NL2 set on a coordinated board
GG Poker - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
BB: 100 BB
UTG: 100 BB (VPIP: 17.65, PFR: 5.88, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 17)
Hero (MP): 170.5 BB
CO: 131.5 BB (VPIP: 25.53, PFR: 23.40, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 48)
BTN: 10 BB (VPIP: 21.43, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
SB: 56 BB (VPIP: 84.62, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q♣ Q♦
UTG raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 9 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, UTG calls 6 BB
Flop: (19.5 BB, 2 players) J♠ A♣ Q♥
UTG checks, Hero bets 15 BB, UTG raises to 45 BB, Hero calls 30 BB
Turn: (109.5 BB, 2 players) K♣
UTG checks, Hero bets 82.5 BB, fold
Hero wins 103.5 BB
How should I have played this? I give some of my thoughts but I'm very new to the game (only 10,000 hands played) so please correct any wrong assumptions I make.
- 1. pre-flop: I'm pretty confident I played correctly.
- 2. the flop: should I have bet more on the flop to better protect my set on a coordinated board? should I just fold to a raise on that board? seems improbable that villain would call a 3bet with KT and they would probably 4b aces pre-flop, so I feel like I have to call. my pot odds are 27%.
- 3. the turn: again I don't think villain has KT or aces which which makes me think jacks and maybe I should have bet less on the turn to incentivize them to call? Maybe I should check instead because It's a very scary board but I think it signals weakness and gives villain an opportunity to bluff shove so I like being aggressive more. Then again this is NL2 is villain really bluffing turn like that?? What else could villain possibly be holding here?
edit: also villain thought for like more than half a minute before folding turn
2 Replies
Your sizing is saying that you have AQ+ and no bluff. So its fine if you assume that vilain will missplay something like AT/AK/AJ/QJ, which is probably a fair assumption at 2nl. When he raises, he should only have a straight, but as you said its unlikely he has that or that he knows thats what he should have. I think easy call beating JJ. Turn I think we would be better off betting smaller to squeeze in 2 pairs, but shove might be also good.
Flop sizing is fine in my opinion. You could go bigger, but as long as you're not going smaller then I reckon it's good!
On triple broadway early position, the check-raise is them telegraphing very clearly that "I have something". I can't think of any bluffs that they'd have.
Having said this, what "something" does Villain have? As the other commenter says, it ought to be straight-heavy, but at these stakes, I would imagine that two-pair and sets ({JJ} only; you rightly point out that {AA} is 4-betting pre, and obviously {QQ} is impossible!) weasel their way in.
If it's straights they're only doing this with, your hand is a bluff catcher, and I don't think they have any bluffs ({K9}? Get outta town!!!). So fold.
But if they're doing it with other hands like above, you now have a value beater. Happy days!
So the call is fine if we can reason that our hand is a value beater and not bluff catcher (which I think we can).
On the turn I think we can size down.
Reasons for this also same as the other commenter - I think smaller sizing allows us to get more value from the 2p and worse sets.
I wouldn't say that checking back is weak. It's certainly passive, but they were the last to aggress (we called their check-raise) and in theory they have the betting lead.
Straights are betting 100%, so while their xR on the flop was them saying they have something, their check is them finishing the sentence, "but it ain't a straight!"
If we check back, it's possible that they just spew on the river. Hindsight's 20:20, but I actually wonder if a check on turn and then bet river (assuming they also check river) is more likely to work getting it all in than the small bet on turn and shove river line?
Not something you would have been able to decide in game, even with a 30+ second tank, of course.
