I can't remember the last time I posted on here, but I def have to make a brag post for this hand.

This is my first WSOP event, the $800 NLHE deepstack. I've been playing at this table since I registered, so for a couple hours at this point. I'm in seat 1 and seat 2 has been empty. A player sits down in 2 and we chat for a bit. He then whispers to me something like "dang, Jonathan Little is at our table" and I respond with ".... I don't know who that is." Seat 2 tells me to google him, so I do. Now I know who that is, the real deal. He has been sitting in seat 9 since I've been at the table. Despite being blind v blind we have not tangled yet. Now I'm on very high alert. The following hand comes maybe an hour after that. Note: my memory is not perfect, so stack and bet sizes are approximate.

I had been playing fairly tight and not getting many playable hands, but have been able to win a couple pots to keep up with the blinds. My stack is a little above starting stack, so 50-55k. JL has a bit more than I do, maybe 70-80k. I'm pretty sure the blinds are 1k/2k, though it may have been a level prior.

I have QcQs UTG. I make a 3x raise to 6k. (The standard opening raise had been 2x or 2.5x). Folds around to JL in the big blind, who calls. I’m feeling good about QQ at this point, as he almost certainly would have three bet me with AK, KK, and AA.

15k in the pot
Flop: 3h 4h 7d

JL snap checks to me. I bet 6k, he snap calls. (Granted, he had been snapping every action that I’d seen since I sat down at the table).

27k in the pot
Turn: As

JL snap checks. I somewhat quickly check back. My QQ doesn't feel so good anymore, but he may not have liked that card either.

27k in the pot
River: 7h

JL snap bets 18 or 19k. I remember a large stack of chips, not a single or a couple chips. I tank.

Well damn, everything got there (or was already there). Flush, straight, trips, any Ace. But his large-ish bet did not seem value-y, it seemed very much a “get out of here” bet. Very bluffy bet and a great bluffing opportunity, since everything got there. I realize that I’m basically playing my hand face up at this point. I am fairly certain that he puts me on an overpair between 88 and KK. I made a larger than usual opening raise UTG and then bet on a low flop, but checked behind on an A turn. Once everything gets there, he can represent a lot of hands that beat me… with a value bet. But he bet half my stack (18 or 19k into ~40k). I was trying to figure out why he wanted me to go away. The story stopped making sense. Call, check, check, lead big. Either he is trapping me or bluffing me. And I think that he would have bet less on the river if he were trapping me. I think that was the deciding factor. I’m not totally sure what he has, but I have a feeling it’s not very strong, maybe 55, 66, 88 trying to get me to fold a larger pair. I call. JL shows 4d2d for a pair of 4s and a pair of 7s. I turn over my queens for a better two pair and take the pot.

Well played excellent call!

Why do you think you are range limit to a pair? Do you play KQ on the flop and turn the same? You should some large percentage of the time. You have to account for himpittimg you on that hand or similar.

So JL is trying to get value from nut high card, nut kicker when OP tank calls queens?

Must be GTO to split your range pre.

Good call on his bet sizing.

Jonathon Little has some good content; he's a top player, but that dude needs an editor for his videos. His videos are 2 hours long, and a good portion of them can be cut. I wouldn't expect him to edit his videos himself, it's not time effective.

If he ever does hire one though? Dude would legitimately take over poker youtube. That's how good a lot of the hidden advice is in there. I won't lie and say I understand everything that dude says; but I've caught enough advice in his videos that really opened my eyes to the level he's playing at, and taking those small bits and including them in my game where I can.

The biggest genuis moment I saw from Jonathon Little is how he handles bluff/fold hands. He picks a certain hand and says 'this one I'm always folding' that should satisfy the x% of times I should be folding for this range. Just kind of blew my mind how simple and brilliant it was.

Congrats on calling his bluff. I love when players sack up and go after a pro. Must have been exhilarating for you, huh?

My first thought was that he probably bets big either way and I doubt you out leveled him.

But actually, I think there's a really good chance he thought, this is a rec in a $800 event. He has like jacks or queens or air and if I bet big he'll just fold it all. Heck, some of these people might fold a weak ace.

NH.

no shot JL was trying to get value from KQ here lmao

NH wp

That has nothing to do with what I said.

I commented on his hand being face up. I was pointing out that it wasn't face up. He has a whole range that plays the hand the same way.

Thanks for the props and comments guys! Though I'll come out and say that I'm a woman

That is a fair point. Though I think my 3x UTG preflop narrows my range significantly. It was a non-standard bet at the table and I hadn't been playing many hands at all.