Hello,

A relatively new member in the forums. Wanted to try an PAHWM thread. Hope I do it well enough.

Setting - Typical 1/3 game at Boston Encore - Sunday afternoon

Table is relatively new, table has been going for about ~45 minutes

Hero started game with 300 stack

Got it up to 380ish after playing hand with main villian (older white relatively unknown player)

I raised 15 utg with AQss, V calls UTG , flop came 5c6c10s, x, x
Turn brought out 2s - 5c6c10s2s I lead out for 25, he calls
River brings ks - 5c6c10s2sKs I lead out for 50, he open mucks AQcc



OTTH

Hero is in CO with QJss - all folds, action facing Hero. Hero opens to $15
Only V calls Button (stack of about 250ish) in above scenario calls.

Flop ($30ish) AsJh9s

Hero is first action...your move

$20-25. Some info on V would help.

I listed above the only hand history I have had with the player, and I gave a rudimentary physical description of him as well.

20-25 sounds good. Pair plus FD and back door straight potential, I'm loving life. If he folds, we just won with second pair, so not bad.

Passive villain, if he doesn't bet a nut flush draw, after you checked to him on the flop.

He probably doesn't have spades, as you and the board block a lot of that.
He probably doesn't have a jack for the same reason.
He won't call with just a 9

He'll only call with an Ace, set, or a big draw, and you are about 50/50 against this range.
Check, with the intention of check calling if he bets, or betting turn if he checks behind.

I like this answer. Never thought of checking with this intention.

I'd usually Cbet but checking makes sense vs a passive player.

I'm fine with preflop. Could also raise slightly less if we feel that will get the job done (i.e. steal blinds / get us HU). Could also open limp if we're fine with making sure a horrible blind comes along (who might fold to a raise). But my default here would mainly be to raise as we've done.

We've flopped a hand that should have a decent amount of equity, so I simply bet for value. I would mostly bet on the smallish side (say 1/2 PSB) because if this passive guy (based on previous HH) raises then our equity plummets tremendously (and we give ourselves a better chance of continuing with a small bet). We also don't have the nut draw and our preflop raise against tighter ABC players has sometimes limited his draws to more nuttish ones (so we're not as cool with building a bigger pot with bigger bets as we would be with the nut draw). I'd go $15 into $30.

ETA: I think a check is more reasonable against aggressive players who will more take an opportunity to stab at the pot when we are likely crushing them equity-wise. But this guy seems more passive, so giving him a free card to hit his gutshot / 2 outer / etc. when he's never going to bluff is meh. He's never folding better but we have good equity against better. There's also a lotta worse hands that can call.

GcluelessNLnoobG

I like an overbet here.

Flop has an ace on board, 83 bbs effective, and Hero is not going to fold. W/o an ace, the opponent will fold to a small bet and call with one, so sizing seems inelastic. The As also eliminates the NFD.

I think this is a legit answer. Are we betting for value or are we betting as a bluff? The reasonable assumption against most villains is value, but if he's tight passive, our range starts to get very 50/50 or possibly worse. I think betting is still right, but I think checking is completely reasonable.

@ samo

Not sure what the point of an overbet is? Totally agree that an Ace isn't folding to a flop bet, but against those we're flipping so there doesn't seem to be a benefit to building a big pot. If he's slightly more elastic with regards to calling weaker hands that we're crushing to smaller bets, then smaller seems to win there. And if he raises us we're doing fairly horrible (and would rather bet small and face a raise we can chase rather than forced to dump all our money in as a meh dog).

GimoG

Thank you for the responses.

As Played I checked the flop, and V bet $25. I thought of check raising but figured he had to have a decent hand. I mainly put him on A9, or A10, AJ, AQ, AK. A set is also in play, but less likely.

I called the $25 dollar flop bet.

Turn (80ish) AsJh9sQc


Hero is first to act, whats the play?

