Friday afternoon $1-2NL. Been at the table about an hour, and the table opened not even an hour before that. Despite it being the afternoon on a new table, there is quite a bit of money out with a few stacks in the $600-1000 range.

There has been tonnes of action - several multi way PFAI, a few more AI on the flop. There has been a $5 button straddle on 75%+ of hands, typical raise in a straddled hand is $20, $15 in a non-straddle hand.

V1 MP - $200 - fairly loose passive, been in quite a few hands but hasn't done much

Hero HJ - $300 - aggressive image. I raised 3 hands PF within the first two orbits when I sat down. I won the first without showdown (77), and folded two others on later streets (KQo, AQo) when I whiffed flop with multiple callers. Raised another hand with AKs UTG only to get re-popped by OMC with no other callers so I folded. V2 and V3 have noticed how I've played, don't think anyone else has been paying attention. I probably look a lot looser PF than I have been playing considering I've missed everything post and haven't been to showdown.

V2 CO - $1000 - was down to $60, then seat changed to my left and starting hitting like mad and ran up his stack. Is playing extremely loose now and seeing at least 75% of the flops, he's shown down some very marginal hands like 23o, Q7s etc. We've been chatting. Nice guy but not good at poker.

V3 BN - $1000 - seems like reasonably competent player, LAGgy. Mentioned he was down $800 from BlackJack and here to gamble. Despite that I haven't seem him make a bad play. He has the highest PF aggression % at the table.

All 4 players are 30-ish year old white guys. Cheers for diversity.

Button straddle to $5.

Two limpers, Hero dealt A2 and limps along. Based on the aggression on my left, I was happy to see a flop for $5 or limp/call a $20 raise, didn't feel the need to be the aggressor here, believed I would get paid if I hit. I could also fold and only lose $5 if there was a re-raise. CO and BN limp behind, BB calls, all else fold.

Flop ($28) 832

V1 leads out for $22. With pair and NFD debated raising right here and either ending it or getting heads up. Settled on calling, since I thought there was a good chance there would be another non-nut draw calling behind me. V2 calls without much hesitation, V3 and BB fold.

Turn ($94) 832K

V1 checks. At this point I figure he as an 8X, 77-55 type hand, or MAYBE trapping with a set. Decide to bet $75, hoping to take it down or get a call from SD or a worse FD. If V1 comes along I have lots of outs Planned to fold if CRAI from V1, as I didn't see him as the type of guy making a move here.

V2 takes his time cutting out $75. Thinks about it for a bit then pulls another $100 stack and raises to $175 total. At this point I am ranging him on two pair, a FD or SD, or some combo draw like mine. Tough to really range the guy as he has been playing nearly ATC. I don't see him having air or a set in this spot.

The pot is now $344 less rake, I have ~$175 left, giving me almost 2:1.

Hero...

Would like to hear thoughts on the previous streets thought process and bet sizing as well.

Get a seat change ASAP. Definitely raise the flop.

As played, I don't see what the problem is. (The action is a little confusing, but I think you bet $75 and got raised to $175?) You can't fold and there's no reason to raise, so call. If you don't improve on the river, check and call if there's only $75 left to bet.

No open seats, and I was leaving shortly anyways, but you are right about it being less than optimal seating.

And yes, I bet $75, he went to $175. It was $100 more for me to call, which would have left $75 behind, so I'm not calling here. It's fold or AI.

Why do you think I should raise the flop? I'm not afraid of anyone calling behind, only reason would be to take it down right there.

You should raise the flop because that is the street on which your hand likely has the most equity in my opinion.

PF: I just don't like limping, and I especially don't like limping in a straddled pot. Staddles cut the effective stack down. So here you aren't playing 150bb, you are playing 60bb which is too low for a speculative hand in your position. Fold.

I think you have your straddle misidentified because you say that the BTN limped and the BB called the $5 after the BTN. So this looks like an UTG straddle, not a button straddle. Anyway...doesn't really matter.

F: (5) handed. Pot is $26 (It can't be $28 - 5 limpers at $5 plus the $1 in the SB). SPRs are 7.5 (V1 stack) and 11 (Hero Stack). At this point, I would just raise with the intention of getting the rest in on the turn. I want this loose-passive V1 to call with his 8x, 99-QQ, and lower flush draws. I'd raise to $70. So the pot on the turn will be $166 and we can shove the remaining $125 of V1's stack.

T: (3) handed. Pot is $92. V1 checks. We bet $75. We've got $198 left. We've put in half of V1's stack and over 1/3 of our stack. I don't like the bet. What are we repping here that called the flop and bet the turn with a K falls? Khxh, I don't think anything else. I wouldn't choose to play my draw aggressively now. We should check. Maybe it's checked behind and we get to see the river.

So V2 raises to $175. Doesn't V2 raise 2P on the flop? Pot is now $342 and we need to call 100, giving us 3.4:1 (23%). Our implied odds are (92+75+175+98:100) or 4.4:1 (19%). Just to clarify, the $98 is your remaining stack after you call the $100, so you can only win an additional $98 from V2. Our chance to hit the river flush is 18%. If we count our 2 outs for trips, then we have 11 outs or 22% (3.5:1).

So at this point if we count our 2 outs then we have the equity to call here. It's really close. I don't really think we have much fold equity, so I'd just call here.

I don't see how you have $175 left. By your stack description and the betting you clearly have $198 left. Even if you did have $175 left, I don't know how you think you are getting 2:1, either direct or implied odds.

As a few people have pointed out a few of the details are incorrect. I was going off memory without notes, but nothing materially changes the hand.

It was a button straddle, the BB would have limped to start the action and BTN checked his option.

I see your point about what was I repping on the turn - not a lot made sense. What I did have going for me is the other guys weren't thinking players and I saw weakness from both.

What would the ideal flop raise be and what do we do if reraised?

When people say raise flop, with the intention of getting it in on the turn, I just don't get that thinking. I am A long time player but relatively new to "thinking poker" so I might be wrong but it seems like people on this forum our way to willing to GII with flush draws. Even if I do raise the flop I am slowing down if the turn is a brick. If you get hyper aggressive every time you flop a big draw, sooner or later you're going to miss and somebody's going to take all of your chips.

AP it seems like you are going against a set, 2p or AK, Unless v is a little better than you thought and knows you are on a draw. I honestly have no idea what I would do, but I definitely would have raised the flop & checked back turn

(If we do gii) We are not getting it in here with a naked flush draw which has ~36% equity against TP/TK and two pair.
We are potentially getting it in with pair+flush draw which has ~44% equity against TP/TK and 48.2% equity against two pair. A significant difference. We also block 2 combos of sets, so his range is automatically weaker than if we didn't have a pair.

If we were comtemplating getting it in with a naked flush draw here theres some good arguments that it would be spewy, but with our increased equity + some fold equity it can easily be a +EV play to raise here with the intention of getting it in.

Also, often when we raise the flop and jam the turn we can put a LOT of pressure on our villains. And while sometimes we don't get the fold that we want on the flop, or on the turn, the times that we do get a fold on the flop (or even better, a call on the flop and a fold on a blank turn card) we gain a lot of real money above and beyond what our actual equity in the hand is.