$2/$5 No Limit A7 sOOted (1 Viewer)

[Payback]

Played about 30 hours of $2/5 NL hold'em $1k max at the Borgata this weekend. Overall, it was probably the most boring 30 hours of poker I played in my life, but this one hand stood out that is worth looking at.

Table: This took place around 3am and was easily the softest $2/5 table I had all weekend. Very few 3-bets are being made besides myself and one other player as most seem content to call and see flops. Standard open has been $15-20 (I've been at $20) and will go mutliway.

UTG ($1,800) is the ideal $2/5 opponent. Limps with almost anything, and then will call large raises out of position with basically any two cards. He has been playing face up. The table is currently full, but prior to that we got down to 4 handed and this opponent and his neighbor I beat up on pretty badly. The bet flops when they hit a pair. Otherwise it was check/call or check/fold. He is probably 5 drinks deep at this point, but I haven't seen him vary anything yet.

MP2-CO: Stacks range from $300-$1,500. Player on my direct left is drunk and has just folded every hand thus far. Two players are super tight, another is away from the table, and the HJ folded to 90% of my previous raises and flatted/folded most flops.

Button ($1,600) is relatively new to the table. He got moved over here from a broken table with around $1,400. Won a hand without showdown to pick up some more chips. He seems to be playing a bit tighter. I haven't seen him 3-bet or raise a bet at this point.

I cover the table

Preflop: UTG limps and it folds around to Hero in MP with

 

[JustinInMN]

Limp, no fold equity in raising based on UTG description, and this is a good multi way hand.

 

[kmccormick100]

Open to $25 ($20 + $5 for the limp). Fold to a 3bet from the UTG unless it's small. Next street, haha.

 

[detroitdad]

I'm in the bet category. If the one and fives look good together. I'm throwing 27 into the pot because it would be pretty.

 

[v1pe]

Open to $25 ($20 + $5 for the limp). Fold to a 3bet from the UTG unless it's small. Next street, haha.

Agreed. Against this UTG player I'm looking to raise IP and cbet at a very high frequency.

 

[Payback]

I'm in the bet category. If the one and fives look good together. I'm throwing 27 into the pot because it would be pretty.

There might be $20 ones on the table total. If I threw any $1 into a pot it would be extremely odd.

 

[detroitdad]

There might be $20 ones on the table total. If I threw any $1 into a pot it would be extremely odd.

In that case I would go 28

 

[Rhodeman77]

I'm in the bet category. If the one and fives look good together. I'm throwing 27 into the pot because it would be pretty.

Most $2/5 games won’t let you bet $1 chip unless you have multiples of 5.

I would normally limp here with a hand that can play well multi-way if we flop a flush draw and get a way cheap from when we miss an A or diamonds.

But with UTG being so bad I want to isolate him s much as possible. I’d raise to $30 to make it a little less likely to get a calling train behind me.

 

[DrStrange]

Are the ones even in play? I can't see the advantage in slowing down the game by forcing the dealer to make change.

A7s is a speculative hand that benefits from a high SPR and a multiway pot. Not sure what the purpose of a raise is: "punish the limpers"? "raising with the best hand"? "Turning the hand into a bluff"? "Isolate vs the drunk(s)"?

I think a limp is fine. Let's see a flop and proceed. Isolating vs UTG seems dubious unless Hero thinks he is going to be value betting ace rag post flop. Perhaps UTG is so transparent that Hero can prosper by isolating with ace-rag and using position to figure out the hand.

 

[DoubleEagle]

calling train

New terminology I’m going to steal!

 

[JustinInMN]

They should just play with snappers

 

[Payback]

Perhaps UTG is so transparent that Hero can prosper by isolating with ace-rag and using position to figure out the hand.

This is exactly how he is! I think isolating here is going to be profitable, especially since I didn't think most of the table had caught on to how face up UTG has been playing.

Regarding the $1s they were counting for all in purposes so I'm assuming anyone could bet with them at any point, but why slow the game down?

Preflop: UTG limps and it folds around to Hero in MP with who makes it $25 to go, folds to Button who calls, all fold to UTG who calls.

Flop ($82):

UTG checks, action on Hero.

 

[kmccormick100]

You’ve got that board dominated and a good chance that it hit his limp calling range, I’d probably bet $45 to hopefully keep UTG’s entire range in, I don’t really care if the button calls or not, you also have a nut advantage in that you have a lot more AK in your range than he does. I’m also not folding to any reasonably sized raise.

