2/5 NL Play KQ With Me On The Button! (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Martino]

Hero is playing 2/5 NL with a 1K max at Hard Rock Tampa. Despite several table changes, Hero hasn't gotten much traction this session and is presently only sitting on $600. Assume all Villians in this hand cover Hero. We are playing 7-handed after a recent player busted out.

Hero has been playing very tight for the past hour, observing opponents and trying to get involved with the weakest when opportunity presents itself, while avoiding the good regs. Hero hasn't really gotten involved in any hands of significance over the past hour.

In this hand there is a $10 straddle from UTG, who has been playing loose. A loose/passive player in EP calls $10, a loose-bad but running-great player in EP also calls (this villain had called preflop with previously, flopped a flush draw and chased all the way to the river without odds to make it against another player)

Hero is Button with . The SB is an older man who is loose and has been coming into pots for $15 raises preflop. The BB is an elderly man who has been playing relatively tight. Hero ?

 

[duecesneverloses]

Standard open size for me is 3x +1 for each limper. Id make it 55 to go.

 

[DrStrange]

Agree. Raise to $55 +/- is a pot sized raise.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Hero raises to $40

SB Folds
BB calls
UTG folds
Both EP players fold (loose/bad EP player mentions to me he'd normally call but he hasn't seen me play a hand in "2 hours")


Pot ($112)
Flop

BB elderly man checks, Hero?

 

[duecesneverloses]

Bet or check both have merit. I like mixing in some of my nut flush draws on the flop into my checkback range.The way I construct my range this would be a check. Also if we bet we can get pushed off our nfd equity.If you decide to bet I would choose around 2/3 pot so somewhere around $75.

 

[Kain8]

You're not giving much up by checking back the flop. May get action on a spade turn if BB has the or . I'd be sick to get raised off the draw. Check and see what shakes out.

 

[duecesneverloses]

You're not giving much up by checking back the flop. May get action on a spade turn if BB has the or . I'd be sick to get raised off the draw. Check and see what shakes out.

I agree but we need to find some bluffs. Given we have roughly 14 Value bets on this flop that are 2 pair plus we need 28 bluffs to keep theoretically balanced. Its best to bluff with at least a spade in your hand on monotone boards. I just think it will be hard to find enough bluffs and may need to bet the nfd on the flop.

OP what is your Bu Iso range in this spot?

 

[Anthony Martino]

Hero raises to $40

SB Folds
BB calls
UTG folds
Both EP players fold (loose/bad EP player mentions to me he'd normally call but he hasn't seen me play a hand in "2 hours")


Pot ($112)
Flop

BB elderly man checks, Hero bets $50, BB calls

Pot ($212)
Turn

BB bets $100, Hero?

 

[duecesneverloses]

We need to defend 67ish% of our range against this sizing. If our flop bet range is any spade higher than a 9, Ax, Sets, made flushes I think we probably have to call and we have the implied odds if the river is a spade we have the nuts unless its a straight flush card.

 

[Anthony Martino]

Hero raises to $40

SB Folds
BB calls
UTG folds
Both EP players fold (loose/bad EP player mentions to me he'd normally call but he hasn't seen me play a hand in "2 hours")


Pot ($112)
Flop

BB elderly man checks, Hero bets $50, BB calls

Pot ($212)
Turn

BB bets $100, Hero folds, figuring villain is way tighter than he actually is (especially considering heros tightness)

Villain slams on the table for a complete bluff and the table erupts in laughter. Villain will proceed to drop about 3 grand throughout the rest of the night to everyone but hero

 

[bergs]

No way in hell I'm folding there. His play to the turn doesn't indicate AK at all, and the K can't really help his hand. His leading On the turn is telling a story that the K helps his hand when we have one in our hand with the top non-A kicker. Plus we have a nut flush draw.

Raise >> call >>>>>>>>>>>> light myself on fire and drink Drano >>>>> fold.

I'd make it $275 to go and happily ship if raises.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

Old guy's line makes no sense at all. I'd at the very least call the turn bet, if not raise like Bergs suggested. I also would have made a 2/3 pot bet on the flop instead of 40%, and would have probably made it $50 pre.

