PAHWM: $2/$5 Pocket K's. (1 Viewer)

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Setting: Must move 2/5 Game, full table.

Background: Villan just sat down at the table less than an orbit ago. Generally unknown to me other than he knows I like to gamble it up.

Hand History:
Thus far he has raised 3 hands already during the first orbit. Once he CB flop and took the pot down HU, one I 3bet him and he folded and the other he called a flop bet/folded turn.

Stacks:
Villan: $750
Hero: Covers

Hero Hand: :kc::kd:

Preflop Action: Villian is UTG and opens for $15, one caller to me in the CO.
 
True 75$ is a better bet, betting pot didn't see the other caller in
 
Reraise anywhere in the $75–100 range seems good. You may be able to squeeze him for a little more than pot because you've already been aggressive with him very recently.
 
Moving on.... Preflop isn't super interesting standard raises in this game have been 3x +1x for every caller. This bet was sized down.

Setting: Must move 2/5 Game, full table.

Background: Villan just sat down at the table less than an orbit ago. Generally unknown to me other than he knows I like to gamble it up.

Hand History:
Thus far he has raised 3 hands already during the first orbit. Once he CB flop and took the pot down HU, one I 3bet him and he folded and the other he called a flop bet/folded turn.

Stacks:
Villan: $750
Hero: Covers

Hero Hand: :kc::kd:

Preflop Action: Villian is UTG and opens for $15, one caller to Hero in the CO, Hero makes it $55 to go, Villian calls, caller folds. HU to the flop.

Flop ($132)::8s::5d::9h:
Villian check, Hero XXX
 
In this type of situation, I'm generally betting 3/4-pot half the time, betting 1/3-pot a quarter of the time, and checking a quarter of the time.

Here, I check, since it's a pretty dry rainbow board and he's likely folding to a c-bet. Give him a chance to take a stab at it on the turn.
 
I’m betting around $75. There are a lot hands that connect with an 89 flop that can continue. Let alone the fact that he raised UTG and called your preflop raise. No reason to assume he is going to give up to one bet now.
 
Again not super interesting, bet seems pretty standard here. Now getting into the fun parts.

Setting: Must move 2/5 Game, full table.

Background: Villan just sat down at the table less than an orbit ago. Generally unknown to me other than he knows I like to gamble it up.

Hand History:
Thus far he has raised 3 hands already during the first orbit. Once he CB flop and took the pot down HU, one I 3bet him and he folded and the other he called a flop bet/folded turn.

Stacks:
Villan: $750
Hero: Covers

Hero Hand: :kc::kd:

Preflop Action: Villian is UTG and opens for $15, one caller to Hero in the CO, Hero makes it $55 to go, Villian calls, caller folds. HU to the flop.

Flop ($132)::8s::5d::9h:
Villian check, Hero bets $80, Villian makes it $250 to go, Hero XXX
 
I'm probably not giving up yet. I make the call and see what develops on the turn.

Oh and planning on checking all turn cards.
 
Agree with colter, but sucks that he flopped a straight with sooted 67.

Villain is just about pot committed.
 
Big decision time. I don't think it's wise to just call here and see what happens. What happens after a call is that the pot is bigger than your stack, which is more than 1/3 of the way in the pot. Villain will have two more streets to shove, and most villains probably will, so we shouldn't donate this $170 unless it's part of a plan to deal with the impending $455 bet.

All we really have to work with is a PFR/call from UTG and a check-raise on this semi-threatening flop. This line could represent a lot of hands because he's come out of the gate LAGgy, so it's not a simple range. He could have almost anything—an overpair, a set, two pair, the made straight, an open-ended straight draw, a pair and a straight draw, and probably a couple oddball hands that are hard to account for.

There are basically three routes you can take here:

1. Fold, if you really think his range overall has you beaten.
2. Shove, if you think he specifically has an open-ender. This is really the only draw you'd need to deny odds to. All other draws are very weak.
3. Call with the intention of calling all the way. This would be the best play if you think he'll shove for the remaining $455 after this check-raise, which seems like the play he's setting up.

I don't think #1 is the right play, simply because it's too possible for him to have so many unpredictable hole cards. There are a lot of ways he could have hit that flop. Some of them are super-strong, but many more of them are not. It's gonna sting when you find yourself paying him off, but that's one of the tough parts of playing against LAGs.

It's worth noting that an observant player probably would choose to slowplay a made straight here, given how nearly dead you'd be with an overpair or two big cards. Even a set may be a good candidate to slowplay. Why risk blasting you off the pot when he could let you hang yourself? You probably look pretty aggressive to him too.

I don't think #2 is a good play either. He could have an open-ender, but it's basically T7 or TJ, which is only a small slice of his range (and why not just call with one of those hands, against such a small flop bet?). Against the rest of his possible draws and weaker made hands, you want to take option #3. If you shove, you guarantee that he gets paid off on all his super-strong hands but give him a chance to get away with his weaker hands.

So that leaves #3: call now, and plan to call the probable shove on the turn. If he checks the turn, shove yourself.
 
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If I have Kings, I'm calling down and begrudgingly shipping my chips. If he got lucky, he got lucky.
 