Edit: I missed the button call.

 

[Rhodeman77]

With nut flush draw and a gut shot and range advantage from being the preflop raiser I’m betting. Make it $60 to go.

 

[Perthmike]

You’ve got the nut flush draw and a gutshot, so plenty of equity.

Since he calls wide with anything I’d go ahead and size up to $60, and would be planning on barreling on the turn.

 

[JustinInMN]

I think a c-bet here makes sense, and hero is strong enough to call a raise. Especially if utg is so transparent he is checking all misses. Then hero only has to worry about the button.

The problem with the button is this flop probably hits him pretty good (aq, aj, at, TT, kq) unless he has an underpair. You might be setting up to get raised by some of his hits. Your straight draw may only be good for a chop.

So the bet isn't a slam dunk, but I think exploiting UTG checking makes me want to bet here and I know I am pretty comfortable calling a raise.

 

[Trihonda]

9 outs to the A hi-flush
3 outs to broadway
3 outs to an A (might be good))

I like it... continue for $55

 

[Payback]

Still nothing interesting IMO at this point so let's continue with the flop action.


Preflop: UTG limps and it folds around to Hero in MP with who makes it $25 to go, folds to Button who calls, all fold to UTG who calls.

Flop ($82):

UTG checks, action on Hero who bets $55, Button thinks for a minute and raises to $110, UTG calls pretty quick, action back to Hero.

 

[JustinInMN]

Still nothing interesting IMO at this point so let's continue with the flop action.


Preflop: UTG limps and it folds around to Hero in MP with who makes it $25 to go, folds to Button who calls, all fold to UTG who calls.

Flop ($82):

UTG checks, action on Hero who bets $55, Button thinks for a minute and raises to $110, UTG calls pretty quick, action back to Hero.

This is interesting. Button raise isn't entirely unexpected. UTG quick call screams "I have a king."


I really doubt either opponent has a straight or a set other than maybe TT. It's hard for button to have much aside from a good queen here imo. Hero is way too deep to shove, could try and 3 bet semi-bluff to 500 or so. That would set up about a pot-sized shove on the turn.

Otherwise just call and see if you spike a diamond or a king.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I feel like both villains have ranges that remove a lot of your outs and have better current hands (pair plus draw or more). I want to build a pot with this draw, but I'm also concerned about not having a ton of fold equity.

Call (and hope to freeroll for stacks when a black king hits the turn ).

 

[Rhodeman77]

Getting too good of a price for your draw to risk raising and getting blown off your equity by a 4 bet. Call and evaluate the turn.

 

[FDLmold]

Call here. That will be $400 in pot and everybody's SPR less than 4. Pot turn, pot river can potentially get everybody all in.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Flat call. Nice draw and all, but we're not looking to get stacks in the middle just yet. Reopening the action would be a big mistake.

 

[Perthmike]

I’d also be flatting here.

 

[v1pe]

Yeah flat, agreed with the above reasoning.

 

[FDLmold]

I hope we hit the 10d and things get interesting!

 

[Trihonda]

I flat... guessing you also flat... since I guessed your cbet correctly...

 

[DrStrange]

Hero is getting too good a price to fold. So the question is call or raise - - -

If the stacks were shorter, I think a shove would be fine. But the stacks are enormously deep. After calling, the pot would be something like $410 and effective stacks are $1,465 and $1,665. Hero doesn't have the best hand. He doesn't have 50+% equity either.

Fold equity? Well maybe, Hero does have fold equity - enough to make a jam profitable. I think it would be a bumpy ride to jam. More so because we are targeting UTG who's weakness is he calls too much with one-pair type hands. Just the sort of hand that has 50%+ equity vs hero one-on-one.

Oh, we can't forget button who has a high enough opinion of his hand to min-raise Hero. Maybe button is testing the water? Or angling for a free card play? Or he holds the dummy end of the straight? Or he holds a set or Broadway and snaps off hero's nuts. . . .

I could respect Hero's courage if he jams, but I think it is a mistake. Let's take the cheap card and draw. The implied odds are sweet!

For the record, I would not like to see the

 

[sir bluffs alot]

Pessimist in me is scared to death of .

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Or he holds a set or Broadway and snaps off hero's nuts. . .

We don't want THAT to happen!