Top 2 when draws hit on turn against fish who donks small - raise or call?
For some context, I had a couple of recent hands against UTG (seems reggy so far) that made me decide to flat here. I had just 3bet him a few times and he had played back in the previous hand. In hindsight I suppose that would make it reasonable to 3bet/jam but that didn't cross my mind - maybe that should have been the play preflop, given the dynamic?
As played, my question is what to do on the turn. I feel I still have a ton of value against Ax, T9, QJ type of hands so I wanted to raise, but at the same time I hate to see a jam when I have a hand as strong as mine, and I think this is made even more likely given his stack size. I am not completely paranoid about the flushes & straights coming in, but they become much more relevant when I raise and villain decides to continue. My questions are:
- Should it be a raise in this particular hand?
- Should it be a raise if villain had a full stack?
PokerStars - $0.10 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
BTN: 84.8 BB
SB: 60.9 BB
BB: 160.8 BB
UTG: 110 BB
Hero (MP): 100 BB
CO: 100 BB
SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♠ Q♥
UTG raises to 2.5 BB, Hero calls 2.5 BB, fold, fold, SB calls 2 BB, BB calls 1.5 BB
Flop: (10 BB, 4 players) 9♣ A♣ 8♥
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets 6 BB, SB calls 6 BB, fold, fold
Turn: (22 BB, 2 players) Q♣
SB bets 4 BB, ???
3 Replies
Preflop, employing a 3-bet or fold strategy seems like a reasonable approach.
This strategy tends to be more profitable than cold calling.
However, it's also worth considering incorporating cold calls with specific hands that might not be part of your 3-betting range, especially when facing weaker opponents in the blinds.
For instance, pocket pairs and suited aces can be suitable candidates for cold calls in such situations.
When facing a donk bet on a potentially dangerous turn, it's often wise to proceed cautiously.
Calling can be a prudent choice if you're not prepared to play a large pot.
This allows you to assess the situation on the river and potentially take the opportunity to bet if your opponent checks on a blank river card.
I would just call. Donks on the turn could be all kinds of things. Some of you beat. Some of you don't. At best usually 2 pair where I play.
Small donks are often an attempt to get go showdown cheaply imo , would put their range on medium strength hands or draws.
Would call here and probably call a river bet to unless the river is 4th club.
I wouldn't opt to re-raise cus we would let them fold their hands that we beat. Giving them the opportunity to bluff the river or bet for thin value with a Ax
