Villain is 23/14/0 over 64 hands. My reads are that he's a bit passive. Fairly tight. Not splashing around too much or doing anything crazy.


Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players - View hand 635845
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (MP): $28.17
CO: $26.33
BTN: $25.00
SB: $25.50
BB: $51.42
UTG: $38.30

Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is MP with K K
UTG raises to $0.50, Hero raises to $2.25, 3 folds, BB calls $2, UTG calls $1.75

Flop: ($6.85) 7 Q 8 (3 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets $5, BB calls $5, UTG folds

Turn: ($16.85) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero requests TIME, Hero bets $12, BB requests TIME, BB raises to $24, Hero calls $8.92 all in

River: ($58.69) T (2 players - 1 is all in)






My question comes not just from this hand but from some other hands I've played where I'm in the same situation.

The pot is inflated by a 3Bet preflop with 2 callers. I feel a Cbet is very standard and very necessary both for value and information. Now we get to the turn and the pot to stack size ratio is awkward for me. The pot is $16 and I have $21 behind. I'm usually betting close to pot for value and then still able to fold to strong turn aggression or maybe some river action. But in these inflated pots I'm not sure how to size my betting.

Because of the weird pot to stack ratios I start seeing monsters where they might not be. Slow played sets, etc. If I bet $14 I leave $7 behind. Basically committing myself. Thats why I choose to bet $12. Even though I'm only leaving $9 behind which is pretty committing anyway so my original reason for betting $12 didn't even make sense. There's no reason to ever check unless I have some sorta super read. Which I don't. Over shoving doesn't seem good to me.

What is a standard betting size here? Are you trying to get value and basically saying I'm committed on any river card and happy with it? If he shoves the turn am I committed and happily getting it in?

Am I over complicating something that should be simple. Is this always a get it in however you can and be happy no matter what simply because of the size of the pot?

I'm torn here between getting max value and trying to dodge bullets. But with the pot the way it is it doesn't seem like it's possible to dodge bullets. Should I just not be concerned with sets, or flushes that get there on the river?

Those look absolutely standard to me. I can't think of one other way you could have played this. Bet smaller, and you're pricing him in to chase. Obviously, you can't check anywhere. So, in a non-capped/NL game... I think you have to be willing to go broke here. You're getting over 3:1 on the call by the end.

You might be able to make a hero laydown if you have some sort of phenomenal read on the guy, or his stats tell you he's a tight reg.

But, I'm playing that just the way you did. If it's a cooler, it's a cooler. I still believe 8 out of 10 times, someone is calling you with A Q or even worse. (At micro levels.)

Standard, nothing you could do.

generally betting half pot will be enough to be able to bet, bet, shove over 3 streets (as you both put money the pot becomes bigger and so your half pot sizes become more and more). this should be your aim as it keeps your opponents calling range the widest, and whilst sounding counter intuative, means that if you have air your bluffs are cheaper.

it is generally going to be a mistake to fold an overpair in a 3bet pot because once the pot gets big your relative risk compared to the reward is really small (if u make a mistake of stacking off in a single raised pot its costing you a lost more relative to the pot size than if you stack off in a 3bet pot). also, since the pot is so big, if your opponent thinks he has any fold equity at all then shipping draws can be very profitable for him - based on the fact you are probably 3betting and cbetting AK, you can see the problem is you are now folding overpairs as well as AK (that being that you are folding too much of your range and makes check-raising or shoving v.profitable on his part)

I have only been playing a few months so I would be happy to hear some feedback on my opinion. Cheers

If your turn bet gets called you only have $9 left and a $40 pot. You are pot committed unless you plan on c-f the river. I would make either a smaller turn bet, 1/2 pot about $8, or shove the turn.

1/2 pot size bet would leave you $13 and a $32 pot. This, I think, is easier for you to get away from. Also if you decide to make a river bet, that bet is stronger. You might get a fold from a 2 pair combination like Qh 10h.

This is what I would do as well but I'm pretty much a noob myself. The question here is what to do when the villian raises your bet on the turn. I think you have to shove unless you have a great read on the player. I've seen lots of aggressive plays by fish where I just knew they had me beat only to find out they had a mid-pair or something. You just never know in the micros.

With a hand like this, I think you will come out ahead in the long run. Just get it in there.

He ended up having QJo this time. I've been in spots exactly like this before where they end up having a set. These spots actually come up allot for me since people call 3Bets so light at the micros, and everyone is set mining as well. I just wanted to make sure my line is correct. So I can feel comfortable doing it with out giving it much thought. I generally don't have reads on my opponents or my read is that he could have Qx or a set. So I guess pretty standard get it in.
Thanks for the replies.