PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FCP)

BB ($21.10)
UTG ($7.56)
Hero ($17.12)
Button ($7.74)
SB ($1.35)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 9 , 9 .
1 fold, Hero raises to $0.2, Button raises to $0.6, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.40.

Flop: ($1.27) 6 , 5 , 4 (2 players)

Hero???

Villian is running 18/10 over 65 hands

I don't think a donkbet is a good line to take because more often then not you'll get raised by ATC. I like a checkraise here, I think. If he bets then 3bets on the flop, a fold is fine. A checkraise gets us value from missed broadway cards and also gives us more information on what the villain holds.

His stats suggest that he's quite tight and not even that aggressive, so for him to 3 bet you here, you're probably looking at TT+ and MAYBE AJ+ here.

I would probably be playing this mostly for set value preflop. Just because we have an overpair doesn't mean we want money in the pot.

Right, after he 3 bets me I took the flop mostly for set value. We are both really deep and I have awesome implied odds. I figured if he had a pair it was a pair higher than 99.

I was putting him on like AQ+, TT+ so I was in the right neighbourhood for his range. Since we are OOP, what is the best line against that range? I actually went for a check raise to fold out AQ/AK with the intention of folding to a 4-bet/shove. Is that line standard or is there a better way to play it?

Check raising here shouldn't be your standard line against someone who has as tight a range as you assume he does, i think check raising here is actually pretty bad. Well, not pretty bad but I don't think it's generally the optimal line or the standard one.

There's no need to donkbet this flop unless you use donkbetting as part of your overall strategy or have a lot of history with the villain, checking is standard here.

If he bets I'd probably just call and evaluate the turn, considering check/folding if he bet again on a lot of turn cards/bet sizes.

I think check raising here is a better line simply because it's not out of the ordinary for someone to fire two bullets with missed cards.

check raising, you are putting more money in the pot and only going to be called or raised by a better hand, and what if the villain decides to go nuts with 88 thinking maybe you are check raising with a6 or a7, a3, then we are still forced to fold the best hand. I think calling to re-evaluate the turn is absolutely the best play in this scenario. We can be certain he most likely doesn't have a set considering his stats so either he will continue betting the turn or slow down if he really did have two overs. I think you lose more money if you check raise the flop.

I don't checkraise for the reasons already mentioned. You will only be getting called by better hands, all unimproved overs will fold.

If villain bets like $1 or something on the flop and you c/r to $3 or so, this is only slightly cheaper than calling a $1 bet on the flop and calling a ~2/3 pot bet on the turn and we get value from double barrel bluffs here.


I probably call flop and reevaluate turn with the most likely turn action being c/f.

The c/r line looks like spew. We would do that for one of two reasons;

1. value: we assume villain will call us with a worse hand, which this guy probably won't.

2. bluff - I don't see this as a profitable spot to bluff when villain's 3-betting so rarely. Overpairs constitute a huge portion of his range.

I fold to a flop bet, having decided beforehand to play for set value (ok, or quads) heads-up. If I knew a bit more about his game (does he fire two barrels, does he take stabs at pots on the river, will he overplay AK, etc) then I would call and re-evaluate. Otherwise we're folding to a 2nd shell too often. Practically every card in the deck is frightening. So I just stick with the gameplan, having invested a little bit of cash to win a bunch more, rather than get caught on the turn or river with no clue where I stand, all the while being out of position, hopeless to control the pot size.

My line here is check/call the flop and re-evaluate after the turn... it sucks being OOP but most AX hands will c-bet this flop and we can most likely get to the river with the best hand here for one bet...

I think i play it wrong, but i do it like this:
i check/call the flop and reevaluate the turn
if the turn brings a A,K or Q i immediatly check/fold
if it doesn't, i bet out for 2 reasons:
-if he was bluffing, he has to lay it down now
-if he wasn't bluffing, he would raise you here
i'd like this play, cause it's the same amount you put in with the checkraise, only this time you can see the turn
and if the turn comes A,K or Q, you saved money
if the turn comes 9 it's: ching-ching $$
So, do I play this bad?

^^^^^^^^^
I do this a lot.
I think it's a little weak, but it depends on the villain.

FWIW, I think your comments are spot on. If we knew that he was a frequent C-bettor and AQ/AK were in his 3-bet range would a check-raise become the best line?

Since poker's a game of imperfect information, I'd hesitate to label either line "best." If I knew villain could fire two barrels then I would lean toward a check-raise. This way we take down a healthy sized pot a decent percent of the time. Furthermore we remove one of villain's weapons, and don't allow ourselves to be pushed off the hand in later streets.

But I need to remember that I'm bluffing. I'm done if he calls on the flop. I tried a bluff and failed to move him off his hand - I doubt he'll muck the turn to continued pressure (and, really, I'm not looking to run a deep multibarrel bluff against someone I hardly know). Some weird villains seem to fold, though, usually when I have monsters. Total tangent: the other day I flopped a set of 7s on a JcTc7s in a raised pot (I was the aggressor). Villain donked the pot, and I raised 4x his bet. He called and checked a 7 turn. I bet 1/2 of the pot and he folded. WTF could he POSSIBLY have in that spot? Guess he read me right for quads.

Anyway, if villain's your typical HUDBOT, who'll c/bet 70% of flops and check behind on turns that he's missed, I'd just call and re-evaluate. I actually like Bert's line against a relatively straightforward player; aggressive players, though, dislike donkbets and view them with weakness. And, again, you're bluffing in that spot. Some opponents, I guess, will call you with overcards, but there's not much value in such a bet.

The optimal line is really an illusion - your actions depend, ultimately, on the player. What matters most of all is that you're considering every available option and its advantages/disadvantages. Cultivating your thought process is far more valuable than finding the perfect line for this particular situation.

Hands like this help to highlight the fine line between value betting and bluffing. Many players would check/raise the flop because they have an overpair, and as such they wouldn't consider themselves to be overplaying their hand. After all, given the board texture, their hand's quite strong. They wouldn't even consider that they're BLUFFING, even though, if they receive further action, it's by better hands. How could you bluff, after all, with an overpair? Don't you need absolutely nothing to do that? No, all you need is the guarantee that only better hands can call, and at that point you've transformed your hand into a bluff. Now, of course, if villain himself will felt overcards here, it's not really a bluff, but that's an extreme case with a totally asinine or insane player. AsKs against 99 would be a legitimate match-up, for you'd be gambling with a lot of equity already in, but if you're good enough to read villain for exactly that hand then you should open a hotline.

Check/folding the flop is at worst a small mistake. Check/calling and evaluating the turn is probably okay. Check/raising is spewy.

Dumping small overpairs aganst a tightish 3-bettor OOP is rarely a bad idea.

Also, while I don't prefer them, donkbets are more likely to work "correctly" at these stakes...whether you're donking the flop or the turn. Not many villains are going to be savvy enough to raise you with ATC in this spot.

you should just know that your oppent has KK and donk/shovel here

Wait. Who was the villain again?!

I do agree with the check call and the re-evalute the turn FWIW.

If I know the villain has KK I should just check-fold the flop.

NH Sir.