This was the hardest to read table I've ever played at - the only word to describe it is chaotic. There were hands where 6 players limped to the pot, hands where one PFR got everyone to fold, hands where one PFR got everyone to call, slowplays, checkraises - I'm not going to bore everyone, but trust me, I found it nearly impossible to put ANYONE on a hand at ANY point.

Cake - $0.04 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

MP+1: $4.37
LP: $3.13
CO: $3.03
BTN: $4.32
SB: $1.86
BB: $1.16
UTG: $1.64
Hero (UTG+1): $5.65
MP: $4.00

SB posts SB $0.02, BB posts BB $0.04

Pre Flop: ($0.06) Hero has A A

fold, Hero raises to $0.12, fold, fold, LP calls $0.12, fold, fold, fold, BB calls $0.08

Flop: ($0.38, 3 players) 8 5 5
BB checks, Hero bets $0.38, LP calls $0.38, fold

Turn: ($1.14, 2 players) T
Hero bets $1.14, LP calls $1.14

River: ($3.42, 2 players) 2
Hero raises to $4.01 and is all-in, LP calls $1.49 and is all-in

Looks fine to me

assuming villain is a fish this line is +EV. i think c/c might be more +EV, but it depends how much you expect a fish in your games to bluff with missed draws.

Its fine IMO, gl.

You played it very aggressively, I find pot sized bets tend to trigger a lot of folds, but assuming he is fishy/passive this looks like the best possible line you can take post flop. If you are getting lots of calls I would open x4 pre.

It's ironic that playing it scared caused me to play it aggressively. Seriously, I couldn't put anyone on a range of hands to save my life. He could very easily have had a 5. As much as I've studied value betting part of me WANTED him to fold so that he wouldn't suck out on me.

I like the idea of c/c or even c/r if the villain is known to bluff.

Yep, this happens. It can work in your favour sometimes, hopefully this was one of them.

On a related note, I notice a decent portion 2NL shortstackers and maniacs overbet/shove flop with any top pair, where they might slowplay a set. It may be similar thinking on their part.

If he had a 5 he already sucked out on you

I think it looks fine

Weird board. No straights or flushes possible even after the river card is dealt.
Because it's so dry, I'd tend to bet smaller otr, as there's not a lot villain can have. Sometimes a river overbet can look bluffy (a missed draw), but villain would have to be a bit of a fish to make a hero call of your shove with just a ten or eight.

Thanks as always Arty. If you're in the villain's shoes, what do you think the Hero is betting with when he bets?

I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't have me on an overpair or a 5. MAYBE he had me on an 8?

I had been caught bluffing a few times leading up to this hand - maybe he so sure I was bluffing he was willing to bet his whole stack on it? Who knows.

Your line looks a lot like JJ+, particularly as you raised under the gun. You're not potting two streets with AK.
What did villain have? I can imagine him making a crying call with 77, 99, JJ, QQ, but I like to think I would have been able to fold an overpair here, unless you'd been playing like a maniac.

Like I said, I had been bluffing, but not for 3 streets. It was mostly trying to steal the blinds from late position and then cbetting like I actually had a hand. If he thought I was a maniac he read me horribly wrong.

I think by the river he's pot committed so he wasn't folding no matter what.

Stations gonna station.

Remember the martian from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey?

I'd open a lot bigger preflop. Bigger preflop raise changes the whole character of the hand due to decreased SPR. You can make all your early-position bets at a large table bigger. 5bb standard ep open at a table like this would be fine, maybe even 8bb.

Check this out (just for entertainment value) - I FINALLY won a BIG POT with AA over KK - woohoo! I've been on the opposite end (shoving KK and getting called by AA), and I've shoved AA vs. KK only to get drawn out on.

This just FELT GOOD!

Cake - $0.04 NL (9 max) - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

BB: $3.03
Hero (UTG): $8.19
UTG+1: $4.00
MP: $3.84
MP+1: $4.24
CO: $4.03
BTN: $4.04
SB: $1.08

SB posts SB $0.02, BB posts BB $0.04

Pre Flop: ($0.06) Hero has A A

Hero raises to $0.16, UTG+1 raises to $0.54, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to $8.19 and is all-in, UTG+1 calls $3.46 and is all-in


Flop: ($8.06, 2 players) J Q J

Turn: ($8.06, 2 players) 2

River: ($8.06, 2 players) 9

Colt, it's great that it worked out for you but understand that this kind of hand belongs in BBV or more likely nowhere, because no-one really gives a crap that you got AA in over KK and won a stack. You are likely going to carry on playing poker and therefore you will experience this dozens of times and it will always feel nice but really it doesn't have any entertainment value for anyone except you because it's totally standard.

This might sound a bit harsh but I'm letting you know because that's how it is. I could spend all day posting hands that felt totally awesome for me (yay! set-over-set! take that, variance!) but they'd get mod locked and no-one would want to read them anyway.

open 4x pre flop. If he is a fishy, he'll keep calling your sized pot bets, so its okay.