PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.01/$0.02 - 6 players
Hand delivered by Upswing Poker

UTG: $2.21 (111 bb)
MP: $1.96 (98 bb)
CO: $1.59 (80 bb)
BU (Hero): $2.22 (111 bb)
SB: $2.01 (101 bb)
BB: $2.00 (100 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BTN with 9♦ A♦
1 fold, MP raises to $0.07, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.07, SB calls $0.06, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.23) T♣ 4♥ A♣ (3 players)
SB checks, MP bets $0.22, Hero calls $0.22, SB folds

Turn: ($0.67) 5♥ (2 players)
MP bets $0.65, BU (Hero) folds

This villain seemed tight, I did not know for-sure because I have no HUD and had not been at the table long with him but I usually see when players are active or not, I believe this player was folding a ton pre-flop and playing small percentage of hands, his picture was also a rock, not that it means anything for certain.

I did give villain a decently strong range, against a tight opponent is it best to just fold the turn? what are we up against here, AA,TT,AT, and AJ+? I guess we fold then? feels like a tight fold but maybe its necessary..?....

Easy answer: fold pre.

We aim for a 3bet only range on the BU at the micros, and vs MP A9s usually doesn't even make it into that too often, let alone with V's somewhat telling 3.5x raise size which should reduce that range even more.

I dont think we can fold pre because of the implied odds? If we hit a flush or something we can potentially get villains whole stack, if he had a hand like KK,QQ,JJ,TT we can still be ahead on flop and he may not keep barreling. I dont think I’m ever folding to 3.5 bb here on the BTN.

fold pre

rake, reverse implied odds

your turn fold should make you want to muck this hand pre

how do we justify folding our hand pre-flop?

3b or fold pre

AP not sure, I think it's close ott.

Also, why don't you get a HUD?

call pre is fine if blinds are not overly aggressive with 3bets, but dont do this vs 3.5x raise, it's usually tighter range, i wouldnt 3bet this hand vs 3.5x open ever

What quantifiable data do you have that would justify calling 3.5x open pre from MP whose range is crushing you? Meaning do you know for a fact that this call is +EV over a large sample?

implied odds bud, we have a hand that if it hits big we can win big. you need 20:1 for implied odds, we certainly have that.

Just saying "implied odds" does not justify such a call. If blinds are very fishy and MP is also a weak player, we could consider calling pre otherwise just fold and maybe sometimes 3bet.

For implied odds you need to account for the times you hit your flush or a flush draw. You should also account how much more money you will have to invest to draw and if you will be able to make V fold made hands if you only have a draw. And I don't see many V happy to get it in on monotone Flops with a single pocket pair which is only a small part of their range. You will see many bf or xf when you do hit a Flush on the F

Also account for paired boards where a nut flush might not actually be the nuts and you lose your stack (reverse implied odds)

For me it does not seem like implied odds will be enough to call here pre.

As played V pots the F 3way and then pots the T. This is quite polarized, making a T call close (V might not pot twice w AJ-AK)

yea i used to think we can't fold any suited Ax pre when I started playing as well...

Reverse implied odds, not to mention the huge rake, will eat you alive before you stack someone who you described as tight. Also, you're not closing the action and we definitely can't call a squeeze profitably. I can maybe understand calling this hand from the BB. Like others have said, this is simply a fold or 3b unless there is a rec or huge whale in the blinds.

Gl to you regardless.

Preflop whatever (one of the better suited aces), I actually reckon the flop might be the place to fold, in the middle on a board that is very check-raisable, Vs a multiway pot sized bet, with no backdoor.

A9 from the button should call a MP RFI around half the time. 3 betting doesn't really get enough better hands to fold to make it a worthwhile hand to 3bet bluff with. I think assuming MP is close to balanced they should have enough bluffs on flop for BTN to continue. The 5 OTT should be inconsequential as sure it completes a str8 but mp should never have 23 and if the have 55 so be it. I just think SB should have to many draws in their range to fold.

I played this hand yesterday, OP, and thought of you. I could have easily folded pre and saved myself the pain of punting a buy-in to a rec (who was the reason I was in the hand in the first place).


Hero (BTN): 120 BB
SB: 206.5 BB
BB: 107.5 BB
UTG: 84 BB
MP: 118.5 BB
CO: 174.3 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has 9 A

fold, MP raises to 2 BB, CO calls 2 BB, Hero calls 2 BB, SB raises to 11 BB, fold, MP calls 9 BB, CO calls 9 BB, Hero calls 9 BB

Flop: (45 BB, 4 players) J 2 5
SB checks, MP checks, CO checks, Hero checks

Turn: (45 BB, 4 players) 4
SB bets 45 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 109 BB and is all-in, SB calls 64 BB

River: (263 BB, 2 players) 5

Hero shows 9 A (One Pair, Fives)
(Pre 33%, Flop 22%, Turn 31%)
SB shows A T (One Pair, Fives)
(Pre 67%, Flop 78%, Turn 69%)
SB wins 249.9 BB

Why did you do that on the turn? Lol, I have no idea how you would think of my hand here as they are very different, your in a 3-bet pot punting your stack as a bluff on the turn….