1-2 NL Holdem.

All Villains fit similar profiles. Tight players with 100-200 in front. Hero has 200 or maybe a bit less in front. (This table isn't great).

UTG+1 tight player raises to $5 (We saw this a lot and he's always folded to a reraise). 3 players call. Small Blind folded.

($23)

Hero in the BB has 5c5s and raises to $20.

Only 1 villain calls. A slightly less nitty Middle aged man with about 200 in front.

($63)

Flop comes Qc 7h 5h.

Do we slow play this? How much do we bet out?

(Additional info Villain smiles and stares me right in the eye, looks at this cards again and laughs).

I don't like the squeeze pre. I get that the PFR is very likely to fold, but you have to get through three more players. Tight 1/2 players a lot of the time will just flat with hands like JJ/QQ, AK, and in rare cases KK+ (though if they're OMC, some of them don't have a 3 bet pre flop range.) If there were loose passives in the hand, which will be more frequent, then a lot of them will get sticky vs 3 bets after calling an initial raise, with hands like pocket pairs and suited A's. On top of that, sets are crazy money makers, and we're getting a great price from BB. Just call your 55 pre in this spot; I wouldn't start squeezing until 88. However, our squeezing size should be $35-$40.

The flop should not be slow played. Villain could easily have a hand like AQ/KQ, suited Broadway hearts, or might call with 88-JJ, depending on how nitty they are. I would bet $40, and look to get stacks in ott.

I don't like pf.

As played slow playing here is pretty bad.

You unblock top and 2nd pairs and he can have a bunch of draws.

Bet 40.

Probably betting closer to 25-30 pre if I’m raising. Most of the time I’m just flatting here though.
As played bet 40-45 so you can ship turn.

Easy flat pre since you are getting a good price to set mine. AP no don’t slowplay WTF? You have a dream flop to get paid. You are going to stack TPGK and extract value from draws for at least one street.

Like everyone said, got to continue betting. I personally would size the flop smaller, $25. I feel like 40+ can size out some 7s and 88-JJ.

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I'm a little perplexed...

I thought raising for a steal was good TAG poker here? Do we not want to be more aggressive here on a tight table? If the table was loose, then a squeeze makes less sense since we may have multiple callers with a mediocre starting hand. But I think I have the fold equity here. I only need to steal 50% of the time to break even? Plus I have a lot of deceptive value here (which could have played out).

My logic for possibly slow playing was:

Well he didn't have 6-4 or 6-8. He's not calling 20 with that suited or unsuited.I thought the flush out there was more a problem for me. He won't call if a flush hits the turn but he could call a flop bet with a good Queen.

I decided to bet out $35. He snap folded.

Well, he didn't have anything. That happens. Same if it had come Q76.

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I think the problem squeezing with 55 specifically is that you’re hoping to get heads up, but 55 is unlikely to play well heads up unless you happen to improve to a set. I’d prefer to squeeze here with big suited cards that can make decent top pairs on many flops.

The value of small pocket pairs is in occasionally making a set and stacking someone with TPTK or similar. We want to maximize the chances that there’s someone to pay us off when this does happen, so having more people to the flop increases the likelihood that we’ll stack at least one of them when we make our set. Raising preflop got us heads up (and OOP) with $63 in the middle, while checking preflop would have gotten us 5-handed to the flop with just about $25 in the middle. Which would we prefer? I think with 55, I’d clearly choose the second option, since it’s very likely that one of the other four players will make at least top pair and pay us >$40. With good top-pair hands, I’d prefer to squeeze and play a small pot heads up.

I think the problem with raising preflop especially that size is that in a bunch of games you'll get 3 or 4 callers behind you and you've built a big multiway pot with a marginal hand and the times you don't flop a set you're either going to have to continue barreling OOP into multiple players with a marginal hand or just have to give up if you miss the flop. I think you raise bigger preflop here and do this play to try to steal the money preflop.

Bet flop. If it was a rainbow board maybe you can think of checking but you would be betting flop here with top pair top kicker for value and also be betting with a lot of your draws here as bluffs. No reason to check and let heart draws get a free card or fail to extract value from top pair or pocket pairs higher than yours.

I actually really like the preflop squeeze spot. Obviously the sizing is way too small, but vs these small EP pot sweetener type raises with a bunch of calls inbetween we should be 3betting liberally.

Postflop we should be betting big here, maybe even overbet.