1/3 KTs in SB: Resteal Gets Messy
V1 Button (~$325): 55ish guy who is the biggest personality in the room- a bit of a local legend. This is my first time actually playing with him, and he seems to be playing pretty straightforward TAG poker. There is one other player who he seems to be gunning for a bit, but he is not involved in this hand. This is the third time it has folded to him OTB- he has opened all 3 for $15.
H SB ($560) 40ish guy dressed business casual. Probably has a tight/nitty image. I've been pretty card dead and haven't been very active. Recently won a fairly large pot against V1 after he folded the river.
V2 BB (~$175): 30ish hoodie guy who just sat down a couple of orbits ago. Bought in for $200 and has been quiet. I did notice he has the "Platinum" player card, but no additional reads. Seems tight.
OTTH:
folds to V1 on the button who opens to $15
H 3-bets to $45 w/ KcTc in the SB
V2 calls $45 in the BB
Three ways to the flop:
Qh Th 5s ($128)
Hero?
10 Replies
Checks. Not sure what betting would accomplish.
I’m ok light 3-betting a button open from the SB but I would do so with a more polarized range. I would also go bigger from the SB.
Some people advocate a 3! or fold strategy from the SB, but I think this hand is ok to flat. Suited Broadway can play decent post flop against button’s opening range even OOP.
I'm fine with the 3bet given read. Not thrilled with the BB coming along. If BB were deeper, I might throw out a bet and see what happens, but since he's so short, just check. You can have a delayed c-bet on safe turns if it checks around. If someone bets, evaluate.
I think a small bet works best here. BB *can’t* really float light (or even with his AK/AJ hands) with a short stack and the Button still to act behind him, and Button should have a ton of garbage (76ss, 44, etc) in his range that will fold for any amount.
No one is folding a Queen. But I think it’s reasonably likely you have the best hand, but it’s vulnerable enough (and the pot is big enough) that we need to bet to deny equity. So I don’t see what a big bet accomplishes that a small one doesn’t.
I go a little bigger pre like 55 and bet/fold 1/3rd pot now.
I'd go bigger pf and seems like a pretty clear flop check w/ our specific hand as your hand doesn't need much protection and people will play pretty face up in this set up 3 handed.
Go a touch larger preflop. Given button is opening 100% (so far!) for 5x I don't think we need to go the full 4x but I'd still make it 50 or 55.
Although button may well have a lot of hands which you'd benefit to charge with a very small bet, BB can have loads of JJ/AQ type hands and on balance I just want to keep the pot as small as possible. I'm starting with a check and going very cautiously from there. I don't hate a bet of 20% or so to charge Ax, JT, heart draw type hands.
PRE - Playing 3B or fold from the SB is fine, generally. I'd usually go a little larger, at least 3.5x, if not 4x. I don't like the 3B here, with these stack depths, against these two V's, and with our specific hand.
KTs plays okay post-flop, even OOP and / or multi-way, so we could put it into a range we flat-call the BTN open with.
I don't like 3B'ing with the 30-ish hoodie guy with the short stack and "I'm a reg" platinum card on our left. The combination of his appearance, his reg status, and his short stack buy-in makes me leery that he's just looking for the right spot to jam, and our 3B might be just what he's been waiting for.
FLOP - Check. BB only has a pot-sized bet behind. He could be planning to jam over our c-bet, or over a BTN stab, especially if BTN stabs and we flat-call.
If BB bets and BTN calls, unless the bet size is super-small, fold.
BTN only has about 2x pot behind. If it checks to him and he bets, I probably fold, unless he bets ridiculously small. Fold if BB x/r's over our call.
If the flop checks through, we can make a smallish delayed c-bet on the turn.
This is a fine hand to 3-bet a button open with. I would go larger, 4x to 60.
The big blind's flat-calling our 3-bet is super-duper bad news. Their flatting range should be the empty set, but this is LOLive poker. In any event, a 3-bet-flatting range is super strong, and might not even be capped.
I would check the flop and consider folding if BB bet, but consider calling if BTN bets.
I would 3bet to 60 pre, 4x OOP is a standard starting size and I'm most likely gonna cbet there to around 50 but if someone calls I would c/f unimproved. AA/KK is still in our range (esp if they don't know us) and they're probably calling with any PP or even AK. C/f'ing the flop is also fine since the tight BB called pre, but with the desc of the button he's probably betting his whole range if we check anyway.
I would also flat pre sometimes, then we can donk out for pot otf and usually take it down since he shouldn't be continuing too often.
Pre is awkward at this stack depth. I would probably go 60. I would always 3bet this hand, especially if there is rake, especially vs a button open, especially vs 5x.
Flop nothing to do but check multiway really. Our hand isn't that strong.
