2-5 NLHE at Venetian

V1 (covers) - LAG from Europe. Been at table for 20 hours, but reading hands well and putting lots of pressure on opponents. Raises preflop at least once per orbit. Usually cbets versus smaller fields.

V2 ($1200)- French guy. Plays a little loose preflop, but straightforward postflop. Have seen him raise flops twice with two pair once and top set another time rather than slowplay.

Hero ($1000) - solid, aggresive image. Because of table dynamics and cards, been playing more TAG than LAG. Been at table with both opp for at least 3 hours. No significant hand history with either.

Preflop: Hero limps in EP with 2s2c. LAG raises to $25 in MP. French guy calls in SB. Hero calls.

Flop Ah 9c 2h.
French guy checks. Hero generally likes to lead in this spot, but checks to at least get cbet from LAG. LAG bets $60. French guy cr to $200. Hero??

We know French guy doesn't have a set of aces, or deuces. Seems like he could have A9 just trying to take down the pot now, or a combo draw like 9/10 I say we shove while were still ahead.

Get the money in and if he shows you 99 so be it. Just reload. At any raise to try to get it in on the flop against a pair/flush draw

re re reraise to 500 straight

You set-mined, got here, and are getting action. This is one of those questions I like to answer before the flop. "If all hell breaks loose on the flop am I going to get cold feet with my set?"

Set over set sucks, but if you are going to lay down your set of 2s then I would not set-mine pre flop.

This response will be flamed as there are many better players than I who can lay down their 2s in this situation.

The only way I am folding is if my sub conscious mind screams to me "you are toast" and that feeling of dread overcomes me. If I feel clear on my reads, I'm never folding--always raising.

you should definitely cold call, that definitely reps a FD more than shoving here. You are too deep to shove and I feel like you can get action from AK if your hand looks like a draw+you dont wanna let french guy off the hook

^ u cannot flat call here ...... its either fold or raise, only 99 beats u here so i'll raise in hopes of getting it in against a combo draw or A9 or A2

raise or fold here is terrible logic. Shoving just folds out everything besides A9, AA, and 99. If we call we can possibly get villian to value shove worse to fold out draws. We can get our stack in when french guy bets turn. They c/r hands like AJ-AK to see where they are at and are def gonna fold if we 3bet a C/r. We have to have a set there right? Not enough draws out there at all to try to rep that kind of stuff. I think I could even fold a9 here as you limp/called pre. Just screams 22. You live fish are so worried about protecting your hand and dont focus enough on getting value from hands that are likely drawing dead......Call and play postflop poker. What if the french guy is just c/r bluffing an ace high flop (very common)? Dont you wanna get it all in on the turn when he turns a gutter or something like that and ships it?

There are very little combo draws for someone else to have or for us to rep. The ace isnt one of the FD cards so its impossible to have top pair+fd. The only things they can have are 9xhh and maybe like 45hh but they are definitely gonna fold that stuff sometimes for 1k.

+1, as long as we're prepared to fold OTT if facing a shove and the fd completes. If the A pairs it's somewhat trickier, as you should be able to eliminate most combos of A9 due to position, leaving 2 suited combos realistically versus 8 combos of AK, 8 of AQ, (8 of AJ).

I would call because we have position on the raiser. Plan is to fold to a bet if FD completes ott but bet or shove over his bet if turn is a blank. The Ah lowers the FD combos both for villain and for you, so you don't want to lose hands like A9 or AQ, or the unlikely A2. I am afraid shoving flop looks so strong that it isolates 99.... Smaller raise commits you, so almost the same as shoving.

This deep i like a call here looking to get max value on the turn. I just dont see anything we beat here paying you off(maybe A9) if you shove the flop where you will most likely get a second barrell on any non heart turn. Since the A of hearts is on the board big combo draws should be less likely.

prob have to RR on the flop here to like 450-500 and call a shove, that should make it easy to figure out cbettors range (he prob isnt calling often here obv).

given your description of the villain who c/r the flop he is more likely to be doing this with a made hand than a draw but he prob isnt folding anyway so just get more money in before he gets scared on a heart turn.

I mean you can just flat here the cbettor is not calling too often and RR almost never without the nuts then just shove a blank turn but you are kind of gambling everything goes right for you in that case. (ie cbettor folds and blank comes). might kind of suck the times you cause c/r guy to hero fold 2 pair on the flop but w/e.

your hand is going to look redic. strong no matter what you do here though.

Raise to 1/2 ur stack and call AI. Can't fold and calling $200 I don't like.

Results: hero tanks, decides that French guy has made hand and if its 99 then hero will pay off since very difficult to distinguish 99 from A9 with his line. Hero shoves hoping A9 would call. Surprisingly, LAG goes into the tank, then reluctantly folds. Then, French guy folds A2 faceup. LAG pays hero $10 to show hand. LAG claims to have had A9.

Hero pukes for not getting more value from this situation. However, if hero flats French guy cr, then LAG probably shoves. Then, hero might have folded fearing AA or 99 from one of the opponents.

shoving flop is a little over the top here IMO make a stack committing raise but leave villains some room to commit an error raise to like 450-500 and call a shove.

I'm curious to hear your reasoning for the open limp/call pre

It is debatable spot I admit. The table had been playing fairly loose, so I had reason to expect a multiway pot to develop. I know some people advocate never limping first in, but I have never been convinced of it in live NLHE. I def see its benefits in shorthanded games though. If live players get to be savvy enough to fold 2pr postflop in spots like these and overpairs on other boards, then I think setmining oop becomes unprofitable. Fortunately,most live players aren't this savvy in my experience and thus lay the required 8+ to 1 implied odds to you.

you prob could have got a 3 way allin on the turn had you not blown your wad so early

really surprised both players folded. two pair on the flop is the nuts to live players.

+1
I have been working on improving maximizing my strong hands lately as I think i am loosing value by blowing people out to early.
I like the pf line as it lets you know where the strength is or is not and allows you to get out cheap if there is a raise and 3! before it gets back to you.

I think I would have minraised the flop here to knock out the lag who might be on a fd. He should fold here fearing frenchy might ship it. If frenchy ships obv call if not raise or bet the turn to a non flush card.