$2/$5 with $10 straddle NLHE 8-handed
Effective stack $1100
Pre-flop Action: Hero opens $30 from the BTN with Td8d and only UTG straddle defends.

Flop: 7dJcKs (pot: $59)
Action: UTG leads into me $35.
Analysis: I thought this was an odd lead by villain. He appeared to be a Brazilian pro probably in his late 30s or early 40s. In my short time there he appeared to be the best player at the table. In real time, I felt his range was heavily weighted to marginal made hands (middle and top pair) that he didn’t want to go check-check and allow me to realize equity on the fairly dynamic board.
Action: Hero raises to $150, villain calls
Analysis: I think my image is pretty tight. I came from $1/3 table and only bought in for $500. Every hand I have shown over the past 90 minutes were strong holdings. My plan was to triple barrel if I turned any additional equity. However, with this call I put his range at a pair of kings a discount slight draws since I block QT and think he would use his draws in a check-raising line in this set up.
Turn: 5c (Pot: $359)
Action: Check, check
River: 8h
Action: Check, check

Villain shows KsQc

I didn’t think my pair of 8s had any showdown value. I blocked the nuts, T9, but I thought my turn check would get looked up by top pair unless I overbet the pot. For my exact holding I did not like the turn card to keep barreling, but I would’ve overbet pot with my value hands and higher equity draws.

Alternatively, I could’ve folded to the lead but my range had the equity and nut advantage so a weak gut shot with BDFD seemed to be a good balance to my value raises here (I have all the sets and two pairs).

I am curious what you all think about this line and/or what a solver would do in this situation.

With limited experience against V who appears to be the best player at the table, I would probably just fold to his donk bet.

Good players recognize that this board favours H’s range and I suspect donking range would be stronger (don’t post results).

This board is also not terrible for V.

If I’m going to raise this donk bet, I want to have fat value or more nutty BD equity with overs that could also be clean outs.

Once you check turn, you have capped your range and have given up on the hand. Which is probably a good idea here.

I won’t post results in the future (sorry new to the forum).

I did contemplate folding on the flop but I tend to attack donk bets too much and should’ve recognized that this was a negative EV play against this particular villain.

Perhaps some combos of Ax suited with BDFD would serve as a better bluff raise. On the turn I also realized that even if I hit the 9 I still don’t feel amazing about my straight. At least I didn’t compound my mistake and only torched $150 instead of triple barreling my entire stack.

Appreciate your time and constructive feedback!

So...I question how good a player he is when he donk-leads the flop in a heads-up pot, on this board that would seem to favor your range more than his.

FLOP - Ordinarily, when an opponent donk-leads into me, I like to raise, but only when I have a hand that beats a weak top pair, which is usually the top of a donk-leading range, or at least near the top.

Here, you don't beat top pair. You're on a draw, and not a very strong one. If you were to c-bet this flop, you might choose the same or similar sizing V used for his donk, so I would prefer to just call, and avoid bloating the pot before our hand improves.

If we raise flop, and get called, it makes it hard to know what to do on a lot of turn cards. We're somewhat committing ourselves to repping a strong hand.

TURN - If you just flat-called the flop, he might have barreled the turn, at which point, we could fold. If he just checked turn, we could check back, to take a free card, or bet, to rep a hand like AA, KK, AK, or KJs.

As played, after raising flop, I think we need to continue to barrel this turn card. Our strongest hands and strongest draws (QTcc / T9cc) want to keep betting this card.

RIVER - A pair of 8s may be good enough to win sometimes, against AQ/QT, but we're losing to all of V's pairs that donk-bet the flop. As played, after checking back on the turn, it's hard to rep a very strong hand now.

The only hand in our range that improves is T9cc, which was a double-gutter on the flop. With such a narrow value range, I think checking back is probably the correct play.

It would be easier to rep T9s if you just called his flop donk and checked-back on turn. That line would have kept your range wide enough for you to rep all sorts of good hands on the river.

When you raise the flop, your range seems weighted more towards hands that were strong on the flop, and would have barreled the turn. But when you don't barrel the turn, it looks like you were raising flop as a semi-bluff, with some sort of draw. It doesn't seem to me that your range has enough strong hands in it now to get him to fold top pair.

