Tight Hero ($300) picks up AQs in MP+1 and makes it $20 over some limper

V in SB calls ($400, young guy, knows I'm tight so probably calling with some suited speculative hands)


Flop ($45): Qd Jh 8h
V checks, Hero ??? (I checked)

Turn ($45): 8c
V bets $30, Hero calls

River ($105): 9d
V bets $50, Hero ??? (Does V always beat me here?)

Call, honestly I would play the same way against villain description.

Not sure why flop was checked. Betting is pretty standard. As played calling river is ok as we're getting decent odds and he's probably bluffing here like always.

blah, not sure why you didn't bet the flop but snap call the river,

I'd bet the flop and possibly raise the turn as played, 8 helped you a lot

For some pot-control in position because V knows I'm kinda tight and is also capable of checkraising me here and knows I'm folding stuff like AA/KK too then.

Agreed it's better to just bet flop here.

We have the best hand here way too often to be pot controlling. QQ and JJ probably 3bet pre so the range of hands that beat us here is QJ/88/T9s and there aren't very many of those hands combo wise. This board actually his our range harder than it does his because QQ/JJ/88 are easily in our range. If V is check/raise happy against you then just bet/fold less and bet/call more.

I'm fine with preflop, and it got us a good result.

On the flop the SPR is 7. We simply can't stack off postflop with this SPR, imo. Which means pot control, imo, which is typically checking back the flop or the turn. Against straightforward opponents, I would lead to a bet/fold on the flop, check behind on the turn, evaluate river (most likely calling a weak bet the opponent thinks is for value or making a value bet ourselves). Against aggro/bluffy opponents (especially ones that we'd feel very uncomfortable folding to a check/raise to on the flop), I'm cool with checking back the flop and bluffcatching the last two streets.

Whole hand really comes down to our reads. If Villain can be bluffy/aggro, especially after we checked behind the flop, I'm totally cool with our line and bluffcatch the river.

GcluelessNLnoobG