Hello,

Wanted feedback on the following hand I ran into in a session last week.

Table Dynamics : 6-Handed, 1/2, at the first table that opened. Hero has 300, V1 has about 300, and V2 has about 250.

V1 is a regular and dealer at various poker rooms in my area. V is a thinking player, can be aggressive but sometimes doesn't pick the right spots.

V2 is a MAWG seems competent. No real reads.

Table has gone through three orbits and only one hand has gone to showdown, rarely any preflop raises, and even UTG straddle and BU straddle has won several uncontested pots.

OTTH -
V1- Has BU straddle going, SB completes (V2), all others fold back to H who is in CO. Hero looks down at A5dd thoughts?

Assuming straddle is $4-5 I go ~$25 here. Normally would go $30 but table seems like $25 is enough. Taking 6.5BB’s uncontested is a fine outcome. So is playing the hand. If straddle is larger my raise would be larger.

It's either a fold or an iso. I prefer iso. $30 sounds good.

$25, super standard raise.

Because I think Preflop is pretty standard I am going to move on to the next round of action.

H looks down at A5dd on the CO and elects to raise to $20. Both the BU straddle and SB elect to make the call.

Flop (~60) 5s5c8d

SB checks, Hero? (Per the PAHWM rules I'll update sometime tomorrow morning)

I really don't like that sizing versus a $5 BTN straddle. If it were $4 I'd go $25, $30 with a $5 straddle (which I assumed.) We really don't want to play 3 ways, and we also don't want one of the players to have position on us.

I like going $20 otf, as played.

Preflop mostly fold, sometimes raise. The raise with a weak AXs is a bluff with a hand that has blocker value and can flop well. Raise sizing should be around $25 but adjust to how sticky button is and other villains are.

On the flop I would mix between $35 and $20. $35 looks like a standard continuation bet and could be just about anything. $20 is more polarizing, either you are probing or you hit the flop hard.

Against the V’s as described I cbet to ~$35 here. Checking doesn’t accomplish anything. Bombing is dumb. Standard bet w/ V’s who are thinking a little bit and should put very little 5X/66 into H’s range, and even less into H’s cbet range.

25 pre. I don't really think this is ever an open fold.

AP 20 otf and hope someone spazz out.

Preflop: I’m comfortably raising to a number that will disincentivize btn to call our raise. There’s a decent amount of dead $ out there and we have a decent hand.

With a button straddle, I’d want to size to like 30.

Flop: this is a spot where I think betting small and large both have merit. Really depends on opponent tendencies.

Like if they call the flop wicked wide and then begin folding out a bunch on the turn, we could size up flop and then trap turn.

If they see small bets as weakness and will try to rep what you have, go ahead and bet small.

I’d much rather trap check flop with AA than A5

Instinctually I think a small bet is going to be a little bit better since it’s way easier to balance.

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+1
I would have folded pre rather than put in that small raise

This is actually a good discussion point. Raise size vs a button straddle.

I think we just have to be tighter and raise a bigger amount. Obviously it’s unprofitable to ever put $ in blind. But if he puts $5 down in a $1/$2, $20-$30 is a huge difference. At $20 (with no limpers in front), he’s almost getting 2:1 on a call and can defend wide. We’d mostly rather make him fold his $5


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OTTH -

Flop (~60) 5s5c8d

Once SB checks to H who has A5dd, Hero elects to bet and makes it 25. Just SB elects to make the call.

Turn (~110)
5s5c8d8s

SB makes the check. Obviously the worst card that could come for H. What should H be doing here. Percentage of bet folding vs checking back?

I would bet again and expect to get called by pocket pairs (which I think he's most likely skewed towards), and maybe A high. I like $75.

Oh, and I'd check back 0%.

SB should have little 8X. It is bad only in sense that it's harder to extract value. His range should be heavy on pairs given his play.

If you had bet flop for value then check half the time or so because villain may give up to another bet here but call a bet on the river. Since you bet the flop smallish then $60 here to start getting value.

If villain raises it's not an autofold but I would lean fold. If villain has been slow playing a good pair they are not likely to get aggressive now and bluffing is unlikely. However both are possible.

I would give a rando 1/2 player who completes from the SB after a button straddle and calls our raise & cbet a few 8xss and lots of low-mid pairs. But realize that 22-44 are counterfeited now.

We'll sometimes get three streets from a sticky 66/77/99/TT. I haven't done the math, but I think I'd prefer checking back and letting 22-44 bluff the river (and obviously bet if checked to again). Not sure we get turn & river calls from the mid pairs frequently enough given player and table info in the OP; our perceived range is going to be so overpair heavy.

FWIW sometimes a weaker player will still call 44 on this board because they aren’t aware that they’re counterfeit


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OTTH

Turn (~110) 5s5c8d8s

After SB checks hero elects to bet for 35$ BU folds, and SB makes a rather quick call.

River (~170) 5s5c8d8sAh

SB checks, hero ? In game I could not possibly put v on anything but an 8. I feel like he would have raised or led flop with an over pair, and most likely would have folded out pairs smaller than an 8 by the turn. Thoughts? Does the ace truly change anything? Is a check back in the river a major case of the mubsy?

Turn sizing is way too small.

I was looking for an excuse to go bigger on this river with how stationary the population is, but I feel like with the board double paired and an A river that villain will be able to fold everything we beat besides any potential A high he has.

I can't imagine checking here. It's a bad river for action though. I would go $60, and expect to get called by 66, 77, 99, TT, JJ (?), and then any A high he has.

Wait I thought BTN folded to the flop bet?

Most V’s won’t check the river with an 8 as the A should hit H’s bluffing range, and H with an A may not fire but definitely will call a bet. Way more likely V has PP or A and therefor I’m betting river again, 1/2 pot or so. Obviously not great if V c/r’s river, but I think there’s too much value here to check it back.

Given that I’ve like no respect for the cognitive ability of live 1/2 players (at least in the poker playing abilities, I’m sure there has to be some amount of intelligence there if you can afford to lose $10k a year at poker), I don’t think opponent has an 8 often at all. They’d just do their sneaky sneaky check-call turn, donk river line.

I’d half pot river and fold to the raise.


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Table doesn't exactly sound like a huge showdown monkey table, and yet we're playing our hand for 4 streets of value on this runout?

Gdon'tmindme,justaskingforafriendG

Why not? If the guy has the case 5, we just got there on him for his half and can get value. And he’s shown no aggression. Don’t fear monsters unless they give you a reason to fear them.


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How much you bet on the river? I’m thinking like $75-$100, fold to jam.