I was very perplexed by the lead. And perhaps I was giving him too much credit for having the “look” of a good player along with a large chip stack. The fact that he didn’t open limp and aggressively squeezed gave him a leg up on essentially the rest of the table skill wise lol.

Based on the feedback it seems like my biggest mistake was on the flop. Calling or folding were smarter than raising. I also should select my bluffs better. I was going to triple barrel if I turned a diamond but decided to shut down.

It is hard to study this spot because I imagine GTO nearly 100% checks as the villain here, but maybe I am wrong. I just need to be mindful not to aggressively spazz when people take unorthodox lines.

I am considering subscribing to GTO wizard and really nailing down optimal triple barrel bluff lines. I am a TAG and probably play a bit face up on later streets in bigger pots.

If you want to bluff I think calling flop and making a move on certain turns will be better than raising flop especially vs a Brazilian.

Once you check back turn though I don't think you're ever getting a fold so I think it's good you gave up.

Preflop you should be a little tighter with a straddle than vs two blinds, but T8s is obviously fine to open.

I'm not sure that we have a massive advantage on this board. Sure we have the strong Kx and sets etc but straddle can have plenty of two pair hands and Kx. It's boring but I'd just be inclined to fold with Ten high and not much going on. You're at the bottom of your range so I'd just let it go. As played...dunno, I see why you gave up but I agree your pair is rarely good...not sure on the best line from the turn onwards.

I've made similar mistakes in judging opponents' skill level based on appearances or where they were from. I think looking at how someone actually plays is a more reliable method for judging.

Countering donk-leads seems to come up a lot here. The general consensus seems to be that donk-leads are most often weak top pairs (or other 1P holdings) just trying to "see where I'm at", or draws trying to set their own price to chase. Which it most likely is, and how to respond, will often depend on the bet size and board texture.

Here, it's hard to say which it is. Maybe V deserves credit for betting a little over half pot on this fairly wet board, to keep us guessing. He could have a weak Kx, or Jx, or he could be on a draw. Either way, raising his donk-lead on the flop, when we're on a draw, and not really a strong one, is dangerous. Imagine catching a 9 on turn or river, and being up against QT.

We don't beat his Kx or Jx on the river, and one of the two most likely draws he might have been betting (QT / T9) got there. We're only beating QT and 7x, but he has those hands in his range, and he's probably not folding Kx, and maybe not even Jx, so checking back river seems fine.

Raising the flop might have slowed him down from betting turn and river, allowing you to get to showdown without having to invest more. But just calling the flop might have slowed him down too, so I think your flop raise probably costs you more than it makes you.

before getting to the results what hit me was FPS " fancy play syndrome" flop donk to me easy fold move on any thing else is FPS

I don’t disagree. I think I worried too much about table image. I felt like I was being viewed as nitty so I didn’t want people leading into me and thinking they wouldn’t meet a little resistance. With that said, I think I’d rather do this was ATs with BDFD and gut shot as opposed to my exact hand. $150 lesson learned.

If he’s donking too many of his good hands, a more important exploit is to be more aggressive when he checks.

Also if straddle is donking this board, he’s probably not a pro.

I just fold to the donk. Too marginal for me.

Spew

Yup. At least I didn’t triple barrel and compound the spew. I have a lot to improve on.

I don’t think you gave up too early. I think you gave up 1 move too late.

I'd find a better structured 2/5 game or just play 5/10. The straddle really favors the random and it makes it a much more shallow stacked game. The best answer to almost every question here is find a better game.

The poker stereotype to south American guy is macho. He'd overcall here if you blasted away. That means get a really good hand and bet to take advantage of his overcalling. Most typically one re-raise isn't going to get the job done, so unless your plan is to keep betting, I'd just call on the flop

There's 17 in the pot here. you're opening to $30. He only has to call $20 to win $67. Your opening size is too small. Given the stupid structure of the game, the UTG is incentivized to call with trash so you want that to cost him/her.

I don’t think my skill will allow me to beat $5/10 or even a non-straddled $2/5. I had not considered my sizing here in the straddle pot. My RFI sizing is 3x hence the $30 bet without any limpers but I will have do some reading about strategic approach to UTG straddles. FWIW only about 2 of the 8 players were straddling. I never straddle unless the whole table is doing it and I am socially obligated to follow along.