2/5: Mid-late position against erratic whale, top pair
2/5, weeknight, 7-handed.
There is a $10 straddle from a middle-aged, Asian geezer who is shortstacked ($300).
There is a call from the middle position from a young, white Asian guy who has lost 4 buyins by overvaluing hands.
Hero ($950) raises to $45 with A2ss in HJ.
Villain (early 20's Middle Eastern male, 80/10, $500) calls on button. Everyone else folds.
Villain is an erratic player, limp calls almost everything, plays erratically postflop, bluffs quite a lot but not always, but often plays weirdly, such as shoving with second pair or similar showdown hands.
Flop: A83r
Hero bets $35, Villain calls
Turn: 8 (still rainbow)
Hero bets $100, Villain calls
River: 7
Hero checks, Villain bets $150
What do you do? Is there a better line before this street?
8 Replies
I think I would probably check call the turn and then bet river if turn checked through?
turn bet and then his call (I would think) compresses his range a ton and there isn't much that we beat other than maybe 45 or a super sticky pp? Unless he sees you as a maniac?
turn bet also feels quite big given this? I know it's not big for the size of the pot but in absolute terms it's less likely to get crying calls from hands we beat than 45-60?
river feels like a fold unless he's spazzing
What’s the purpose of the turn bet? We are way ahead way behind.
We generally only have a 2 street max hand, and so I think checking flop is OK, bet is fine too.
No idea why we're betting turn so big - is he calling this with like 99????
River feels a fold, though its close since we are chopping some of the time here.
If we think he's calling with 99, and won't bulff raise, then we might want a block bet much smaller, though our big turn bet has put us in a bind.
This became more difficult when you ended up OOP. With a weak made hand I would check the flop - maybe a check-raise being considered. On the turn, checking again
With a bet bet check line, you also made it difficult. You encouraged V to bluff and now it feels like a fold. Villain called your big turn bet, but we really don’t know what that means. If he’s got an ace, it’s certainly better than yours.
Facing a tricky player, it’s usually best to pot control OOP. The check/raise is always a threat/possibility so make V act, rather than react.
2/5, weeknight, 7-handed.
There is a $10 straddle
There is a call
Hero ($950) raises to $45 with A2ss in HJ.
Villain (early 20's Middle Eastern male, 80/10, $500) calls on button. Everyone else folds.
Pot: ~$115
Flop: A83r
Hero bets $35, Villain calls
Pot: ~$185
Turn: A83 8r
Hero bets $100, Villain calls
Pot: ~385
River: A83 8 7
Hero checks, Villain bets $150
I think preflop and turn are bad. Flop isn't great either, but it's a small enough size I could live with it.
Not folding river unless I know V is folding a lot of stuff on the flop for that size.
I fold pre. I'm not overlimping in this position and I don't want to raise into a shortstack or probably tilted player with this hand.
If you thought you were ahead enough to value-bet twice, why did you fold when you basically handed the crazy guy an opportunity to do something crazy?
