I was playing with brad booth last summer and he was playing very well balanced not spewy and a well respected reg at this game(for image purposes)Watched this hand not a big part in it

Brad: balanced tag bb 10k
Villain: tag borderline nit lp 4k
Me: lag fish in this game $1500

Playing 3/5 deep stacked with standard OR to 40

I open 40 folds for V who flats and Brad completes

Flop $120. Qx4s5s brad x I check V raises to 120 and brad x/r to 420ish I fold V calls
Turn 9x. X. X
River 2x. X. X



What do you guys think about brads line. I like a big river barrel

when shaun deeb play 5-10 he does these 6.5x 3 bets. like if someone opens for 35 he will make it 250. a lot of the purpose of the bet is like psychological warfare like he is letting you know "i am keith hernandez".

I like it a lot

A big river barrel probably won't work in this situation. This is very villain dependent but in general it won't be +EV. Brad's big raise on the flop and then check turn looks like a draw or he was bluffing. On a dry run out he won't be able to get much FE on the river.

As a general strategy I expect this big raises are good for a pro with a strong reputation and deep pockets to exploit run of the mill opponents. People will get out of the way too often out of fear.

What about a big turn barrel?

A bet on the turn is more likely to work. It's easier for Brad to represent a set or two pair. At that point it becomes a question of finding the right size. There is an optimal size for bluffs and semi-bluffs that balances between getting FE and not wasting too much when villain doesn't fold.

I'm not going to guess what that best sizing. I'm not really familiar with this style of play. Somebody in hero's position does need to be ready to give up a good portion of the time though or they become very vulnerable to set mining. This is basic balance, do you want to make a lot of cheap stabs or a few big ones.

It's also very possible that when a nitty villain calls the flop raise the only reasonable thing to do is give up. If they called the flop they plan to call down no matter what hero does. Against this type a single max pressure bluff and then give up if called is the right strategy.

With somebody somewhat famous like Brad Booth there is also a weird level of meta game on top of that. Some people are going to get extra sticky and other bail faster when facing a well known player. From somebody who is famous being able to quickly judge which way a particular opponent is going will be key.

Should I know who Brad Booth is or something? Never heard of him until now.

He was on Poker after Dark and High Stakes Poker. Typical pro in that he has been both rich and broke more then once. If you check around 2+2 you can find more information.

Oh yeah now I remember: the guy who spazzed with 42 against Negraneau I think it was that one time. Seems like he likes to spazz.

Results: nit : qjo
Brad shows 67ss and angrily mutters no way you call a 850 barrel

When a nit calls your raise with top pair bleh kicker, you know you've got image issues.

Riiiiiight....it was interesting though because I played with him for 2 days and did not appear ool at all. Def a polar spot though and nit knew it. I literally only seen nit raising qq plus and aq plus for two days and flatting in lp with mid to high pp and occasional broadways. Prolly flatted me because I had lag image although I actually had aks this hand.