History: When I had fist sat down at the table, everyone was playing super tight so I decided to start raising almost ATC in position. I was taking down pots left and right but also got caught bluffing a few times. When this hand occurred they table dynamics had changed somewhat but two of the three players on this particular hand were around to see me play something like 60/45/X for the first hour or two.

Hero UTG (~$3,000)

V1 MP (~$740) Young white guy, had been playing standard TAG poker. I had not seen him get out of line in the time I was at the table (about 4 hours).

V2 MP+1 (~$1,900) 50ish year old reg. He plays somewhat LAG and definitely has gamble in him. He was one of the first players to stand up to my frequent raises. I have gotten the better of him in a few pots when I actually had it and Vbet hard on the flop turn and river. In both pots he folded the river and I didn't show.

V3 BTN (~$1,000) 50ish year old white guy. Probably the biggest fish at the table at the time. He is a bit of a calling station and will not let go of top pair. The day before this hand I was in a pot with him when he called me down with K10 on 109324 after I c/r his flop bet and then barrel the turn and river hard with A3. I had been targeting him with a lot of raises earlier b/c he will limp/call or limp/fold a huge % of hands PF.

Dealt to Hero: 22

Pre-flop:
Hero raises to $20, V1 calls, V2 calls, V3 calls, SB calls, BB folds.

Flop ($97): 642
SB checks, Hero checks, V1 bets $55, V2 calls $55, V3 calls $55, Sb folds, Hero calls $55.

Turn ($317): 6
Hero checks, V1 bets $110, V2 calls $110, V3 calls $110, Hero raises to $300, V1 re-raises All-in for $556 total, V2 tank calls $556, V3 folds, Hero...?

V2 has ~$1200 behind after calling. My read is that V1 can definitely have me beat at this point with 66 or 44. I don't think V1 is calling my raises light so I wouldn't think he has many 6x type hands in his range. I think V2 probably has a straight or 6x. What is the best way to proceed from this point?

Why did you play the hand so passive. I hate when people play like this. I swear I always sniff out the trap.

Rule number one, don't raise flop a set and check. The reason being we hardly ever raise and hit a monster.

Rule number 2, when your a LAG you need to master bet sizing postflop. Its so vitale to success.

I would never check here I would bet 1/3rd of the pot, to set the price and leave everyone in, since the board is so low. I used this tactic other then checking when I'm the pfr. I also balance this with air.

As played I call here 80%.

In a 5-way pot OTF with a baby board, I think you should be cbetting your set. Overpairs will call, pair+GS will call and even overs+GS will call. You just rate to get action, so bet a good amount.

Once you check and see a bet and two calls, I hate that you didn't c/r. 3 other players are interested in the pot and you're deep. Raise it up and keep the ball rolling. You want to build the pot so that you can make the turn bet a big one.

OTT, keep raising. It's hard for me to believe that V2 is playing 44 so passively in a multiway pot, especially given that he's a LAG. If he has quads, you're just going to have to lose your money. Otherwise, you're crushing a straight and a 6, and you don't want to give 6X a "free" chance to hit the "X" and outdraw you.

Make it $1000 to go.

I guess I checked this flop for balance and deception. I know that the fact that I have been playing aggressively is an argument for betting this flop but I decided to switch things up since I would normally lead here. Once I check and see what kind of action is occurring, it seemed like a no brainer to continue to slow-play on the turn since there is a good chance a large amount of money could go into the pot on the turn w/o the strength of my hand being revealed.

As for your comments on bet sizing, can you elaborate please?

What is your plan for the river playing OOP vs V2 OTR with ~$1200 effective stacks?

Bet the flop.

Rather limp/call preflop since we can't call a 3bet unless it comes from MP+1..

There are 3x 44 and 1x 66 = 4 hands that beat you

There are 4x A6s, 4x 67s, 4x 56s. Depending on how loose people are, there are probably 2x 35s and 2x 57s. That makes up a minimum of 16 hands you beat.

Online HU this is a call, and live against 3 players, there is enough of the 'crazy live' factor to make this a call. There is a good enough chance one of these players has an overpair or some other 6x hand.

Interested to know the result

Jesus Christ, how many coolers did your opponent's have against you for you to have $3000 on the table playing so passively? Why you didn't c/r OTF, there's no way you can get it AI against V2 without huge over betting turn or river. Personally I always lead on this flop. Now you have to make it $1100 OTT and if V2 has quads, 64 for some strange reason or 44, you cry, and that's all.

Im pushing

I think you are committed on the turn as played. The only game I am folding an under full at is PLO :-) .

I think he has more 6x in his range than better houses combo-wise. No matter how we play it we look very strong, so since we have a LAG image just shove to try and sell a bluff.

Grunch

Wow, crazy pot and tough spot but i think this is a clear call and then b/f river into dry side pot for value. you will NEVER be raised by worse after the way this hand went down but will get value from 6x hands and possibly even straights. If river is an Ace, 5 or 7 i would consider c/f if villain fires but am not sure.

