You need to protect your checking range. This involves checking some hands you'd rather bet (TT is a pretty obv check there, I'd also xb AKss and some other Axss combos, any pair + fd is a xb, if he's really going at it occasionally xb 87ss etc).

If he is too valueheavy you exploit him by folding, he is still making +EV play, but less +EV than he could make by betting smaller.

If he is bluffing too much, you need to feel some marginal hands + xb some draws+SDV like AKs AQs that can call if he doesn't overbet.

Right so take my example (T96, 2 spades). What's the plan if a 7 or an 8 hits when we hold TT? Thing is I can literally never have a straight if I check behind OTF unless it's exactly 78ss since then we don't really care what card comes on the turn. I flop a lot of straight draws but they're all going to bet (since OTB I'll be raising stuff like Q7s, Q8s etc which flops a gutshot and is going to want to cbet to take it down and get the benefit of a likely free river if villain just calls flop), and even made straights don't want the board to pair or a flush card to hit.

If you're checking back Axss, what do you do the 4/5 times you miss the flush and he comes out betting 4x pot (he does vary the bet size somewhat, but it's normally from 2x-4x...I've only once got to showdown with him doing this (the quads hand) so I don't really know if this is a bet sizing tell or not). Of course if we hit the flush OTT and he does his ****** bets we're laughing, but it's easy to call huge bets when you have the nuts, and we won't often turn the nuts in that scenario.

Might be confirmation bias since his play tilts me to no end, but I do believe his 'standard' is to overbet in these spots (i.e. when the PFR checks behind on a wet board). He doesn't do it every single time it happens (so it's not like he's randomly doing it with any two), but the times he does bet, which is a decent percentage of the time (not 80% or something super ******ed, but maybe 50-60%) it's an overbet.

You should be checking back nearly all pair + gutshot combos there. Axss you can probably call a turn overbet because you beat his bluffs without improving, have to fold rivers UI though because of blockers.

Against 4x overbet you only need to feel around 20% of your xb range to prevent him from profit overbetting A2C.

If we check back pair+gutshot hands (which I normally do a lot anyway, but I bet when I don't have a pair since we've got no SDV), are we calling an overbet unimproved OTT? Like let's say I raise 67 OTB, flop T96ss (we don't have a flush draw though), check behind and the turn is something like Kd or 2c...i.e. pretty much bricks)...are we calling an overbet with our bottom pair no kicker+ gutshot?

So, you have some idea what he overbets with, does he overbet with nutted hands, two pairs, one pair, or semibluffs ?

The one hand I did get to showdown with him, he flopped the nut flush draw, I checked back, he hit his flush OTT at the same time I hit my set, did his overbet, I called, rivered quads, he did another overbet so I'd be all in if I called, but he had a huge stack so didn't actually go all in himself, meaning I got to do Tony G's 'bring on the Russians' speech before snapping it off. So he did have something good that time but from the amount of times he's been doing it, he can't have something good all the time but it's not like he does it with ATC either.

Haha. Overbets used to piss me off too, but now I make them myself I really like them. FWIW, I'm heavily weighted towards value when I bet 2x pot on the turn, but there are some "crazies" out there that just want to buy the pot. Taking notes on what gets to showdown (if it happens) is crucial, as you can exploit the overbettor in future if he seems to be weighted more towards bluffs.

Didn't read through all the replies fully but no one mentioning altering your pre-flop ranges when it's like the best thing you can do to exploit someones postflop tendencies is strange.

do we protection bet JJ here on the flop?

partypoker - $1 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: $133.00 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
MP: $60.18 (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 2)
CO: $69.10 (VPIP: 24.58, PFR: 18.98, 3Bet Preflop: 7.63, Hands: 608)
Hero (BTN): $100.00
SB: $143.23 (VPIP: 24.12, PFR: 18.97, 3Bet Preflop: 3.60, Hands: 315)
BB: $100.00 (VPIP: 35.90, PFR: 23.08, 3Bet Preflop: 10.53, Hands: 40)

SB posts SB $0.50, BB posts BB $1.00

Pre Flop: (pot: $1.50) Hero has J J

UTG raises to $3.00, MP calls $3.00, fold, Hero raises to $12.00, fold, fold, UTG calls $9.00, fold

Flop: ($28.50, 2 players) A 2 5
UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($28.50, 2 players) K
UTG checks, Hero checks

River: ($28.50, 2 players) J
UTG checks, Hero bets $20.31, fold

Nah, and I'm probably folding turn if he bets out too. Pretty much bottom of our range here (assuming you're squeezing like AK/JJ+ for value and some suited Ax bluffs).

Not sure I like the squeeze either against an UTG open and an MP call.

What's your range pre tankz? Not certain if JJ shouldn't be turned into a bluff on that turn.

If MP is a fish, then my range is wide. Vs 2 regs I squeeze some suited connectors.
I think my standard plan is to check it down. Turning it into a bluff seems too advanced
Thx for feedback. I see more people flatting QQ/AK at these limits, so sounds good. It's becoming so profitable when people squeeze constantly.

Sorry for not responding.
My plan is to donk bet on flops where it's likely that the PFR missed and won't turn his hand into a bluff. Or if PFR is someone who doesn't cbet a lot multiway.

Yeah I only 3bet KK+ for value against MP and UTG raises with A2s-A5s bluffs to balance but I backraise QQ-JJ and AK against serial squeezers.

