1/3 - Common Spots on flop after raising PF: Am I'm playing too weak?

I think hand 1 and 2 are fine. Hand 3 I would probably bet the flop, maybe $35 or so.

You're not playing too weak. We're not entitled to win multiway pots super often just because we are the preflop aggressor when we just have overcards or an underpair. Throwing money into the pot isn't going to help.

Great. Thank you

Depending on reads in H2 I would be very tempted to call the $65 ... it's not a great spot though, and rando. bad players can easily have KT/K9/T9 here but after checking twice they can also easily have JT/J9 and decide it's good.

H3 ... the UTG straddle is $6? So when it gets to you there is $22 in the pot?
If you raise here it should probably be more than $25, I'd probably go $45 (somewhat depends on stack sizes reads etc). You can also just limp along sometimes if you are under the assumption that everyone is planning on limp/calling anyway.
I would mostly bet flop too, 25%-33% is fine (which is $25-$35 as played).
If MP1 didn't call turn I'd probably call.

H1 and H2 are fine, imo.

H3 I'd overlimp preflop but that's my style / whatever, and I'd also play postflop the same.

Multiway against loose passive calling stations, I think our best method is to make a hand and then attempt to get paid off (and very rarely attempt to get anyone to fold a better hand). A lot of these types of opponents will also rarely bluff postflop (nor aggressively play weaker hands multiway), so we can passively check/fold mediocre second best hands all night long quite safely.

GcluelessLLSNLnoobG

I also agree these are fine. AK is great for dominating when you make a pair, but mostly it's going to whiff. Even when it does there are ways to win but these are going to be more relevant heads up. H2 is a treacherous board and so folding out of an abundance of caution is fine even if it seems a bit tight. And H3 4-way with nothing you are not going to be ahead so don't get frustrated and speculative, just get out and keep your powder (and cash) dry. Heads up or even 3 way there could well be arguments for betting or calling some or all of these hands.

We should be c-betting less often in multi-way pots. When we c-bet, our range should be heavily weighted towards thick value and balanced by our highest-equity draws.

Only as an aside - there's no law that says you have to bet in exact increments of the bb in low stakes games. If you want to raise to 7bb, just round down to $20 or up to $25. Forcing the dealer to make change for everyone before putting out the flop slows down the game, and makes it harder for everyone to calculate pot size, which slows it down even more.

When in doubt - go bigger, especially in loose/splashy games and when we're OOP.

H1 - Checking from the SB is fine. With two overs and a disconnected-middling rainbow board, I want to peel one off by calling the flop, and see what happens on the turn.

H2 - Raise bigger pre. Checking this K-high, connected flop is fine. If I have any reads on UTG1, and if I think he's aggro enough to be out of line sometimes, I might check-raise. Maybe not here, given his sizing, but I'm definitely not folding to a single bet.

Our QQ double-blocks QJ for a straight, and we can have all the sets, straights, and 2P on this flop as the PFR. V probably won't ever have a very big hand after limp-flatting your PFR. He's pretty capped at a weak top pair or 2P at best.

Even without a good enough read to x/r flop, I'm not folding QQ just yet. I want to see a turn, and see what V does. I might donk-lead on a board-pairing card, any A, Q, 8, or BD flush card.

H3 - Raise bigger pre. As the PFR, we can c-bet paired boards for a smaller size at a high frequency. As played, I'm not folding any strong ace on a double-paired board when V bets $20 into $100.

The common theme in all these hands is that you're checking the flop, rather than c-betting, and then folding decent-strength hands to a single bet, often a smallish bet. Checking the flop rather than c-betting in a lot of these situations is fine, but when you check, you're going to induce some bets from weaker hands.

Especially in a game where all your opponents are limp-calling, and you raise pre, they're going to be stabbing at a lot of pots when you check to them on the flop. You can't raise pre with a strong hand, then just give up post-flop when you miss, and any opponent shows any aggression.

I think I subconsciously know what you wrote and I bolded - which is what led me to post these hands.

I know I can't just give up all the time. But I still struggle with when[/b] to cbet or check/call, and when not to.

Is it board texture? Is it the make-up of our opponents? Is it all of the above?

Because the real answer is obviously "it depends" - this is one of those areas where I just consistently struggle, don't have an approach or "system" on how to handle, and largely just wait for better spots.

Personally for me this how I see it. If I’m wrong I’m sure folks will say so. In these spots I typically default more towards a c-bet. There usually needs to be some reason why I don’t. If the hand is multi way usually I will check. If I see someone react to the board like reaching for chips. I’ll check. If I get called then usually I will slow down unless I have a big draw with it. There’s never an always do this answer but this is how I usually handle these situations.

Also I should add that if there’s a calling station in the hand then it’s also usually a check. Don’t bluff calling stations. Just bet your made hands for value

This is helpful. I think I instinctually gravitate to these but helpful to see it written out. Thx

Some rules of thumb I like to use in 1/3:

- Preflop: If you a betting a hand that doesn't do well against multiple ranges (QQ for example) you want to pick a raise size that will only draw 1-2 callers. Less opponents post-flop will simplify your betting strat. If $22 gets 5-6 callers routinely, consider going larger. I sometimes find myself in low stakes games where I have to make it $35 min to get isolation, and sometimes I can't bet more than $15 to get a caller. All about your own table dynamics.

- Postflop: In general, in hands that have 4 or more players post-flop, your true bluff frequency should be nearly 0. You should be playing very conservatively and exploiting the fact that your opponents will not be continuing properly. Some nut draw hands or combo draw hands do incentivize you to pot build for later streets. Personally, two overs (and therefore drawing to 1-pair hands) isn't thick enough value to bluff in these spots. You often create a spot where you hit your card but are f'd, total nightmare spots.

- Postflop: I personally do not like 1/2 sizing. I much prefer a 1/3 and 2/3 sizing approach or a 1/4 and 3/4 sizing approach. On shitty flops, you may be surprised how many folds you get with 1/4 pot size. Smells like you are begging for a call, and technically you only need folds 1/5 times to break even with the strat. It also helps you get value from 3rd pairs and A highs. 2/3 or 3/4 sizing allows you project more strength on bluffs and more effectively pot build when you have TPTK or better.

- Consider your strat on Board Changing Cards: Sometimes we focus too much on marginal showdown value. Versus tight opponents, they are unlikely to continue to the turn or river with a call unless they have top pair, second pair w a good kicker, or are drawing to the nuts. On board changing turns or rivers (front door flush, board pairs, open ended gets there, etc.) against passive opponents we should consider continue betting with large sizing. It is not likely our A highs or 2nd pairs will be good enough to win at showdown.

Hope this helps,

+1

Everything was played fine. We're not trying to bluff people off hands multiway at low stakes where it's dominated by calling station.