It is possible for V2 to have 64 here, but it is unlikely. It sure seems like he flopped a straight, was slow playing due to lack of draws and now is afraid of the paired board but unwilling to let go. All he has done is call, call, call. I would think he would have raised the flop with 64, but if he has gamble, he might have slow played.

If he has a straight, a raise from you might give him enough information to fold at this point. It's $226 to call in a huge pot. It sure looks like V1 has 44 or 64, which makes it that much less likely V2 has one of those hands. Yuck. I don't know what to do. I want to call the $226 and check the river. If V2 bets the river, there's no side pot to fight over, so he's betting for value.

I think I like checking and evaluating river. If villain bets more than $500 on the river after you check, you are almost certainly beat, but you have to call up to that amount due to pot odds, I think.

Very interested to hear what happened.

I think I change my mind and prefer bet/folding $400 on the river instead of check/calling up to $500.

Again, to those asking why I played my hand so passively, they way I played this hand is basically a completely deviation from how I played almost every other strong made hand that I had this session. I just wanted to take a different line with this one. Is that really that bad?

Also, as I said in my second post ITT, I didn't c/r the flop because V1 is a tight player and when he bets this flop 5-ways I know that he not FOS and I would probably put him on a range of something like JJ-44 and MAYBE A6, 56, and 76. If I c/r the flop he will likely fold almost all of these hands except 66, 44, and maybe JJ (although he would probably fold this too).

Again, once the turn is another 6, my thoughts were that either V1 would bet a 6x type hand again if he had it, or, one of the two other players in the pot would have a 6 and bet it allowing me to c/r the turn. Basically i though that given the flop action, there was a very small chance that the turn would get checked through.

grunch

not folding as played

you need to lead flop for 2/3 pot 100% of the time

Mixing up your play is fine and good when you're HU vs a player you have history with. But deep stacked in a multiway pot on a flop that you rate to get calls on, you should just go ahead and cbet it. And don't be shy about it. Don't get cute betting small to suck people in. Bet big and look to build the pot.

You say you didn't c/r the flop because V1 is tight and he'd fold. But there are two other villains in the hand that put money in the pot. Why would you want to let them off the hook and see the turn for "free"?

Let's say you c/r to $155 total and V1 folded but the others called. Now the pot is $617 OTT instead of $317. That's a lot sexier isn't it? And now the turn pairs the top card OTF. Look how much easier it is to play the hand now that the pot's so bloated.

I think your call on the flop is terrible.

I think your raise on the turn is very bad. Should raise more.

I am, unfortunately, never letting this hand go.

I'm

I think the problem with how you played it is that you got into a really convoluted situation. Maybe because you were up so much you resorted to a little FPS.

I don't hate your call on the flop. it's definitely not ideal and I wouldn't make a habit of it, but when we're multi-way like this the only time that anyone is putting more money in after a flop c/r is if we are behind, IMO. I have serious doubts you're looking at making a big score after the flop from two pair or JJ. anyways, because of this twist, you need to proceed somewhat carefully from here on out. I HATE your c/r sizing on turn. when you have 3 V's cut off $110, a c/r to something more like $450-$550 is going to serve you better, I think. as it played out, you got bailed out anyways and got a ship and a call, which makes for an interesting decision. as played, if we call here it should be with the intent to get to showdown as cheaply as possible. since we only need another $256 to call, I think we have to, and subsequently check any non-duece river. V2's flat call polarizes his range to something draw-y (air) or something we aren't catching, so I'm not interested in building a side pot here unless he was a super fish. as played we are priced in to call and the check the river. if V2 creates a side pot on the river I think it's safe to say it's not a bluff or some stupid straight that is triple range merging. it may seem counter intuitive to some to NOT play for stacks here but honestly my feeling is bottom full house against this action/V description is about the same as AA, and I'm not going to the felt in this spot with AA.

I would not deviate from the correct strategy in a big hand multiway pot. save the mods for TPTK Hu or 3way situations where your risking less. I really prefer a flop bet here. The way played I would call and try to see the river for less then a rack.
Really tough spot. The way this hand was played (including a cheap entry fee), most good tags would not get it in multiway with less than a boat on this board.

Definitely need to bet this flop since you have been so loose and table thinks you are FOS. Otherwise table will see you as someone who is always playing opposite his hand strength and call down your bluffs. Given your image, you can't fold here.

Results:

Maybe I'm missing something here. This looks like an easy push to me.

Once Hero calls the last raise the pot is ~$2,000 and V2 has roughly $1,300 left. If v2 has a six or the straight he is going to have a tough fold getting those kinds of odds.

Hero elected to slow play both the flop and the turn which led to the situation we are in now. Isn't this exactly what Hero hoped for? There are all sorts of villain hands that could be trapped here and a very few cooler monsters that Hero is going to pay off anyway. Hero is likely getting the best of it for now, let's get the money in before the river.

DrStrange

This is totally wrong in live play. a $1300 bet in a live 2/5 game is a MASSIVE bet no matter what the pot odds are offering and will be viewed as such regardless. sad but true facts we must come to terms with.