Two most interesting hands from this weekend were against the same player but hours apart.

V1 is YAG sitting with his girlfriend who covers me all night and sits to my direct left. Action table when I sit down and many deep stacks ($1k max buy in but several 2k+ stacks). Before hand 1 I've only been at the table for less than 30 mins and this is my first time playing against V. His VPIP is maybe 75% and he's the most active PFR as well but he has only shown down trips (K8s) and a boat (Q8o).

OTTH - Hand 1: V1 straddles UTG to $10 and it folds around. Hero hasn't opened a pot yet and looks down at AK in the BB. Hero ($690) and should have TAG image (VPIP ~10% and no raises in about 30 mins), opens for $55 to exploit Vs lose calls. V snap calls.

Flop (~$105 after rake): K Q J
Against a normal player I may not love this flop as it crushes common calling ranges. Against this guy I feel like I have to bet the wet board and put my seat belt on if he wants to play. I figure a ton of his range is air so I get much the same effect regardless of sizing. I normally go 2/3 pot but I size down to $55. V insta raises to $600. My first reaction was to fold but the more I thought about it the more it seemed like a bluff (Ax). I tanked and he didn't look super confident but there were so many hands that he could have that beat me I couldn't find a call. T9 with no diamonds, KQ, KJ, QJ, I can't imagine he'd go this crazy with AT or a set but it's kind of early to try to pinpoint his range after less than 30 mins. Ok, NH sir. What are your thoughts on a hero call this early in a session for essentially your whole stack (138 BB) with just TPTK?

Hand 2: Several hours later, Hero has had trip Aces run into Queens full for a major blow and had to add on an additional $500.

Hero ($650) - BTN
V1 - From Hand 1 ($1k+) - SB
V2 - MAWG ($2k+) - UTG - Tight somewhat aggressive (more aggressive than passive but it's close), low VPIP and PFR and continues at high frequency but his sizing is frequently too small post flop.

OTTH: V2 UTG opens for $30, folds around to Hero on the BTN with QQ. Normal Hero raises here but being between V1 and V2 with V2s tight open range and V1s over calling I decide to flat. I don't really want to push out V1 and there's a decent chance V2 is calling any 3! with his UTG open range. It is also more difficult to play a big pot even in position with my stack size if they both call the 3! and any over card hits. Is a flat here a mistake?

Flop (~$90 after rake): Q62
V2 leads for $30 (really?), I was supersized by this sizing but I suppose if I didn't have QQ it might look strong instead of weak. I wanted to raise but I flopped the nuts and also wanted to keep V1 in. I figured V2 must not like the flop (AK or 99-JJ). I opt to flat. V1 raises to $230. V2 folds. Hero? I immediately put him on hearts for some reason although I was hoping for set over set. I wanted to flat since I was in position but perhaps with the taste of Hand 1 still in my mouth Hero was too anxious to play back at V1. I shove, can V1 really fold for less than 400 more? I haven't seen V1 fold to aggression after showing interest with a strong raise post flop in a hand all night. Is the shove better than the flat here?

Results later. V1 also told me what he had in Hand 1 when he left, I know that doesn't mean that's what he really had but it seemed plausible.

Hmmm, Hand 1 I am struggling to find a value hand that V would want to shove this flop with. Maybe T9ss with no clubs but otherwise it just makes no sense. Even QJ would probably raise smaller here to try and get value from your 1 pair hands. Tough spot, but I think I hold my nose and call.

Hand 2, I still 3! pre with ultimate position. If V1 is as loose as you describe, he might call anyway or even spazz thinking you are squeezing the open by V2. Just too much value lost in a flat IP here to me.

AP, I definitely backshove this flop vs V1 (although I probably raise the $30 bet smallish to like $80ish). Pot will be $580 after you call his raise and you will have $390 left. He isn't folding anything decent including all his draws.

Good points. H1 - I've been burned by the overbet before and I didn't have a read yet. Perhaps I was a bit gun shy. It certainly didn't make sense but I also found it strange how V could make such a strong move while I was showing strength after never playing a hand and getting a board that crushes my range.

H2 - I could have been targeting V1 a bit too much. He wasn't flatting a lot of 3!s OOP though. Had he already called a raise I'd be more comfortable with the 3!. I also wasn't too worried about V2. I feel like he was straight forward and I lose the minimum against his sizing or can easily fold if the board is too ugly.

Both look good. Too early in session to battle in H1, imho. Even a hand like Jc9c is a flip.

Hey not saying it is an easy call as yes you could be behind, no question. But from the straddle, you know the guy is 3! you with KK/QQ/JJ so that seriously lowers the # of sets he has in his range. So that leaves two pair and straights, some of which you block. If I had to guess two hands that play this way, I would say JT or TxT. Those make sense....wants to put mega pressure on your one pair hands (AA/AK/AQ/AJ) and is Ok if you call because of draw equity.

I was thinking the same thing on hand 2 as I do this a lot as well and it has burned me in MW pots. So you can still do it by 3! smallish and maybe enticing him to come along while you still get value with a premium. I also would not worry about "losing the minimum" on this hand...I mean you have the 3rd best starting hand OTB. You should be focusing on getting value first and foremost and evaluating bad boards after when you need to, especially given that you are going to get to see both V's act first on flops.

folding H1 is fine if we want to look at it from a theory POV. Villan's sizing is awful so we are allowed to fold hands like AK without really feeling to bad about it. Can obv hero if we know villan is capable but folding is fine.

