5/5 game, 8 handed, effective stack $1k

I am only about an hour into the game and I don't have much read on the players. Villain has been calling more than the average tight player and has mostly been passive.

I open A8cc from HJ and only the blinds call. Villain is in BB.

Flop ($55): A45dds

Checked to me, I bet $40, SB folds, Villain calls

Turn ($135): 8s

Villain checks, I bet $100. He calls but he fiddled with the chips a bit. Almost like he was thinking of raising or folding. Not sure.

River ($335): Qx
Villain leads for $250

This looks very strong. But not sure if I can fold a good 2 pair. What should be our folding vs calling range here?

When a loose passive starts betting at you on the turn or river, you need a big hand to call. 2 pair isn't big enough. You've bet solid the whole way, so he's expecting you to call.

Tough spot, and with V closing action in the BB, 55/44/67s are his.

Our line looks like 2-pair, and we have AA as well.

Given this, I wouldn't expect him to over value A5/A4/54 by leading the river.

I'd fold to a LP large lead.

Calling range: AA/55/AQ ... folding other 2 pr, and maybe 44.

Pretty gross. Very tough because V could easily over-value, but it's probably a fold.

I would have bet smaller on the turn -- ~$75. A bit of pot control and enticing him to call w/ worse or draws. Once you've bet this big on turn, been called, and he donks a Q river, which could have hit you, it's a fold.

Loose passive player is gonna have all combos of 76 here (including offsuit), 55/44, AQ, and more rarely A8. This is 76 more than all the other hands combined. He could have A5/A4/54, but with those hands you have to ask yourself how often does he take this line. On a draw heavy board, I think he’s gonna put a raise in on the flop with those hands a significant fraction of the time.
So I think it’s a fold on the river.
Call with AA/55/44. I could go either way with AQ (sometimes he has A8), guess we can call with that too but it’s not that great a spot.

As for the rest of the hand, I think you played it pretty well, except flop bet is a bit large. I’d size down to half pot on the flop.

Edit: if he’d taken a bit of a smaller size on the river, we call with A8 because (1) the price is better, and (2) he might be blocking with AK if he uses the smaller bet size. I guess a passive player isn’t going to be 3betting AK preflop, so it could be in range. Doubt it’s in range after the nearly pot sized river bet though.

River is a crying call for me but it’s pretty close. I don’t love it but I think V has enough A4/A5, missed FD’s, missed SD, overplayed AX 1p and spazz for me to call.

Thanks for all the replies. I do think I could have bet half pot on the flop.


Result: I called because I thought maybe he overvalues A4/A5. But I agree with the responses here. He shows us 55.