1/3 NLHE 9 handed.

Would like advice on how to handle a game like this. Max BI is 400$ but everyone has about 1k+ in front of them. People are opening cold to 30$ and very little 3-betting is happening. People are chasing everything and post-flop bets are often full pot or larger. Typical SPR to a flop for me is maybe 1-3. All I can think of is waiting for premiums (like this hand) but I would be getting kind of card dead and frustrated, wait for AKo, 3-bet it, go 3 or 4-ways to a flop and whiff and have to fold.

V1 - MAAG. 1500$. SB. VPIP about 50%. Opening range is more nutted. Opened EP with AJdd, flop Js-Ts-4d, turn Qd and he x/raised. He's been trying to make some big moves here and there but generally doesn't bluff. If he puts real money in he's got it. That said he's cold-calling 3-bets pre with hands like KQo and has showndown hands like 95s, T2s, JTo in single raised pots.

HH with V1 (would like advice). V1 opens UTG1 to 20, Hero 3-bets to 70 off 375 eff stack from LJ, folds back to V1 who calls, HU. H has A K. Flop 140 T 6 3 check check, turn 7, check check, river J check check, V1 has AKo no spade, we chop.

V2 - MAAW. 3k$. UTG. VPIP about 50%. Opening all kinds of crap. Q6s, JTo. Calling wide post. Called 2x pot bet OTF IP on a A-K-K with JTo and turned a Q and gutted some guy with a K for 800$. She's been bluffing a lot too.

HH with V2 (would like advice). UTG fish opens, folds to H in HJ with AKo who 3-bets, V2 cold calls out of blinds, UTG folds, HU. Flop 7s-7d-2s V2 donks small, H calls w/ AK no s no d, turn 9c, check check, river Jh, she bets 1/3rd pot, I hero call. She wins with K2dd.

V3 - Young drunk kid. Covers everyone. BTN. Has been bluffing a ton. Minclicks his entire continuing range pre from AKo to 88 to 67s, he just minclicks no matter what. He's somehow running on a heater from when V2 keeps bluffing into him. Very sticky post, same as V1 and V2. Bets a lot when checked to. Called an open for 10 from BTN, went 6 ways to a flop of Q-7-3-2-J and went bet (into five people) bet AI over someone for over 1k pot with 66 where his opponent folded river.

---

V3 straddles BTN to 6, Action on V1 in SB who opens to 30, V2 calls, Hero calls 30 off a stack of 400 from CO (?) with T T, V3 minclicks to 60, V1 calls, V2 calls, Hero calls.

Flop 240 - Q 7 4

Check, Check, Hero Checks, V3 bets 75, V1 calls, V2 folds, Hero?

Why not back-jam pre-flop? This looks like the greatest spot in the world to jam after the drunk minclicks and the other fish both call.

Don't see any option other than to fold on the flop. If one V has a Q and the other has a FD you literally have 1 out. It sucks when they have J7s and A4o or whatever, but there's nothing else you can do.

I thought about back raise jamming once V1 caps but he still has a range like 99-QQ, AJo+ ATs+ KQo/s. I just didnt feel I was strong enough against his range.

FWIW, TT is ahead against that range still. V3 is uncapped I guess but sounds like he is really wide. There's the dead money too.



I do think I like not 3betting V1's open the first time around. Don't want to isolate yourself against a strong opening range and you let the fish come in behind. Plus, it sets you up for a nice backraise squeeze spot!

Wow thanks for checking that. Yea guess I should have just gone for it.

Grunch:

Hand 1: bet the flop. You can delay c-bet the turn, which I kind of like on this turn especially. You have to follow through on river, though.

Hand 2: bet the flop and shut down once she calls or raises. As played, fold river.

Main hand: once V3 min-clicks pre and V1 just calls, you need to raise/gii. As played, fold or shove. I can go either way.

I like jamming pre the first time around after SB 5x it and v cold calls. Normal size is 3 to 3.5x + the dead money from the cold caller which already puts you at 120-135, which is already stack off threshold. If you get more than one caller the SPR will definitely be less than 1.

I wouldn't mind the back jam in this specific instance given the exact read on V3.

I think we might structure our continuing range to the open and cold call range to look something like this where purple is jamming, tan is 3betting to 100-120, and green is calling.



But maybe based on rake you can just take out the cold calls and 3bet a little more merged.

AA and KK seem better for 3betting less than all in since those hands don't need as much protection and can handle multiway better whereas QQ-TT don't mind taking fold equity from overcards. AQo+ and AQs+ make good jams to balance your QQ-TT.

Banana, am I crazy, or did you not start a recent thread about moving up to 2/5?

I'm asking because the 1/3 games you're playing sound terrible - $400 max BI and a BTN straddle? It's like someone is trying to f**k up the game. Is this the only 1/3 game in town?

Also, reading some of your recent threads, I'm spotting a pattern - loose/crazy game, everyone but hero is big-stacked, everyone is playing terribly, hero can't catch a hand or a break.

Once is a fluke. Twice is coincidence. Three times - that's a problem.

How are these V's getting big stacks with a $400 max BI if they're playing terribly? If they're all really opening for $30, you can basically print by just folding everything but premiums, as boring as that will be.

What's the buy-in for the 2/5 game? If this is how the 1/3 plays, I think I'd rather sit at 2/5 with $500 than sit in this game with $400.

As for this hand - if you're really card dead, jam it in their faces. V1 and V2 are completely FOS here, opening or over-calling $30, then flatting a min-click.

I think the best way to play a game like this is to play very tight and then get it in ASAP with good shoving hands, in this game I would consider TT a good shoving hand and go for it. The blinds are so tiny relative to the amount of money in each pot that you should be able to afford to do this.

I do think that if you're going to do that you'd better commit to it: I recently waited and waited and waited in such a game, then bet AA big and got groans and a folded QQ. I think my range was too narrow there for me to get action.

The very first adjustment you should make is min buyin. They go 30 with 50% range, you jam 100 with a 10% range, easy poker.

If youre in bigger (either from buying in too big, or winning) the second adjustment you need to make is 3 bet larger. In a NORMAL game im going 4x +1 per caller in between +1 if OOP, which would be 80, but vs V1 in utg vs LJ im going at least 100 if not more, and im planning to bet just about every possible flop they check to me and jam any flop they donk (depending on raeads)

You gotta be ready to BATTLE and to bet your stronger range, even when you whiff. You can crush these guys with simple flop range bets because your range oughta be so far ahead and so much more nutted.

Ens of the day if you run well youll make a lot, and if you dont, youll lose a lot, but if you revert to passive poker, youll mostly just lose. Maniacs look the juiciest but are actually the toughest to beat.

Sweet spot to ship the 400 pre. V3s min raise just showed us that sb isn’t that strong.

Thanks everyone. Its been a rough couple of days.

Result: