1/2

Hero: mid 30s, probably lag image. $750. I'm near the only person raising preflop. Several sticky villains now calling me down light.

Villain: late 20s Hispanic with headphones. Tends to call more often than he raises. Haven't seen anything noteworthy from him. $300

I pick up QcQs in UTG+1, raise to $15. Villain calls on button, bb calls as well. BB is a spew monkey with $250. Can't fold top pair.

Flop (3 players, $45) is Q34r. Bb checks, I bet 25. Button raises to 75, bb folds.
Hero?

I elect to call. Flop is bone dry and if he has a lower set, stacks are going in regardless.

Turn is the ace of clubs, putting a two-flush on the board.

Hero?

Grunch.

Looks good so far, unfortunate turn though. As played the pot is like ~$200 and you've got like ~$210 effective behind? I would probably lead for something smallish? Something like $70-$90... even smaller maybe. I just don't want to have to jam the rest in OTR if he checks back and the A should be sort of a scare card for him if he does have the case Q. Then you can jam the river if he calls.

i liked your call as opposed to a raise but the fact that you did call may make him slow down. I would continue betting as he seems to think you are playing loose and wants to own you. AQ in his range too, hell so is any A. Good chance he just thought you were full of it on the flop so he raised with an Ace, only to hit the turn. Bet $100

not sure i think the A is a scare card as much as you do. He has 2 of the Q's so odds are villain does not have a Q. What else would he raise that flop with? KK maybe, but he'd have 3 bet pre. a lower set, hes not going anywhere. Or maybe AK or any Ace. if hero is playing lag maybe the flop raise was a "you can't push me around" statement with an Ace. Now he hits his A and thinks that hero is still trying to bully.

i will admit though, i am very pro-betting with the goods

check turn, expecting V to continue betting with lower sets, two pair, and possibly taking another stab with air.

not overly concerned with the turn getting checked through, but think we miss out on value from a double-barrel bluff if we lead the turn.

I'm also flatting flop. Turn I think I lead really small to induce another raise or go for a xr. I mean, either way stacks are going in otr.

Your image helps, so I like x shipping.

Great bet-call on the flop. I'm assuming based on your read that the villain is pretty passive. Passive players might chicken out on the turn and check. I think you should bet about $100. I doubt he folds to a half pot bet after raising the flop and it practically guarantees stacks go in. If villain has been more aggressive in previous hands after betting/raising, you should check.

c/shove turn.

We're stacking sets and AQ no matter what. He should barrel this turn if he somehow has a bluff or semi bluff (65s, A5s, etc).

He might fold something like KQ if we bet this turn after calling the flop raise, so I check, hope he bets, and ship any river if he checks.

Small enough topic that I figure I can post results after 12 hours, instead of the usual 24...

Thanks for the feedback, everybody.

I took the same line as most of you are suggesting -- bet $75, expecting him to shove virtually every time.

My thinking at the time was (a) I doubt he was bluffing with air anyway -- posture seemed strong, and (b) If he was bluffing, the ace is likely to slow him down (There's almost no three-barreling at this table).

After my bet, he started tanking hard. Another player eventually called clock on him, at the end of the clock, he announced "nice bluff" and mucked his hand. And then he started angrily insisting that his hand was "already made," while staring daggers at me.

Reconstructing his range after the fact, the only hands I can put him on are a weird two pair (34), KQ or KK. Everything else in his value raise range on the flop should still call or shove over my turn bet. Of those hands, 34 and KK probably shove the flop if I reraise, while KQ definitely mucks (after "finding out where he's at). KK and KQ likely check behind if I check the turn, and then tank hard on the river. 34 shouldn't check behind, but also probably shouldn't fold for the 75.

So I think the smallish bet was still the right play, given that I pegged him as generally pretty passive and unlikely to hang himself on a multi-street bluff. ...But man, how the hell did I not get paid off there if he genuinely believed he was ahead on the flop.

I think that leading the turn is less optimal than checking. Despite the V thinking your turn bet is a "nice bluff", if I am faced with a bet after my raise was called on the flop, this screams strength. I'm willing to let go of two pair in this situation.

Unless there's reason to fear a backdoor straight/flush getting there, I think you maximize your value by going for a checkraise.

56 for the open-ender on the Flop needs to be included in Villains range.

Villain raising Flop and Tank Folding Turn makes me strongly suspect a draw or Middle over-pair scared off by the Ace.