Really depends how loose his UTG raising range is pre flop. Does he continue to a 3b UTG vs CO with many hands that are bluffs on this flop? The only bluff I would put him on here is JTss (still a loose call UTG to a 3bet) and his value hands I would say are 88 99, unless you really think he would raise this flop with a lower overpair which greatly changes your decision making process. I don’t like labeling him as a LAG yet since you’ve only played less than an orbit with him. You need better than 45% equity to call this raise.

It’s also helpful to know how much more he has behind him. If it’s a negligible amount I lean towards a call against a general population read. If you have him covered but just barely I could find a fold here. Might be nitty but if he’s an unknown you have to make the more general read on him. Even if he has the OESD he has good equity against you. This board just sucks for your range.

FWIW i like a 1/3 psb after 3betting
 
I'm probably 3-betting a little larger pre. I think around $75 sounds about right. Don't want the caller to make it 3-way (priced in) in case UTG flats you.

On the flop, I don't mind the smaller bet. Once Villain raises you, I do not think you can fold KKs there. You're way, way too high on your Cbet range and you'd be folding too much if you fold KKs. So yeah, definitely calling with KK here.

My plan would be to call his shove on most turn, maybe even all turns. If Villain checks the turn, I'm checking behind and inducing a river shove.
 
He raised preflop and called Hero's reraise.
Check then raised big. Two lines of thought. He either flopped a set or has an over pair and wants you to think he is on a draw and trying to buy it right now. Or he has an over pair. I think his line of betting limits his over pairs a bit based on Hero's betting. Hero has told him he has a strong hand and after that flop I would not put Hero on AK but a big pair based on Hero's betting. So if I am Villain then I am only making this check/raise with a set or straight or AA/KK. Maybe QQ but for sure not JJ or 10 10. Or a semi bluff.

Not knowing enough about Villain I am folding.
 
Interesting that it seems about 70/30 at this point call/fold. This would be boring if there was a fold so onto the turn with about 2/3 pot size bet left. Turn is about the nut low as far as cards go, but villain checks...

Setting: Must move 2/5 Game, full table.

Background: Villan just sat down at the table less than an orbit ago. Generally unknown to me other than he knows I like to gamble it up.

Hand History:
Thus far he has raised 3 hands already during the first orbit. Once he CB flop and took the pot down HU, one I 3bet him and he folded and the other he called a flop bet/folded turn.

Stacks:
Villan: $750
Hero: Covers

Hero Hand: :kc::kd:

Preflop Action: Villian is UTG and opens for $15, one caller to Hero in the CO, Hero makes it $55 to go, Villian calls, caller folds. HU to the flop.

Flop ($132)::8s::5d::9h:
Villian check, Hero bets $80, Villian makes it $250 to go, Hero calls.

Turn ($632)::ad:
Villian checks, Hero XXX
 
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Yeah, checking back was the plan there, and that ace only reinforces the reason for it. We want to add plenty of bluffs (and perhaps light value bets) to Villain's range so we're not only getting action when beaten.

Not really happy with that turn card, but calling on the flop was essentially crossing the commitment threshold. His range shouldn't be so ace-heavy that this card changes that. The rest is just a matter of how the money gets in the middle.

Of course, if Villain also checks the river, it's an easy check down.
 
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Check is correct there. Pre-turn action is looking to me more and more like villain flopped a set of 8s, but turn check says not.
 
Again, pretty easy decision. Free card holding KK here with an A on board sounds good. Onto the river

Setting: Must move 2/5 Game, full table.

Background: Villan just sat down at the table less than an orbit ago. Generally unknown to me other than he knows I like to gamble it up.

Hand History:
Thus far he has raised 3 hands already during the first orbit. Once he CB flop and took the pot down HU, one I 3bet him and he folded and the other he called a flop bet/folded turn.

Stacks:
Villan: $750
Hero: Covers

Hero Hand: :kc::kd:

Preflop Action: Villian is UTG and opens for $15, one caller to Hero in the CO, Hero makes it $55 to go, Villian calls, caller folds. HU to the flop.

Flop ($132)::8s::5d::9h:
Villian check, Hero bets $80, Villian makes it $250 to go, Hero calls.

Turn ($632)::ad:
Villian checks, Hero checks

River ($632)::5c:
Villian shoves for $445, Hero XXX
 
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That's a pretty great card. Sometimes he'll turn up with a 5, but that seems less likely than many other cases. Otherwise, if you were ahead on the flop, you'll very often still be ahead on the river. All the straight draws whiffed, most flopped top pairs didn't meaningfully improve, and none of the likely in-the-middle pocket pairs improved. Importantly, a lot of these hands have a motive to bluff.

Not a call I love making, of course. A check would be better. But we took this line with the intention of setting up a probably loose-aggressive player (that you've been tangling with since he sat down an orbit ago) to shove lighter than usual.

As a rule of thumb, if you think he has 30% or more bluffs in his range with this bet, it's a call. I think that's the case, and I thought it would be the case as of the flop check-raise.

TLDR: Call.
 
Raise-call PF.

Check-raise flop.

Check turn (could have been another intended check-raise, but you didn't play along).

Shove river. And I have second pair? Could be just a dick measuring contest, but too much beats me. As I sit here on the couch, fold. At the table? I probably call.
 

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