Thinking about that a bit more my range is pretty narrow and well defined in that spot since I've got no backraise/folding range which can't be good. I'm still convinced squeezing JJ isn't great though since if UTG 4bets you're not going to be happy, if you get backraised you're not happy, and UTG at least can definitely just continue with a range that has you beat (something like TT+/AQ/AQo assuming he opens 15% or so UTG).

Main idea is to play a big pot vs the assumed MP fish. Vs 2 regs I think flatting just for set over set purposes can be fine.

FWIW as the actual hand was played, I'd probably bet smaller OTR. UTG clearly doesn't have an ace after checking 3 times, and if he's playing normally he's probably folding KQ pre, or at least the offsuit versions. Probably go half pot and hope he tard calls with pocket 9's or something.

I've been aiming to make them good-strat oriented because I figure it's a nudge in the right direction for people who don't know better. I don't think I want to encourage people to play worse because the entire aim of the site is to keep new players alive for longer.

Perhaps I've played too much HU, but don't we value bet the flop? He has to assume some bluffs in our range.

We got fairly small range here so, no we wouldn't really bet as a pure valuebet, but there could be arguments for betting to fold out Kx and Qx combos and get one street of value from underpairs.

Probably could make the betsize fairly small as our range smashes the board as we 2pair up many of our bluffs here.

I found a sick table today. Unfortunately did not win the maximum from these guys.
How much would you bet in these hands?

h1: At first I thought his cold call looked like a flush draw, but he can have two pairs too. I overbet jammed as played, but I think betting less is better? He's gonna re-raise like 9/T-high flush but also unfortunately flat the weakest flushes. He might not call 2p when we overbet
He called flop & turn very quickly which was one influence for overbetting.

Microgaming - €2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: €200.00 (VPIP: 21.25, PFR: 16.05, 3Bet Preflop: 6.50, Hands: 4,263)
Hero (CO): €326.35
BTN: €200.00 (VPIP: 22.54, PFR: 15.49, 3Bet Preflop: 3.33, Hands: 72)
SB: €329.05 (VPIP: 69.33, PFR: 24.37, 3Bet Preflop: 3.42, Hands: 242)
BB: €723.11 (VPIP: 70.79, PFR: 7.87, 3Bet Preflop: 5.88, Hands: 90)
UTG: €279.00 (VPIP: 33.07, PFR: 25.46, 3Bet Preflop: 15.86, Hands: 389)

SB posts SB €1.00, BB posts BB €2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: €3.00) Hero has A 3

fold, fold, Hero raises to €5.00, fold, SB calls €4.00, BB calls €3.00

Flop: (€15.00, 3 players) Q K 3
SB checks, BB bets €7.50, Hero raises to €24.00, SB calls €24.00, fold

Turn: (€70.50, 2 players) J
SB checks, Hero bets €50.00, SB calls €50.00

River: (€170.50, 2 players) 4
SB checks, Hero bets €247.35 and is all-in, fold


h2: He wasn't 3-betting frequently, so expecting an overpair here. How much to bet OTR? Not sure if I got too greedy.

Microgaming - €2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: €245.30 (VPIP: 21.36, PFR: 16.14, 3Bet Preflop: 6.59, Hands: 4,321)
Hero (BB): €537.55
UTG: €229.60 (VPIP: 22.48, PFR: 14.73, 3Bet Preflop: 1.85, Hands: 130)
MP: €391.59 (VPIP: 68.52, PFR: 22.96, 3Bet Preflop: 2.96, Hands: 275)
CO: €818.32 (VPIP: 70.49, PFR: 7.38, 3Bet Preflop: 4.17, Hands: 123)
BTN: €216.75 (VPIP: 33.26, PFR: 24.60, 3Bet Preflop: 13.86, Hands: 447)

SB posts SB €1.00, Hero posts BB €2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: €3.00) Hero has 6 4

fold, MP raises to €4.00, CO raises to €6.00, fold, fold, Hero calls €4.00, MP calls €2.00

Flop: (€19.00, 3 players) 7 T 3
Hero checks, MP checks, CO bets €9.50, Hero calls €9.50, MP calls €9.50

Turn: (€47.50, 3 players) 5
Hero checks, MP checks, CO bets €11.87, Hero raises to €56.00, fold, CO calls €44.13

River: (€159.50, 2 players) 9
Hero bets €130.00, fold

h3: This was HU vs nitty reg just after table broke. How much do you bet OTR?

Microgaming - €2 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 2 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

SB: €288.85 (VPIP: 21.14, PFR: 16.12, 3Bet Preflop: 6.50, Hands: 4,104)
Hero (BB): €231.40

SB posts SB €1.00, Hero posts BB €2.00

Pre Flop: (pot: €3.00) Hero has 9 T

SB raises to €4.00, Hero calls €2.00

Flop: (€8.00, 2 players) A 4 J
Hero checks, SB bets €6.00, Hero raises to €18.00, SB calls €12.00

Turn: (€44.00, 2 players) Q
Hero bets €29.00, SB calls €29.00

River: (€102.00, 2 players) 5
Hero bets €73.00, SB ...

9t usually would overbet the turn and jam the river

I think your line is fine as well, overjamming is fine as well as blockbetting, i dont' think you can go wrong with this hand.

Should I be raising here at some point? The 5x open pre worried me too much I think.




Also I made this note about someone today

"BQer, probably better than me"

Who wants to guess who it was :P

h1: Think it's good for our range if we raise this OTF, would prob raise QQ JJ.