H2 is a dream spot, raise the initial 30$ donk...get value deny equity, etc (i know you're scared of them folding but they aren't going to fold anything that you're going to get fat value against anyways). AP, I just flat the raise (jam looks strong, flat looks strong, and tbh it doesnt really matter) All shoving does is give him a chance to make some stupid hero fold that he shouldn't make. You're IP with top set on this board playing against morons. Just give him a chance to dump the money in on the turn rather than give him a chance to make a big fold (or fold his nonsense that he's just splashing aroudn with.)

The SPR argument of "he's not folding anyways if we just shove flop" is just stupid. He probably has air here a non 0 percent chance of the time and shoving will just take the ability away from him to spew on turns.



Oh and I forgot, not raising QQ here pre is like super bad.

I see your points. I'll respond to bolded sections in order.
1 - The bet doesn't make sense and I really contemplated calling but with no reads this early in the session why not wait for a better spot? Hard to know how often we are good on this super wet board. Once it doesn't make sense, trying to apply logic has been hit or miss for me. I often level myself into the wrong move.
2 - I'm not worried about losing value flatting the flop or pre. This table was wild enough to get $690 in on two streets, especially with V1 in. Seemed like a good trap spot as an overcard may lock in V2 as well as V1 but I admit it should usually be a raise, both pre and flop. Is it fair to call mixing in some flats "super bad"?
3 - This is fair, I went with my read that he's never folding after popping it OOP against two of the tightest players at the table but there is a non zero chance he has air and folds to the jam. I think a flat is optimal but the jam gets called often enough to not be terrible.
4 - See 3. I listed these hands mostly because I deviated from normal ABC. I'm not a GTO balance player but I do find that mixing in some flats in obvious betting spots can be optimal, especially against aggressive Vs. In this case V1 bit HARD on both flats.

H1 i would check flop. Vs the overbet shove, doesnt matter what he’s doing this with. Just fold. You have so many better hands here to defend with, and vs that sizing you can get away with folding the vast majority of your range.

H2 flatting is okay vs 6x open UTG from nit. Otf raising is pretty bad, UTG range here is very weak with 1/3 sizing and barring the heart draw, the board is dry/static Plus we block Qx, if you want to raise i’d raise bottom/middle set and some combo draws. We want to keep the other bad player in and induce mistakes from calling/maybe he spazzes out which he did here. Otf id reflat and let him spaz on turns; he should have air or weak draws here a decent amount vs a 1/3 pot and flat from the btn

H1: If we are checking this flop against this V we are playing into his hand and letting him draw for free or asking him to apply pressure, neither of which we want, there are a lot of bad turn cards as well are you saying x/c or x/f or x/r? AP, the fold logic was almost my exact reasoning.
H2: This was also almost my exact reasoning. Good to hear. I think the flop jam is still questionable though, relying too heavily on my read as only a heart is a bad turn. If he fooled me into thinking he had a draw and he folds air then I lost a ton of value as he almost always continues his bluff if I flat.

H1 we are mostly way ahead/way behind or are 50/50 vs his hands. I.e he is drawing mostly dead with most of his hands like SCs 87s/65s or PP. if he has a draw he’s not folding otf anyway and a lot of times he will bluff, or he may bluff with 0 equity hands. All hands he continues with vs our bet our equity sucks, and in this scenario it’s best to keep ranges wide.

You’re saying there’s a lot of bad turns and we’re stuck in no man’s land if we check and he bets. It’s still the same scenario if we bet, he calls, and a bad turn rolls off. We’re OOP, and it’ll always suck no matter what we do. But i do think checking is a little better, especially if we have a club i am checking 100% of the time

Mostly agree, but my reasoning was that if we value bet flop we take it down a good portion of the time (let's say 1/3 of the time) and set our own low price. The times he has it or wants to play (which is probably closer to 75% if we check) we have to pay his price to continue before we even get to the turn. Why not give ourselves a chance before we shut it down unimproved?
I agree OOP sucks but I feel like checking this flop against this V is giving up on the hand (unless we call his larger bet and then hit a K or T on the turn).

H1 as soon as a saw the flop cards I was thinking check/call. Very connected flop that villain will continue on tons of the time. TPTK is good here, but nowhere close to the top of your range. Check/call and continue check/calling on safe runouts.

H2, don't level yourself into not 3-betting pre. 3-bet pre, fire a small c-bet on that flop. As played, just flat the 230. Don't give him any chance to get off the hook here, leave him rope to hang himself. You are in position also, easy flat of the 230.

I'll continue to contemplate x/c flop in H1. Still feel like b/f is a better line against this Vs VPIP at the moment but I'm here to learn.

H2: Agreed, flatting turn is best. Not convinced pre and flop flats are bad in this position against these particular Vs though. I lose V1 a good portion of the time by 3! pre and hand is easy post flop. V2 is straight forward. I see the case for raise, raise, and agree in general. Just also think alternate lines have merit.

So it’s $580 to win 1400ish you need ~40% equity to call

With his image I think his range is something like JJ, ak, AQ, kq, kj, Axcc, J8cc+, T7cc+

I haven’t thrown it into equilab but I think it’s close. The other 6 combos of ak are a chop unless backdoor clubs comes. AQ main hand we beat and we are flipping against his club draws pretty much. Slight favorite over his Jxcc and he’s a slight favorite with his Txcc. He could also have something ridiculous not in this range like XXcc or K9 if he’s that �� he could also have JTo n then it’s definitely a call!


These guys put you in spots. N if you let them push you around enough you will lose $.

Thanks all for posts. Have some room for improvement there.