Catching the river fish or block betting $2-3 NL

I’m probably folding pre.

We should usually have V1 beat as they can call flop/turn with all sorts of trash, but V2 being tagged as conservative probably isn’t going to bluff into 2 players, and KQ, K10(s), and 108s (maybe also Q8s) would be a big part of their range that called pre and on flop/turn. We don’t beat value and this profile isn’t bluffing enough to make bluff catching profitable.

Agree with your comments. I should've mentioned the table was temporarily 7 handed, but the raise is still a bit loose.

Too soon for results. Always wait at least 24 hours, and longer on weekends, as lot of people don't see weekend threads until Monday.

Your bets were very small throughout, indicating hesitancy. Given the loose and wild table dynamic, and the fact this looks like an orphan pot, I don't put too much into the read that V seems conservative. Even conservative players will take a 1/2 pot stab at an orphan pot in position. You only need to be good 25% of the time for this to be a call.

All that said, I hate your bet sizing at a wild table. I'd rather check all streets than make those tiny bets, especially the turn.

File this hand under "U" for "unnecessary".

PRE - I don't hate the open with JTo, but if the CO is loose and tilted, we can expect him to call, which will probably bring at least one, if not more players along, so we'll be playing post-flop multi-way, and either OOP or in middle position, with a speculative hand. It's fine to fold in that scenario, rather than raise.

FLOP - Unlikely anyone has a big piece of this board. I'd either check to induce someone to stab, or c-bet large. A small c-bet really does nothing but bloat the pot for one of our opponents to take it away on a later street.

TURN - The Qs brings in the BDFD, and possibly gives someone 2P, but we're now open ended to go with our downgraded 1P. If we're going to bet, I'd be sizing way up here, to rep a strong hand that doesn't need to see any more cards. Again, a small bet doesn't accomplish anything here.

RIVER - It's a brick. It's hard to get value from worse hands, so I'd check-evaluate. V2's 1/2 pot sizing could easily be a bluff with a missed draw, or 2P just looking to go thin for value.

I think it's very unlikely he has a straight, or just a Q, or better Jx. A straight would probably raise turn or bet larger, on the river, a Q or J would probably just check back. He could have some hands like 9Xss combos that get here this way, and will feel compelled to bluff.

I don't think it makes sense to turn our hand into a bluff by raising, so I'd either sigh-fold or flick in the call. We're getting 3:1, so we only need him to be bluffing 25% of the time.

I think we're probably pretty indifferent here. Flip a coin. Can't be terrible to call or fold.

I would not be building bloated multiway pots OOP with crappy hands. Trivial fold for me preflop, unless table is limping like ~100% of pots where I'd be ~ok with an open limp.

Think I'm ok with the small flop cbet to see what happens. Our hand might be best and does need protection although we don't want to play a massive pot either.

Lotta hands kinda got there on the turn and we don't want to be blown off our draw, so I'd check/evaluate. Not really sure what a super small bet is accomplishing (attempting to give us good odds to see the river?).

Think the river is just a check/fold as so few bluff the river in the first place, let alone multiway. He could easily be cautiously playing a decent hand on the turn.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Don't hate trying to buy the button with JTo. Though I do not like trying to do it with a loose, tilting V inbetween. What if they 3! you? Probably folding pf.

X-ing flop, even with TP, and seeing what happens. Mainly posting to chime in that I like the 1/4 turn bet, if you were intending it as a block bet to set the price for your draw.

You whiffed, one of these Vs can likely beat 2nd pair... Originally wrote I'd fold, but there are a few draws that whiffed (87 mainly, but other variations on the theme), and we do only need to be right 1/4 of the time. We're going to hate life if V1 rips it over our call though.

Guessing V2 had QT?

I would be very surprised if V1 rips it in after hero checks river, V1 checks behind, then V2 bets 1/2 pot, and hero calls.

Hero raised pre, then bet flop and turn, before checking the river. It looks hero is either giving up or trapping, by checking to induce. If V1 wanted to stab at it as a bluff, or bet for value, he could do that when hero checks. There's no reason for V1 to think V2 is going to bet, based on the action to this point.

In order for V1 to check-jam, he'd have to think V2 will bet. But with V2 being described as conservative, and never showing any aggressive action here, it should seem unlikely that V2 is suddenly going to stab at it with worse than 2P, rather than check back with his showdown value.

Not saying V2 can never be bluffing here. I think he can be, when he bets 1/2 pot. But if V1 is loose and tilting, I'd think he'd be more likely to just bet out when hero checks, less likely to go for a check, expecting V2 to bet, so he can put in a check-raise.

So I tank folded.

V1 called with 89os.

V2 was bluffing missed draw with AsTs

Thanks for comments.

Butchered this hand with my small betsizes. Didn't realise how small they were until i wrote this post.

As played, I feel i should have called V2 when the river blanked.

One of the best tips I've picked up recently is river bet sizing tells, especially when the turn checks through or the pot is otherwise small for whatever reason. Low stakes players have a really hard time being balanced with their sizing, and will tend to bet bigger (over 2/3 pot) with thick value, smaller (around 1/2 pot) when bluffing or betting thin for value.

If we just over-fold to big river bets, and over-call facing smaller bets, we'll be adding a ton to our win rate.

True. I was putting too much credence into the loose and tilting read. Thinking about it, I can't imagine why V1 would think H is betting here. H looks like they're on a draw, and the draws cratered.

Just running bad lately I guess, with a bit of, "This looks like a decent thin value bet opportunity...1/2 pot." Internal beratement ensues...
God Bless Texas, lol.

On the river i considered making a blocking bet of say $60-70, folding to a raise.

I think this might have been better than checking.