As played, I just check to call a reasonable bet on the turn. There are a bunch of hands that a passive player is now crushing us with so we don't want to bet and get raised off our draw. If we happen to be ahead we're unlikely to get sucked out on (due to us hogging up a lotta outs with our draw), so we're fine with him checking behind weaker hands where we can then go for one last street of value UI on the river.

GcluelessNLnoobG

May be on the thin side, though vs. A9+ Hero is still 45%, so I'd try to play for a relatively short eff stack, potentially maximizing fold equity on missed turns.

I also can't find many weaker hands he would call with. TT- folding, blocking JX/FD/SD.

As played, I wouldn't check flop vs a perceived passive player.

I think check/raising turn is way overplaying our hand versus a passive player on this board. Are we expecting to get called by worse / fold better?

GcluelessNLnoobG

Check flop. You have a good hand, but if the pot gets bloated your hand will always be getting it in bad. Much better to keep this in flop x/c range, keep flushes in there for later streets. What does a bet or x/r accomplish here?

Turn, another pretty clear x/c. V shouldn't have too many 10's but definitely has some (largely a10), and better 2p. If v checks back, I plan to bet around 40% pot on most rivers to get some value from an ace. If v bets, I call, planning to fold if they continue on most rivers if I don't improve. Again, if facing a bet from V and you x/r, you're only getting it in vs worse.

As played

Hero checks the turn, Villian bets $60 into the 80 dollar pot.

Hero's move?

I'm leaning to sigh calling the turn and probably sigh check/folding the river UI (perhaps an argument for a very tiny blocking bet/fold).

GcluelessNLnoobG

Line is good so far now call again and lets play a river. A raise is an overplay is he really calling AK preflop button vs co? I assume not which means AT is the only real value target from turn raise. Your hand is blocking a lot of the pair +draw we would otherwise consider getting value from.

I'm check folding non spade A K T or 8 on the river. Not sure what the best play is if we boat up or make our flush. Probably check deciding 7 or lower

Yeah, i mean the 60 into 80 bet on this turn is super concerning from a likely tight more passive player. Its a strong possibility that only our flush outs are clean here.

I am still calling the turnbet cause i think we just have too much equity/too good of a hand to do something else against an unknown- but i just wanted to point out that its likely we are up against a super strong range here the way this hand is developing.

So Villain has a hand, probably a big Ace or better. Assuming
JJ, 99, AQs-A9s, KsTs, Ts8s, AQo-A9o
you have 40% equity so calling is mandatory based on pot odds alone

If we assume he slow-played AK PF, which is entirely possible, then we have 48%.
Add J9s then we get 50%

Still can't see any benefit to check-raising, though, as the range he calls us with will be crushing ours.

If a spade comes on the river, then I am going to bet half-pot, and hope to get a crying call. Villain has only one combo of a FD that beats us, and that would be KT

If you fill-up, try betting bigger to get a call from a straight, or a big ace, by making it look like you missed your draw. Depends on how this guy reacts to bet sizes, so maybe make it smaller. A big one would be default though. If he has a bigger full-house, you get stacked no matter what.

Any Ace, King, 10 or 9, is a check-fold, unless he makes a super small bet.

Any other card, is a check-call depending on bet size. Hopefully Villain checks behind. In fact, you could consider folding if he bets a blank river.

I bet 20, on second thought prob bet like 10

also on your first hand I'd just check decide on the river, you got the same hand to fold but in reality you still have showdown against his A-highs that get sticky on the turn...like the turn bet though for value/equity protection

I don''t really mind the check on the flop, still prefer the small bet but check is fine IMO....on the turn I prefer checking to the IP player then calling his bet.

Bet flop bet and bet turn no less than half pot

I think flop check is really bad

On the turn after V bet 60$, I came over the top and went all in. V thought about it for about 30 seconds or so and made the call.

V turned over AQo for top two, and river was a blank.

After reading the responses, my clear mistake was on the turn. Should have just called the turn and evaluated, most likely x called any non scary cards on river.

Thanks for the responses!