8 handed
UTG is here w a friend in CO and they are raising pre-flop to 4x-5x bb quite a lot. VPIP high for both. UTG said he is here to gamble and playing almost every hand.
Button is an older man that picked off my river bluff w 2nd pair earlier in the session.
SB is a regular


Hero: Ac,3c 70bb
Stack sizes of others involved in hand, 40bb or less

UTG opens to $15
Btn Calls $15
SB calls $15
Hero raises to $75

UTG raises all-in $100
Button calls $100
SB tanks then calls $100 all-in
Hero calls $100

Flop: 3d, 7h, Jc

Hero: All-in
Button: calls all-in for $50 more

Turn/River: 3d, 7h, Jc, Ks, As

I show two pair and everyone mucks. UTG plays every hand so I thought I could get him to fold and possibly isolate so I squeezed here as a bluff. After he says "Well I knew the button was gonna call, so I went all in." When the button called he said: "I want in on this action." and SB said "well I want to call now(because of pot odds)".

Question:
Not sure what my image is at the table. I fold a lot pre-flop. When I try to isolate at 1/2 and 2/3 it rarely works. 5x bb pre-flop feels like it invites more action than it does folds as people show up with any two suited cards. Once two people call, others claims "pot odds" and follow along. Online poker has a lot more respect for 3-bets. People seem to give SO much action pre-flop in live poker. Am I a fool to try and isolate at these stakes? Are we simply not deep enough to make plays like this? Build a stack and start opening to 7x bb as my standard pre-flop? Am I not understanding something here?

Any input or perspective is appreciated for this

It depends on the specific table but yes, at less then 2/5 a lot of tables are going to be so sticky that trying to isolate with less then a value hand is a mistake. It's a bigger one here because stacks are so mall. Stack sizes are so small in general that you can't raise and then fold, so raising with anything other then strong value is -EV.

At these low stakes games your image doesn't matter much. You have to be well outside the norm before other players notice and adjust to your play. At live low stakes a lot more of the game is about waiting for actual value, not pushing other players around or manipulating ranges.

Congrats on winning a huge pot.

If you want to isolate with a hand like this from say the BTN vs 1 limper thats fine, but once you have a raise and a call ahead of you, especially out of position, you want to stick with just premium hands to reraise.

At lower limits 3 betting is very rare, so just because someone flats instead of 3bet does not mean they dont have as good as QQ and people are very sticky.

You need to be very selective with bluffing. Open premium hands for large sizes. And take people to value town and bet large when you make a hand because you will get paid off liberally.

It's not horrible - but it's probably not the best play.

I would say calling is better than jamming because you are closing the action and only have to put in 4 more BB to win a 20BB pot. You would of probably lost the hand if you played it like this, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Your equity with Ac3c vs 3 random hands can't be that great but if no one else holds an Ace you aren't doing too bad, just so hard to tell.

Everyone has 40bb and you 3bet pfr oop after 2 callers? Dont do this. You are inevitably getting it all in with a3s in this spot in a sticky 1/3 game when you can just wait for value.

This play works maybe in full stacked online matches, but this is not that spot. Call pre.

Thank you for the responses. I accepted this is reality that people hate being squeezed at these stakes and don't like to fold pre-flop. I decided to ship some of my value hands pre-flop and see if I got action.

HJ is steaming from losing around 100bb after getting it in against Aces on a Q,J,6 board a few hands ago.
Button seems to call too light heads up based upon previous hands. VPIP a little too high for his skill imho


2/3 NLHE - Straddle is on

Hero has $112
HJ has $136
Button has $260


Hero: Qd,Qs

Folds around to HJ
HJ calls $6 straddle
Button raises to $30
Hero all-in for $112

Before shoving I check my watch, see its 12:05am, say "ugh... $30? Well if I lose I get to go home"

BB folds
UTG Folds
HJ all in for $136
Button calls $136

Board:

Q,J,5,5,3

Hero shows full house, HJ shows 5c,7c, and button mucks. I think to myself "... I guess its that easy sometimes." :shrug:

Appreciate you guys. Thanks!