 

[bergs]

I don't love the raise pre normally with KQo (even with position) but I think the flop bet is fine.

 

[Anthony Martino]

I just thought this guy was a lot tighter than he was, and figured only a non pairing spade was good for my hand going to the river

 

[jbutler]

I just thought this guy was a lot tighter than he was, and figured only a non pairing spade was good for my hand going to the river

If you have him on a set and believe he's extremely tight you should have substantial fold equity if you ship the turn.

 

[Anthony Martino]

If you have him on a set and believe he's extremely tight you should have substantial fold equity if you ship the turn.

A valid point. At the time I just felt like I needed a spade to win and figured if I hit it he wouldn't pay me off.

 

[jbutler]

A valid point. At the time I just felt like I needed a spade to win and figured if I hit it he wouldn't pay me off.

I tend to agree with the latter which only reinforces that a ship is the best move on the turn imo.

 

[courage]

Define "older" and "elderly?"

 

[BGinGA]

lol, damn whippersnappers.....

 

[bergs]

Define "older" and "elderly?"

I'm older. You're elderly.

P.S. You're not really elderly.

P.P.S. Only because there was no category for "ancient"

 

[Adam Crowley]

I agree but we need to find some bluffs. Given we have roughly 14 Value bets on this flop that are 2 pair plus we need 28 bluffs to keep theoretically balanced

Can you explain how you came to 28 bluffs to remain balanced? I would have said you would be bluffing way to often if that's the case, but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

As for the hand. I think betting is ok but I would lean towards checking the flop. It's hard to get value from worse and you hate being raised in this spot. I would elect to bet if the table was stationy but gives up under pressure. You can credibly rep the nut flush even if you don't get there so you want to get more money in on the flop if they are likely to fold on later streets.

On the turn I would call this bet. The only value hand that makes sense is a smaller flush draw and even then I would expect a raise on the flop a bunch of the time. Sets would probably check raise flop or turn, and I think if he is leading turn with sets he would probably choose to lead flop instead.

I like calling because it keeps his bluffs in when you are ahead (most of the time) and your still getting a great price to draw to the nuts if your behind (not that often).

I would plan on calling any river that is a decent size.

 

[duecesneverloses]

Can you explain how you came to 28 bluffs to remain balanced? I would have said you would be bluffing way to often if that's the case, but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

As for the hand. I think betting is ok but I would lean towards checking the flop. It's hard to get value from worse and you hate being raised in this spot. I would elect to bet if the table was stationy but gives up under pressure. You can credibly rep the nut flush even if you don't get there so you want to get more money in on the flop if they are likely to fold on later streets.

On the turn I would call this bet. The only value hand that makes sense is a smaller flush draw and even then I would expect a raise on the flop a bunch of the time. Sets would probably check raise flop or turn, and I think if he is leading turn with sets he would probably choose to lead flop instead.

I like calling because it keeps his bluffs in when you are ahead (most of the time) and your still getting a great price to draw to the nuts if your behind (not that often).

I would plan on calling any river that is a decent size.

Ehh Im going to butcher this explanation. But the tldr is If we maintain a balanced bluff to value ratio than we make our opponent indifferent to calling because of the pot odds we offer them and our range construction. So as long as we correctly construct our range we can make it 0EV for a villain to call. Matt Janda's book application of NLHE talks about this. He does way more justice to this concept than I could. Street by street you should try and attempt to have bluff to value of 2:1 1:1 1:2.

 

[Adam Crowley]

Ehh Im going to butcher this explanation. But the tldr is If we maintain a balanced bluff to value ratio than we make our opponent indifferent to calling because of the pot odds we offer them and our range construction. So as long as we correctly construct our range we can make it 0EV for a villain to call. Matt Janda's book application of NLHE talks about this. He does way more justice to this concept than I could. Street by street you should try and attempt to have bluff to value of 2:1 1:1 1:2.

Ok good to know. it makes a lot more sense if you are restricting it to the flop only at this ratio. I was thinking in general when you bet (any street) you would have to have 2:1 ratio.