Villian (CO), was a 88/28/.6 - yea... .6 aggression. but his highest point of aggression was on the river (scored an 8 after 120 hands), he was really horrible...I thought the river was quite interesting and want to know what you all think optimal play is.
I ran 29/13/1.75 during this session of around 120-130 hands.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ Hero (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FCP)

Hero ($443.90)
UTG ($205.40)
MP ($842.50)
CO ($788.20)
Button ($632.90)
SB ($712.10)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 6 , 8 . SB posts a blind of $2.
UTG raises to $10, 1 fold, CO calls $10, 2 folds, Hero calls $6.

Flop: ($32) 7 , 5 , J (3 players)
Hero bets $15, UTG folds, CO calls $15.

Turn: ($62) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks.

River: ($62) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $45, CO raises to $150, Hero ....

- Jordan

wow i woulda said called if you hadnt shown that .6 aggression, totally read dependent, would he slow play a set on the flop? it might seem like ur beat here, shouldve raised the turn when u hit ur straight

ummm, just cant see a set being played this badly. I call..hoping to see just trips.

You guys notice he is playing 90% of his hands basically, right?

I really think turn play is the most important part of the hand in deciding best point of action on the river.

- Jordan

if he's that passive postflop, i'm curious as to why you checked the turn? doesn't seem like he would bet so you could get in a c/r. if he's on a heart draw, he'll likely just take the free card as well. so if you bet, he likely calls, and when the river doesn't complete the flush, you would probably normally bet since his aggression factor is so low that a busted draw bluff isn't as likely and he could be in there with a J. but with the board pairing, assuming you led the turn, check-call would seem to be the line - it saves you money if he's slowplaying a set, and induces a busted draw bluff however occasional that may be.

as played, i still call the river - you said he's awful, plus since you checked the turn, it would be very strange for him to think you're strong enough here on the river to call such a huge raise.

he wasn't a complete idiot. i think his agg factor was so low because he played almost all of his hands. he usually overbet flops with weakish hands, and or played semi-accordingly to his hand. as for checking behind on me...on the turn, i didn't think he'd do this with a draw. he'd most likely bet, probably an overbet, or a big bet to try and push me off.

when he checked, of course it's possible he took a free card, but he would call flops with no pair, no draw a lot of the time, bottom pair, middle pair...but seemed to have a decent idea of when to raise with hands.

THUS, for me, this hand was screaming trips and not a hand like two pair that turned into a boat. I think if he had that hand, he def. bets the turn to protect from the flush draw...i'm also pretty sure he raises the flop with a lot of the two pair combos.

as for having a set, i really really thought this threw on the river and just couldn't see him checking in position with a set on this kinda board.

I'd usually call at this level, sometimes even muck, but I decided that he most likely just had trips and I pushed back (cause he wasn't good enough to fold trips here) all in.

maybe that play takes more of a read than I think..

point is, I think a lot of money can be left behind on these types of situations when we get 'scared' to quickly of a hand that has us beat. I really think if you can sometimes pull yourself out of the "moment" in a hand and really try to address the player and his style and techniques you can still push these edges when they show themselves.

what's gross, is the very next hand I flopped a straight, board paired on the turn and I got him to commit all his chips with trips, river he made bottom boat which was obv good vs my straight. pretty sick.

- Jordan

hey jordan, thanks for the thought process - pretty instructive to let us know what was going through your head.



maybe - i was more or less confused by the agg factor. i saw ".6" and thought that if he was raising this large on the river it was either a total bluff or boat because those stats led me to believe that he could play super passive with a set/2 pair. but you cleared that up.

sorry about the beat you took later. that sucks.

I don't really like the flop. I think if you're going to lead into the field, you should make a 2/3 pot bet or so to try to take it down. Under half the pot just kind of turns the draw light on for people. Against a loose passive player, I'd probably go ahead and bet the turn too. It seems like your best chance to get paid there is just to bet your hand.

On the river, I definitely agree with the push though. I can't imagine two pair or a set checking the turn, and the raise looks like either a bluff or a bottom pair that caught trips. I'd say trips, sevens and fives, and missed flush draw are the most likely hands in that order. Also, there's no way in hell a player this loose is getting away from trips, so you're definitely getting paid if that's what he has.

I really like the push but I think that keep in mind sometimes you are going to look like a moron pushing into the nuts.

NH

but I still think you should bet the turn, just to build a bigger pot for the river bet. but Meh.

Problem with betting the turn, in my mind, is I have the ability to push him off his hand cause he knows I'm not an idiot. He showed me more respect at the table than others, so if I bet 3/4 the pot, I think he goes away with most hands. He might call with middle pair, def. with top pair (although he'd probably raise the flop then), and will call with a lot of draws (however he'd usually bet these too when checked too).

I think I could have bet, say $20-$25 and he stuck around, but anything more than that and I think he gets away from most hands.

I do agree, I usually do lead here to simply build the pot, but this guy was a special opponent. haha

- Jordan

If villan has a set, he is not going anywhere on the turn with this board. I call this river. Your ahead of too many hands and set yourself up for this on the turn.

I personally likke the flop because you froze a bunch of people into giving you a price. Agg. factor throws off the turn action a little bit, but I would most certainly check this turn against an aggressive player.

I'd be pretty close to pushing the river too, but I suck at the river.