V1: Young Asian who is usually tight preflop, but has days where he becomes very loose. He's always aggressive, though. Today, he has just moved from a must move game and I have a feeling he's looser than average.

V2: Not quite as tight as an OMC, but definitely as weak/passive.

Hero: V1 knows hero well, and v2 does not. I look very tight to v2, but v1 knows that I'm aggressive (although less than he is) and can open it up given table conditions.

5/5 effective stacks are $700


V1 limps UTG
MP calls
Hero (HJ) raises to 25 with AQ
V2 calls on the button
v1 calls
MP calls

Flop (105): J27
Checks to the button
(Thoughts on not C-betting?)
V2 bets 40
V1 calls 40
MP folds
Hero calls
(Thoughts on calling? Getting 4.5:1 and I'm pretty sure I can push v2 off of a jack later in the hand, if necessary).

Turn (225) A
Checks through
(Even with flush draw, I check for 2 reasons. I KNOW that if v2 has AJ, he is betting turn. Also, I think I can get value from a jack if river comes a brick).


River (225): 2
V1 checks
Hero bets 55
(I bet ridiculously small to try to get crying calls out of KJ-TJ type hands or a worse Ace that V1 limped under gun (suited AT-A3))
V2 calls 55
V1 raises very quickly to 205
Hero nearly snap calls
V2 folds.


Thoughts?

I think you should raise more pre. with 2 limps in front of me at a 5/5 table I'm raising to 35 or probably 40

Flop, I c bet less than I used to but I think if you're prepared to put that money in given your overcards and runner runner equity, I'd say I'd rather put be putting it in aggressively.

(When it comes back to you on the flop, it's actually a fairly interesting place for a check raise. There's 185 in the pot, it's a pretty dry board, you have a tight reputation and you were the pre flop raiser. You've said you think you can push V2 off a jack.) FPS, maybe, but it's a decent spot for it.

As played, I think you have to bet the turn.

River is meh. Your hand is completely underrepped and not many hands that beat you make any sense for a competent V1. He couldn't have checked a set of 7s for three streets, surely he would have bet A2 suited or AJ on the turn and surely he wouldn't have checked the river too given the turn checked through.

I think I call there - it's $205 to win 540.

Grunch:

I think the flop call is spew.

"I can push V2 off a jack" is a really abstract statement. How specifically and on what cards can you push V2 off a jack? And the thing is, V1 is still in the hand and can easily mess up whatever plan you come up with. Maybe if I knew it was going to be heads-up and I had absolute position, I'd try it...but this is the wrong time for a couple reasons, in my opinion.

c/f flop

I don't mind not cbetting here given 3 opponents, 2 overs and runner runners. Also, V2 is at least a bit passive and may not bet. As far as thinking you can push him off on later streets I think you will need a spade to do it. I don't think you can represent a different monster after you just check call flop vs 2 on a drawy board. You look a lot like spades with at least one oc.

Turn: with the fairly small bet on the flop, two opponents and the drawiness of the board I think I risk being against a turned two pair in order to get value from draws. I donk this turn.

Nice river: I hate your bet sizing, it doesn't look anything like a bluff but pure value. I think half pot would be way better and often would prevent people from bluffing over you so much easier to fold to a raise.

I think it's hard for V1 to think you're bluffing, 77 can check turn knowing that the A smashes your floating range/improve a J. V1 river raise size is small and vs 2 so it's hard to put him on a bluff. Does he bet light to get paid with monsters(prob vs 2?)? I guess you don't have a read on his bluff sizing. These two factors are key. Once the turn checks through and he continues to check river can we really put him on A7s or 77? A2s seems like the most natural better hand imo and can check river because he just improved again.

He could have a mindset of just pouncing on any weakness. Getting such a great price makes it difficult to call and difficult to fold.

How much does he look like a busted draw? I guess I need more of a read to fold.

Okay. Sounds like there are a lot of folds on the flop. I called for a variety of reasons. 1) A weak villain who bets <40%PSB leads me to believe that I can reverse float here profitably a lot of the time.
2) There are a lot of turn cards that improve my equity (in addition to the diamonds, I have 8 cards that bring gutshots and 6 cards that bring top pair)
3) Getting a really good price.

That said, I get the arguments against it:
1) Not all of your over cards are good. 2/6 outs bring in spades. There is some RIO against QJ and AJ type hands.
2) Plan to take hand away from V2 gets compromised when v1 calls (also makes it harder for us to rep spades)



What are your thoughts on the river? I think that there are very few value hands that make sense for the villain. After the hand gets checked through on the turn, I think V1 is leading with most of his value hands. I think it is possible that he has showdown value, and then realizes he's beat when I bet the river, so he turns his hand into a bluff (JXss). He is definitely the kind of player who likes to pounce on perceived weakness, so I think that I've induced a raise with my tiny sizing, so I kind of have to call. Thoughts?

I don't think he has Jx at all. In order for him to have Jx, and be bluffing, he has to be specifically targeting top pair, which it's hard for anyone to have because you called the flop and V2 didn't bet the turn.

So I think if you are calling, it's in the hopes that V1 has a pure bluff and is targeting hands weaker than what you have.

That being said, I think at the price, and given your reads, the river call isn't total spew. The above situation actually could be happening. What's more, if V1 just led the river for 205, you'd probably call that too, right? So I think it's a judgment call on the river, and not clear in either direction. Go with your reads.

(I still do think the flop call is total spew though.)

The pygmy bet and call might be too tempting not to try to bluff. If it works he is getting a great price. I think you can't risk him getting that great victory. Call. If he has A2 gg.

Results at some point pls.

Pretty standard snap given reads; not to mention villains hand makes 0 sense and we are getting an insanely good price at 3.5:1.

What is he repping? A deuce? 777? I would be more surprised to see a hand that we lose to than I would to see Q9

Only thing I would do different is tank for a minute, and allow OMC to overcall with Jx.

I'd probably cbet flop and think that's the most interesting decision in the hand. As played Id usually c/f although calling could be okay vs that size if the turn checks through a high % of the time (seems like it does, but I'm not sure exactly where the line is-->certainly a call if you get 2 cards 100% of the time). As played bet turn, as played river is a very easy call and it's not close (initial river bet/size was good too)

I would cbet the flop, it's only 3ways w/one fish, we do have back door equity plus two overcards on a good flop to cbet.

I don't like check calling the flop.

Reasons to call river:

a) it was checked through on the turn (we appear not to have anything)
b) we made a 25% river bet, V1 might see this as BS, the board is paired, he will probably try to take it away.
c) if V1 has a value hand, would he lead out, or try to slow play? Only OP would know this.

Reasons to fold river:

a) he snap raised
b) there is another person in the hand

Against many aggro players, this is a reason to call, not to fold.

I'm c/f the flop, that's standard play for me in a multi-way pot OOP with no draw and no hand, fold and move on to next hand.

Anyone think that Villain thinks his Ax is good on the river? We lose to AK, AJ and A2 and beat AT, A9, A9, A7, etc. We split with AQ. Of course he'd most likely call here without AK, AQ, AJ or A2 rather than raise? Maybe it's a thin value bet since the Villain thinks no one has the Ace.

It's actually 4ways. Does that change anything or are you still CBetting?

it changes

Results

Flop bad. Turn bad. River, w/e. Other than that you played it perfect

Fold flop, you look like 88-TT here so unlikely any J is folding.