Posted these in my blog but nobody reads it so I’ll post here for feedback.

An interesting hand from tonight's session:

GGPoker, Hold'em No Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

3814a836 (UTG): $5.78 (289 bb)
d1355195 (MP): $2.00 (100 bb)
bbd10912 (CO): $2.10 (105 bb)
7ea12e4c (BU): $2.00 (100 bb)
Hero (SB): $3.43 (172 bb)
37fbbb39 (BB): $2.07 (104 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero (Hero) is SB with Q♥ Q♣
2 players fold, bbd10912 (CO) raises to $0.05, 7ea12e4c (BU) calls $0.05, Hero (SB) calls $0.04, 37fbbb39 (BB) 3-bets to $0.30, 1 fold, 7ea12e4c (BU) calls $0.25, Hero (SB) 4-bets to $3.43 (all-in), 2 players fold

Total pot: $0.95 (Rake: $0.07)
Hero (SB) wins $0.88

Original raiser was playing VPIP/PFR of 4/3 so I decided to mix it up a bit and call. I almost never call in the SB but thought I'd get a wee bit creative. With 3 players in the pot already the BB decides to 3bet in the typical squeeze play. His stats showed a high 3bet%. When I see the original raiser fold I know I'm crushing the BTN who has now called twice, and I'm likely crushing the BB when I look at his stats. Decide to get it all-in, not minding if I get a call. Was hoping one of them would think I was just at it and call with TT or 99 etc.

What do you think? Is my logic ok? It's not how I'd usually play this hand. I'm not sure I won as much as I might have, had we got to the flop but I thought it was an interesting play for me to try.


Another hand that came up:

GGPoker, Hold'em No Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Replay this hand on Upswing Poker

7e4fc795 (UTG): $1.65 (83 bb)
Hero (MP): $2.34 (117 bb)
17b48747 (CO): $3.75 (188 bb)
14102b6c (BU): $4.52 (226 bb)
d0d10bf1 (SB): $6.29 (315 bb)
1fb584b9 (BB): $2.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero (Hero) is MP with K♣ K♥
7e4fc795 (UTG) raises to $0.04, Hero (MP) 3-bets to $0.14, 4 players fold, 7e4fc795 (UTG) calls $0.10

Flop: ($0.31) 8♠ K♦ Q♠ (2 players)
7e4fc795 (UTG) checks, Hero (MP) bets $0.16, 7e4fc795 (UTG) calls $0.16

Turn: ($0.63) 4♠ (2 players)
7e4fc795 (UTG) checks, Hero (MP) checks

River: ($0.63) T♣ (2 players)
7e4fc795 (UTG) bets $1.35 (all-in), Hero (MP) folds

Total pot: $0.63 (Rake: $0.06)
7e4fc795 (UTG) wins $0.57

I ran this in GTO wizard and it said I should have bet the turn 80% of the time and should have called the all in. The guy was playing 32/22 stats. I reckon that Axs is in his calling range for the 3bet. As is AJo. Have I played this terribly? It felt like it would have been a hero call, but having run it in GTO wizard I'm not so sure now.

Thoughts?

Hand 1: Just squeeze preflop, the HUD is likely a sample size issue but even if it wasn't you're still ahead of a 4% range with QQ and he's probably not folding most of that range like 99/AQ etc. QQ is a bad hand to play at a high SPR and multiway especially OOP. As played, 4bet all in is good.

Hand 2: a smaller cbet size is I think more standard on that flop, 50% isn't bad but your exact hand is one that doesn't want to bet. Probably not an EV loss though. Folding is not terrible in practice at 2NL since the bluffs probably are not that easy to find or appealing to use, it's possible you're ahead of some worse sets though so I wouldn't fold

Thanks. Appreciate the reply.

Hand 1: could have backfired on me and like you say would have been a less than ideal situation to go to flop multiway.

Hand 2: Can you elaborate on that? Why is my hand not one that wants to bet? Is it due to the drawl nature of board texture in this case? Or is it in general, about slow playing top set? Or something else? Also, in this hand - once called, do you think I should have barrelled the turn?

Sorry I made a typo, meant to say KK doesn't want to bet big on flop, since it blocks calls to a larger size heavily. It should definitely bet.

I think barreling turn is the best, but check back is ok too

Hand 1 is a squeeze all day. Unless your sample size is enormous then true stats are probably a lot different, albeit he's clearly a tight player. You never want to play this hand multiway OOP and it's the Thurs strongest starting hand in poker. Just squeeze.

H2 top set means that opponent is less likely to have top pair so you are always likely to make less money than you would with middle/bottom set. For that reason (amongst others) you generally want to bet smaller on this flop (you can sometimes check back top set although this board is too dangerous). Against someone with an 83BB stack a half pot bet is probably fine.

I would mostly bet the turn.

As played river is close, yeah he could have a flush or a straight but does this player ever make this play with a rivered two pair, or does he play worse sets as a check-call on the flop, does he call your flop bet with TT, and would he ever bluff like this (not that there are that many bluffs). Folding is probably fine but it's not trivial