Bovada, $10 SuperStack
Pre-ante, well before the bubble


*UTG1= loose passive (42/9 over 33)
*Button= loose passive (57/9 over 33)

PREFLOP: UTG1(100bb) limps, MP1(55bb) limps, Hero(51bb) squeezes from CO with A9 to 5.5bb, Button(55bb) calls, blinds fold, UTG1 limp-calls, MP folds

FLOP: [3way, Pot=19bb] A87 UTG1 checks, Hero cbets 8.5bb, Button min-raises to 17bb, UTG1 folds, Hero ??


Been trying to improve my squeezing and cbetting spots, so this hand seems to hit both areas, here are some specific questions but I'd appreciate input on anything that comes to mind:
1) Is this the type of hand I should be squeezing with? Is my sizing ok if I'm trying to take down the pot uncontested PF, or at worst isolate IP vs a single vill?
2) OTF, good spot to cbet sandwiched between 2 vills? I went with a small sizing figuring the board was fairly dry and static.
3) How do you react to a passive vill-minraising here? Easy fold?

id raise a little more to 6.5 but w/e
A9 seems good enough to squeeze to me if u have a mind too, not sure your cards matter much with the plan u have (within reason)
bet flop is good now fold, squeezing caper is over

I think the hand is played close to ideal.

I think you are going to go 3-handed+ to the flop a little more than you like BUT getting involved with 2 undoubted fun players that you can outplay post is fine and with a considerably wider range.

A9o is comfortably ahead of his limp/call range, and you will be able to get to showdown so often there is pure value in that alone.

I think both c-betting and checking are viable as you are likely only going to want two streets of value and you do have blockers to the most conceivable draw. I would say folding to the min-raise is going to be correct 98% of the time as well. You aren't getting exploited by folding top pair in this spot against this opponent. There isn't all that much he has for value but I see next to no semi-bluffs and only the occasional freak out. If you call not only do you need him to be bluffing but you need him to shutdown.

standard fold, villain is rarely raise folding with SPR and you beat very little on such a dry board. Not mad on this spot for a squeeze but not 100% sure its bad, I just think youll be seeing the flop 3 handed a lot with villains stats and a9 doesnt flop strong enough for you to love this spot too often

I would consider this more of an iso spot than a squeeze spot, but that might be semantics.
I think your plan and size is fine- (maybe 6 or 6.5 might be better?) Problem is as soon as BTN calls, then the EP V, I think your plan gets blown to sh-t.

I would go BET/FOLD 1/3 PSB here. A8,A7, 88 and 77 and even something like 9Ts just crushes their LIMP/CALL ranges.


yes easy fold

Great feedback so far, thanks guys.


For those suggestion that this is a borderline squeeze, would you suggest folding or over-limping as the alternative PF line?

I think the squeeze is worth a shot,i doubt folding can be good

Doubt that folding here is good on the CO. Limping isn't bad vs two villains, but that's only if you think they're calling all your preflop raises after they've limped a really high % of the time. vs one villain, def prefer the raise to limping. In fact, it's really surprising that MP folded after you raised and got two callers.

3 ways I'd def check the flop.

I'd over limp A9s all day long and be happy about it. I don't think A9o is a good over limp hand unless you think other limper(s) are just incredible limp tards.

What about a delayed 1/3 PSB cbet if EP checks again? I'd rather take a bet/fold line on the flop than a check/call (if BTN bets) on the flop and maybe the turn. Allows you to name your own price if you want to continue on with the hand or not.

To me, that's the best part about bad passives. You can value raise PRE and fold 100% of your range when ever they raise because they NEVER BLUFF!!

OK so it's an iso-raise not a squeeze - a squeeze is when we're 3 betting after a raise and a call.

I think it's a good play - the rule of thumb I read is to iso with small pot hands like broadways and overlimp with potential big flop hands like small pps and scs. So maybe A9 is near the bottom of an iso range.

on the flop I much prefer a cbet to a check - we really don't know where we are when we check and get bet into. I agree that it's an easy fold when raised ( although easier when we're not actually in the hand!)

pre is fine, flop cbet is fine. fold against raise since A9 is close to the bottom of our value range (we shouldn't have A2o-A6o here?! maybe we can have like A5s) on flop and we shouldn't bet air here ever given our opponent. so we can happily continue with AK/AQ, T9s, any two pair, sets. fold anything else

I am not sure if squeezing is good against stations when you are so deep, as long as you want to win preflop.
Not saying that your squeezing is bad but you get me.
Btw we need the other limper's stats too.

why would we not want to get more money in in position with a hand that has their ranges crushed?

A9o doesn't crush their range though really imo.

I just check the flop cause we usually only get 2 streets so why not just check the flop.

From what hands are you getting two streets of value?

they play 42/9 and 57/9. A9o is well ahead of their limping range.

Not sure if "crush" is what I'd say. Our range is tighter, and thus, usually ahead of theirs. But we don't have a monster hand. Given the small sample we have on them, 9% pfr could be inflated and misrepresentative, and 77, 88, 78, A7, A8 are all viable hands for them to limp with. Plus, when we raise, There's lots of Ax hands ahead of us that the BU could be flatting with: AT, AJ, AQ, and AK isn't even out of the question given his passive stats.

We usually are only getting two streets of value here at max. But I still like cbetting the flop for value bc weaker hands will often call us.