2/5

V (covers) is a handsome forty-year-old who stared at me because he wants to either read my soul, get me in bed, or both. He pays attention to all the hands. Over four orbits, he at first seemed confident. One hand he bet the flop, checked back the turn, and called the river with bottom two-pair. With TPGK, he also rightly called a river bluff. But then he open-limped with 46s, called a raise, and rivered a flush. He called some other hands and folded postflop.

Hero (525) should have a TAG image after advice from the pros on 2+2.

OTTH

Button straddles 10. Blinds fold. Hero in UTG with AcKs raises to 30. V calls. Button calls. 3-way.

Flop (98 after rake): AhTd8d

Hero bets 55. V raises to 125. Hero?

I think I might raise a little bigger pre, to $40. I'd probably just start by checking this flop from OOP. I don't hate the c-bet, but I'm not sure about the sizing. Feels like we should either go smaller or bigger than half pot.

His raise size is weird, barely 2x. We could 3B if we were deeper, but I think at this depth we either need to jam or fold, when he's repping 2P+. It feels weird, like turning TPTK into a bluff, to rep AA, but really I think we're just going with our hand.

My thinking in game would be focused on what his raise sizing means, and if his past plays indicate he might be clicking buttons or making stuff up as he goes. I'd think 2P+ would raise bigger, so this strikes me as being some sort of gambit, to slow you down, get you to check turn, so he can see the river for free.

It looks to me like he's on a draw and wants to chase, but doesn't want to call a big turn bet, and is prepared to fold to a 3B. We'll be jamming a turn brick or K anyway, so might as well jam now.

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Pre and flop are fine -- I'm good with a c-bet. I call now and evaluate turn.

Has he ever raised like this before?

If he's been staring at you in general during your session, maybe he has a beef against you and I would call. If however he started staring at you after he raised, then it's usually a sign of strength and I would fold.

I can't see anyone min-raising on that flop with a set or two pair (they would usually raise more). It looks more like AQ, a draw or just a bluff trying to push you around because he loves you so much.

He probably just raised small because he didn't want you to fold. Call flop is ok, but fold turn to a large bet.

call.

staring at you = weak. dont blow him out of the pot by jamming.

id probably try and stack off this hand by giving rope.

I regretted raising only 30. Next time I will bet 40. In 1/2 I usually raise to 20 against a button straddle.

yeah, 30 from EP after a straddle in 2/5 is basically a pot sweetener.

4x (4x10=40) would be fine, and in 1/2 you were going 5x (not that there's anything wrong with it).

V stared at me in between the hands before this one, not during the hand. After his 125 bet, he was looking off to the side, his expression matter of fact.

I left out (but probably obvious): the button folded after V's raise to 125.

thats scary. still calling and seeing what he does on the turn.

Well I'm not folding to the min-raise then and he's showing characteristics of either a bluff or he wants to see where his Ax hand is at.

Against a fake raise like this, and only 50 BBs deep, just Get It In, reraise all-in. He can call with plenty worse, and, Out Of Position, getting him to fold a draw isn’t the worst outcome.

Said it before, I'll say it again - I hate the BTN straddle. I think it really effs up the game. Here, you've got the blinds folding, so at least we don't need to worry about them sand-bagging anything.

I don't think it was a huge mistake to only bet 30. You only got 2 callers, the BTN and this guy who's been eye-f**king you, which is creepy AF, but whatevs, weirdos gonna do weird stuff.

V called, but you didn't give his position. If you can see him staring at you, my guess is he wasn't next to act, and more likely sitting across from you, maybe 2-4 seats away. Just wondering if his range is wider because there were players who folded before it got to him, or stronger because he called next to act, or still in EP/MP, with more players behind.

I'm mostly looking at his raise size as being the key factor here, but in game I'd be trying to figure out if he shows up here with every combo of 2P, TT/88, and every combo of J9/97s. I'm mostly viewing his smallish raise as repping the same sort of range that would donk-bet small - weak top pairs, and draws that don't want you to barrel turn huge.

If he had thick value, I'd think he'd raise larger, when the board is so wet. The only sort of hand that makes a lot of sense for this sizing would be some weak AXdd - he's not worried about using a small sizing and you out-drawing him because he has the NFD, and you're probably not opening J9/97 from UTG very often, so he's putting you squarely on AJs-AK, no diamonds.

Just trying to get inside his creepy little head - wondering if he raised small just to push the BTN out of the hand, rather than play a draw sandwiched between the PFR and the widest range on the BTN. Again, it smells a little fishy-weak to me, because if he had value, and was worried about draws, he wouldn't want to risk the BTN calling, and you getting a good price to continue. I could see AXdd also wanting the BTN out of there, to get HU with you.

As a general rule of tells, someone looking away from the game BEFORE the action gets to them is a sign of strength, not wanting to appear interested or threatening, so as not to discourage players in front from putting money in.

Once he raises and looks away, that's not quite as telling, but it MIGHT be a sign of weakness, hoping to avoid eye contact, not wanting to expose too much of his face to you, in case his expression gives something away, possibly trying to appear calm and unconcerned, not worried about you calling or jamming, not wanting to antagonize you into making a light call, etc.

I'll sometimes look away from the game, rather than looking down at the board, with value and bluffs, when I jam. But if I'm not all-in, I'll generally look at my opponent, so I can spot any tells he may be giving off. His looking away might be a sign that he's not thinking about his action on future streets, because he's folding if you jam, or if you call and he doesn't improve on the turn.

While I understand the comments suggesting we just call if we think he's weak, I don't like it, because there are so many turns we're going to hate, and it's going to be weird if we call his raise, and then donk on a brick, breaking with game flow, and allowing him to play perfectly, while letting him set his own price to suck out on us.

We're going to hate any diamond, any Q, J, 7 or 6, and even a seeming brick might make him 2P with AXdd.

If we bet small and he raised big, I could see just flatting and check-evaluating on the turn. If we bet bigger and he raised any size, I'd probably just fold, or call and check-evaluate.

But when we bet just over half pot, and he goes just barely over 2x, it's fishy AF, and I don't like it. We'll be going to the turn with around 1SPR, and no idea where we're at on any card that isn't a non-diamond A or K. I'm not buying this guy has TPTK beat right now, and I don't want to play OOP with 1SPR on the turn. I just want to get stacks in now.

We have ~50 straddles pf, and top/top. Seems like it's supposed to go in.

We call, and we'll have a hair more than pot-sized bet left for the turn. Should we do a stop and go on any non-D or Jack through 7? As noted, I also wonder if V is trying with this not-quite minclick to set their own price to get to the river though.

The staring is weird. Maybe the game is on over H's shoulder or a hot waitron that V's flirting with?

So many draws. I think his raise is full of it. 3bet jam flop.

Nah, jamming is bad. I doubt we have 50%+ here. Draws probably raise bigger. And even if he has draws, you're still in bad shape.

Against TT, 88, AT, T8, and diamond draws like KJ, KQ, J9, and 97, you have 23%. Just call.

Well you're almost getting 3 to 1 you have to call and evaluate because he has a lot of draws and also worse hands like AQ/AJ that may be raising to see where they're at and slow you down on the turn to get a free river.

He has maybe 21 value combos but then all these worse Ax and semi bluffs are like 26 combos and more if he's doing it w/ stuff like KdQx or any other more random hand.

Shoving seems worse than calling but I'm not actually sure by how much. Some math guy can probably figure that out.

We're getting 4:1.

I personally raise bigger pre. $40 UTG after the blinds fold.

Are we? I guess I counted wrong. In either case that makes it even more of a call.

You have range advantage on the Ace-high board but the field callers have more nuttish hands. Betting is fine but I'd make it small, and I wouldn't hate a check. Now call and proceed cautiously.

Edit, just seen stack sizes, be cautious but not too cautious.

Results

Hero jams. V snap calls. Turn is brick. River is a Kd. Hero shows his top two-pair. V shows Ad4d and scoops.

In the hand, I thought: this is an auto-jam with TPTK and an SPR below 2. I then asked himself, does SPR matter after a raise?

What do you think about these ranges?

Board: AhTd8d
47.76% AcKs
52.24% TT, 88, A8s, T8s, Ad2d+, KdTd+ QdTd+, Jd9d+, Td8d+, 9d8d, Ad7d, 9d7d, 8d7d, Ad6d, 7d6d, Ad5d, 6d5d, Ad4d, 5d4d, Ad3d, Ad2d, ATo+

A raise to 40 perflop could very likely have folded out ATo:

51.33% same
48.77% same but no ATo, only AJo+

Call leaves 350 behind. Pot is 248.

On the staring: It was pretty weird, but perhaps it was only because I was new at the one 2/5 table in the cardroom with nine 1/2 tables. I myself observe players all the time, looking for reads, even in between hands. What are they drinking? How are they dressed? Can they talk intelligently about poker? Why are they playing, to make money, because they like the game, because they like to gamble, etc.? I'm sure I make other people uncomfortable.