hero check, utg check

River 5x
Hero bets $125, utg call


Pre seems fine, maybe slightly bigger.

My main thoughts were being oop, not bloating pot OTT, and trying to figure out what I can get value from. I should def have the best hand on the flop. Not putting MP on AQ he didn't raise pre. Only really can target someone looking to float with a gutshot, weaker pairs, Ax, open ender. I block a good bit of those as well.

On flop I bet 1/3 as a value/range bet. Don't want to bet huge multiway OOP.

On the turn figure go for pot control. Now should be even less hands to get value from and a lot more hands that would make sense that beat me. If it was a complete brick like the 5x came on the turn I'd probably fire again. Once he checks it back I don't put him on a big hand. 2 pair at most. Obviously still possible though.

River I figure go for thin value. Don't get enough value out of the hand if I check and it checks back. Picked this sizing to get crying calls from worse hands that likely fold to a big bet.

I figure you could also argue to barrel turn then x/c river. Didn't look like a board I wanted to stack off on with TPTK and if I bet turn any bet he makes on river is likely the rest of our stacks and under a PSB.

Thoughts? Does this thought process sound logical?

I think you played pretty well. I would size up the river more though, like $175, targeting any ace.

You could also just go for thin value tripple barreling this because his limp call range is weak, and there a good chance he is just a weak player if he is limp calling here. You might lose to two pair sometimes doing that, but you can probably get called a decent amount of times but a weaker ace.

So effective stack is $500?

One of the reasons I like sitting with a shortstack is so I can easily setup trivial comfortable stackoff situations preflop when hitting TP+ postflop. Not as easy in this spot. Part of me wants to go like $50+ to attempt to setup this situation. Another part of me wants to minraise to hopefully induce a spazz so I can 4bet. $40 sets up a small enough SPR where we can easily be forced to commit postflop, although it offers about 15+:1 IO (not great by any means, but not absolutely horrendous either).

So SPR is 3.5 and we're OOP, which means anyone can make us play for stacks at any time. Any reads on us and our opponents? The more our image is nitty AF (which my image is) and the more semi-non-brain-dead our opponents are, the more I wouldn't hate a check on this fairly dry flop. i.e. I'd much rather have the stacks go in postflop as a weak looking check/caller versus a strong looking better. I don't mind the small bet either.

I don't mind the turn check either, as this is a pretty gross card. Almost all other reasonable Ax hands are now ahead, plus two pair and straight.

BTW: Pot control went out the window preflop; if our opponent bets just a 1/2 PSB on the turn, we'll have just a 70% PSB for the river. Just something to consider preflop, imo.

Think I'd bet much smaller on the river. If he has worse, there are very few Ax hands that fit (and he didn't bet), so we're more targetting second pair that somehow doesn't have anything else. I probably wouldn't go more than $75 and I'd fold to a raise.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Hard to offer thoughts with no descriptions of V’s whatsoever.

Looks OK. Can we get away with slightly larger on the flop to set up a turn jam? Turn card is ugly although QJ/JT/J9/JJ/KQ will probably all call a bet, on the whole checking is fine and probably best.

You're entitled to bet the river, it is thin value so sizing looks OK

Line seems fine. TPTK multiway (even though only 3 handed on this one) isn't usually a 3 street value hand.


If you think V will only call small bets on river, sizing is fine. Otherwise, I bet 3/4 or full pot.

What would you do at a table where this is your first hand and you have no history with V's ?



That should be default answer when no description. And even then, most of the time the descriptions of V's are only based on a few hours or less. So no really useful actually.

I agree and disagree with this. Yes if we're given no info we try to play as though its hand 1 and yes we should very much have a default game we play. That said, many LLSNL players have very obvious leaks to the extent its probably worth mentioning if we do or don't have reads.

Also if you're implying players tend deviate too much based on reads...I agree.

Any information is better than none. I will play an 85 year old OMC differently than a mid 20s player with ear buds in. I can get a sense of the player if they have a neat chip stacks versus uneven piles of chips. Can they count cut out chips without counting them individually? All this and more is hand one information that might modify my play. Is it perfect? No, but poker is a game of incomplete information.

I would have bet a bit more on the flop. You're targeting Ax and that is going to be willing to pay a bit more on the flop.

I'd be completely and utterly shocked if most anyone on the planet can turn any of what you just described into any meaningful and consistent +EV.

2005.....sure. Now.....you'd have to play ridiculously perfect exploitatively and be very correct most every time to out EV playing balanced against same player with that little info on.

You have two useful bits of info: (1) it's 1/3 and (2) you're up against a limp-caller and a straddle-caller-not-closing-the-action.

played perfectly