Hi All,

Had an interesting hand that I wasn't sure how I should play. I had been at the table for two hours and been pretty card dead although I won a couple of hands where I slowplayed top pair top kicker and got value from guys betting small for bluffs. Table is really tight with few players preflop except for a couple of guys who play almost every hand

Effective Stacks $200 although V2 had $450 or so

Hero: Image is tight, haven't shown down many hands and the ones I won I had great hands that were slowplayed and gained value from small bluffs

V1: UTG. Late 40's or early 50's male that limps a lot preflop, will fold to preflop raise after limping. Bets out top pair and middle pair. I've seen this happen a few times but I noticed he will check or fold turn and river when he has worse than top pair

V2: MP. Late 20's male. Very tight player, haven't seen him involved in any hands for two hours and when he does play gets away from his hands quickly. Talking a bit of strategy at the table when others have shown their hands but overall seems to play really tight. I've seen him bet a flop but not call a flop bet yet.

The hand... Hero has AA

V1 (UTG)limps, V2 (MP) raises to $12. This is a large bet in this game and usually gets folds all around. I decide to simply call to hide the strength of my hand (felt like if I 3bet my hand is face up cause I had been so tight and villain could find a fold with QQ or KK). I'm putting villain on AQ+, 1010+. I call, 2 callers behind call and UTG villain calls... oops... 5 handed, definitely didn't expect this from this table.

Flop is KK9 rainbow ($60 pot). V1 bets $30 (I immediately decide to call it because villain either has a K or mid pair and I figured I could re-evaluate the flop) but wait for V2 to act. V2 calls... wait what? V2 has folded every other flop bet... I put him on AK, AA and maybe QQ (discounted KK due to 2 K's on flop). I see villain folding AQ or 1010 or JJ and honestly maybe even QQ. There are three villains left to act who all called a preflop raise and could easily have a K. Hero???? At this point I only need to put $30 into a $110 pot with 2 callers left behind and I feel like someone, anyone has a K. If V1 checks turn I know I'm ahead, V2 I figure I'm either drawing to an A only or may be tied with him. What should I do?

My options are to call and re-evaluate but I figure I'll fold to any other bet so am I throwing away $30 here? I can raise to $100 and see if both villains fold but if they shove I've lost $100 by folding or I'm for certain getting AA in against a K or I could fold and potentially leave money on the table.

Turn: other 2 people in the hand folded flop. V1 checks (as I thought he may) and V2 bets $75... hero?

Would like some help at these two points in the hand, specifically the flop play. I'm putting in the spoiler the results

With a limper in front I'm raising this most of the time but I would flat at a tight table occasionally also. Given the flop action, I probably go ahead and fold then. In a multiway pot the KK flop is very ugly. V1 shouldn't be messing around with a middle pair and V2 isn't likely to call if he doesn't have a K or 99. Folding turn when very tight player bets this multiway is obvious. Raising flop is just bad, on this flop your losing to somebody more often then not and raising just limits villains to the hands that do beat you.

Post flop here is painful but you played it OK. That is one of the risks of slow playing your pairs, you may have to throw them away post flop on ugly boards.

V1 may be on 9T, pocket pair, or gut straight draw with JT, QT, QJ.

V2 has KTo+ or 99, though he probably wouldn't raise 99 to 4bb from MP. More likely he has KQ or AK here given your read on him and his flop call / turn half pot bet. Tough fold here but I think you almost have to on the flop, and definitely must on the turn.

Grunch

3-bet pf. You weren't even in position so you greatly increased the chances that people would call behind you which puts you in a much tougher spot.

Edit: At a tighter table instead of being less aggressive pf, I'd be more aggressive. I'd still make my raises for value with big hands (at least in general) and would just try to steal more often in late position.

What would your range be to raise preflop at a tight table?

I realized after this hand that I needed to start raising wider preflop even if just for image because the only reason I called vs raised preflop was I had been so card dead I hadn't raised any hands and limped maybe 20% of the hands.

That's hard to say because it depends a lot on the situation and it's more complicated than relying on something like hand charts, for example. I'd be raising a lot more marginal hands in the CO or BTN when I'm the first player in the pot (stuff like A5 and J9) and if I get called, I'd c-bet almost every time and frequently follow that up with another bet on the turn and maybe the river depending on how the board runs out, who my opponent is, his body language, how many opponents there are, etc. If I'm in late position after 1-3 limpers then I'll raise bigger with slightly stronger hands and do the same thing after the flop.

I wouldn't really be too concerned with image when I do this. I'm just looking for extra opportunities to steal when I'm in position, and the table being tight makes it easier to steal.

I'm still playing tight in early position at these tables.

If you sit around simply waiting for good hands and only play ABC at these tables you could make a little if you grasp the fundamentals better than your opponents and have more skill, but you're not going to make much. You don't want to be one of those nitty, unimaginative players who complains that there is no action.

I think you are starting to figure it out, but if a 3bet pre-flop turns your hand face up, then you are not raising enough. Like other people have mentioned, if everyone is folding to $12 pre-flop raise the solution is not to tighten up, it's to adjust and get more aggressive and start stealing.

Then when you do get AA no one respects you. Preflop this is absolutely a 3bet.

As played you absolutely have to fold the flop. With 5 people in the hand, someone has a K.