Game is $2-$100 spread limit WHICH WILL MATTER.

Hero is a white guy in his 30s, very handsome, almost movie star looks. Stack of $700. Good image today due to being card dead (I got all my money after calling a raise with TT from the SB, catching a T97 flop, and getting two guys to put in a **** ton of money chasing a straight that never materialized.

Villain is a white guy in his 30s but NOT as hot as Hero. He’s been on his laptop the entire session, playing on that between poker hands. He’s down like $600 because he keeps calling down with draws (he was in the TT hand with me) and then bluffing in stupid spots (he raised an OMC’s $20 lead for $100 more on a KQ9T9 runout, OMC called with a KJ that was good.) He has a stack of $500 to start the hand)

HAND:

7-handed. Hero opens in HJ to $10 with 6c6h. 4 callers.

Flop: 9h6d4s. (Pot: $50)

SB (an OMC) donk leads for $4. BB calls. I raise to $40. Villain calls in the CO. Everyone else folds.

Turn: 9h6d4s 7h (Pot: $130)

Action is on Hero. What is the play?

$100 bet?

Remember what I said before about chasing draws in 100 max bet games. Just because people are calling you down with weird draws doesn't necessarily mean their play is incorrect.

The 7h is a great card for you. Only 53 gets there and a bunch of other hands make 2 pair. Bet 100 and then take your winnings and move to another place that has real poker.

A lot of the drawing hands that your worried about have a 7 or only improved to a draw. 87/75/76/97/98. Also the $100 limit works in your favor in in this hand. Villain can't charge you too much with a raise if you bet and he can't bet too much on river to make folding an option. Bet $100 if he is calling too wide with draws.

Versus this guy, bet $75 - $100. Probably $100 given how he likes to chase.

Ha!

One thing I forgot to add: I overheard Villain on a phone call—he has placed a $2400 bet on a football game, and a glance at his laptop showed a sports betting site. And he’s been completely unfazed by the big pots he’s lost. So he seems a legit GAMBLER who doesn’t really care about the money.

I don’t see any reason not to bet $100 and obviously call a raise.

Agree - I think the river will be the more interesting street.

Ok. Hero actually opted to check with the intention to check-raise if Villain stabs at it, which Hero suspects will happen a lot.

So

Turn: 9h6d4s 7h (Pot: $130)

Hero checks. Villain bets….but he bets $100.

Hero expected Villain would stab for $50 with his 75/98 pair + straight draw hands. The Max bet seems much more weighted to value. We’re still beating a few value hands (2-pairs, 44) and have ours against his straights, so we’re never folding, but opt just to call.

River: 9h6d4s 7h 5c (Pot: $330)

O Jesu! Check-calling or check-folding if he bets $100 again?

Why didn’t you raise the turn?

I thought V’s $100 sizing was *heavily* weighted towards value hands, and that I was behind most of his value hands. I was planning to check-raise if he’d gone with a smaller sizing (as I’d put that range more on top pair/draw hands).

You were behind 77, 99, 58, 810

He called an 80% psb on the flop witha gutter? Ina $100 bet cap game? I don't buy that. So you are behind 77 and 99. The turn is a raise 100/100 times. Especially since the worst he can do is make you put $200 extra in the pot after that if you are on a huge cooler.

It seems like big bets paralyze your normally decent analytical skills. Which if you start playing real no limit in the future may be troublesome. This guy is not an OMC. He is a gambler. Raise him for value and if you get coolered get back in there and win your $ back

Nice job looking for raise, he can easily bet 2-pair and combo draws that hit a 7. Not sure why you didn’t follow through. Betting 100$ might be better, but if you think he’s gonna stab a lot I like going for max with a check or 25$ bet to induce. Terrible river, too bad you’ll be getting a great price, still fold if he bets I think.

One thing to keep in mind is that I only post the hands I think I ****ed up, lol. There’s confirmation bias!

Should have bet the turn or check/raised. Check/calling was a mistake. Check/calling river is fine -- not much else you can do now.

The 5 is one of the few cards that makes me consider a fold. It completes all of the 8X hands that hung around. Check and if he bets $100 then you just have to make a judgement call. Considering villain though I would need a strong read to fold. Some of the hands he was calling with are not straights, the 5 may have given him two pair or he could have something else.

Just to clarify, I’m also behind 53 (which was an OESD on the flop).

River: 9h6d4s 7h 5c (Pot: $330)

RESULT: Hero checks, Villain angrily snap-checks back with….97 for two-pair, and My Hand Is Good.

My decision not to check-raise on the Turn cost me either $100 or $200. I suck, I’m the worst, scared money, MUBS, etc etc.