25NL playing a set OOP vs an aggro smallballer

[Supwithbates]

This is a very interesting villain to my left. Stats are 54/14/4, but he's not at all a calling station... he likes to limp, but seems positionally aware, folding again and again to my button raises after limping; he minbets the flop 75% of the time or more in a limped pot, trying to steal. He gives up if you raise, or even call usually.

Generally I 3bet this flop, but against this villain I chose to feign weakness for obvious reasons. Turned boat actually wasn't that great a card for me, as it wasn't a drawy board and it gave me one fewer hand I was beating, but I didn't feel this was significant enough not to felt.

Basically, this line met several conditions that made me choose this line:
1) Villain generally respected my raises preflop, and I had a great deal of fold equity. Even if he called, he generally folded to continuation bets in raised pots if he missed.
2) Villain was raising a wide range so calling for set value alone was not going to work, since many of the hands he's raising are not going to go to the felt. This meant I needed to reraise or fold preflop.
3) Villain likes to smallball. He is capable of floating if the pot is still relatively small, and will probably bet most holdings if I check turn. His minraise is uncommon, but given his aversion for big pots I'm not ready to take it as a guarantee he's willing to felt his hand.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (4 handed) Hand History Converter Tool (http://poker-tools.flopturnriver.com/Hand-Converter.php) from FlopTurnRiver.com (http://www.flopturnriver.com) (Format: 2+2 Forums)

UTG ($46.70)
Button ($21.30)
Hero ($37.20)
BB ($50.60)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to $0.5</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $1.5</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Button calls $1.

Flop: ($3.25) 4/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/club.gif, J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to $4</font>, Hero calls $2.

Turn: ($11.25) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Button bets $3.5</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $20</font>

The main problem I find here is that his turn bet is quite small, not enough to really make it worth the check/raise if he's folding to it because I get more value from leading vs. a lot of his hands.

Thoughts?

[calmB4storm]

Looks good to me. Like you said, I think I'd almost always 3-bet this flop, but if you trust your read then this line works too.

[BigBadBabar]

if we're pretty sure he's going to fold, which we don't want, isn't a raise to 8 or something on the turn better?

[Supwithbates]

[ QUOTE ]
if we're pretty sure he's going to fold, which we don't want, isn't a raise to 8 or something on the turn better?

[/ QUOTE ]
he'll fold turn if he has nothing regardless
if he's folding to a check/raise he's folding to about any check/raise, he wasn't an idiot

plus, the way it worked out was that I reraised, led flop, and hesitated for about ten seconds before calling on the flop, looking weak. On the turn, I checked, and when he bet so weak, a shove looks more like a bluff-steal that a legitimate raise, which screams valuetown. My shove line probably gets looked up by any overpair, maybe even AJ.

Had he made a bigger turn bet, I would've still been fine since a bigger turn bet would've committed him to calling with just about anything he was betting for value

[bozzer]

is this a brag?

[Supwithbates]

[ QUOTE ]
is this a brag?

[/ QUOTE ]
did I include results?

90% of the hands posted on this forum are focused on handreading, either standard, "flopped set BET OR C/R", or they are "should I go broke with TPTK/overpair/etc. here?"

Handreading isn't my problem, what I struggle more with is figuring out the best line to take against specific opponents in order to exploit their weaknesses. Since players here aren't at the table to observe, I do what I can to post my reads, and then include my thought process.

I'm sorry if this came across as a brag, I wasn't intending for it to, especially since I don't mention whether villain calls or folds to the check/raise, nor whether I won at showdown. I didn't have the nuts, you know.

[Archon_Wing]

The truth is, no matter what you do, you really can't get very much from him unless for some reason he's playing a 4. Which could happen. You can slowplay this hand because it is highly unlikely that you'll be outdrawn, but there's really nothing for him to draw to either. So this is fine, get your monies in by the turn because he will not pay you off on the river.

[fees]

you have a couple lines, you can min 3 bet the flop, which will induce one of two things:
1. call, a more cautious opponent
2. a big reraise

[crushednuts]

I don't like a min 3 bet. It just tells him we love our hand and doesn't really do anything else. I would either call or make a bigger flop raise. In this case, I would call as it looks like he is trying to take it away from a c-bet. I think the turn C/R is good.

[Check_The_Nuts]

betting out 5-6 on the turn doesn't look strong and pot commits him to a river shove. He's going to have a hard time folding that river whenever he gets there, regardless of whatever card comes.

I wouldn't have taken your line, I think check raising looks pretty strong.

[centja1]

does he like to raise post-flop bets a lot? if not, then i think leading the turn is correct since he has to have something here. I'm betting $7 if i bet.

If he does make many post-flop raises, then you probably took the correct line in that you're going to get at least some money out of him with the turn check.

You've probably made about as much money as possible here seeing as how villain's description indicates he doesn't want to play big pots ever. just take what you can get here and continue making money off of his limp/fold pre-flop pattern.

[thac]

[ QUOTE ]
betting out 5-6 on the turn doesn't look strong and pot commits him to a river shove. He's going to have a hard time folding that river whenever he gets there, regardless of whatever card comes.

I wouldn't have taken your line, I think check raising looks pretty strong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Checkraising sucks pretty much anywhere. Even if he IS aggro, he can still check behind here and we lose a lot of value from a J. I lead about half pot at the turn.

[Supwithbates]

im surprised no one has commented on me reraising 66 preflop... I had a fairly long conversation on AIM with EMcWilliams about this hand, and he hated my preflop reraise... does anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[Supwithbates]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
betting out 5-6 on the turn doesn't look strong and pot commits him to a river shove. He's going to have a hard time folding that river whenever he gets there, regardless of whatever card comes.

I wouldn't have taken your line, I think check raising looks pretty strong.

[/ QUOTE ]

Checkraising sucks pretty much anywhere. Even if he IS aggro, he can still check behind here and we lose a lot of value from a J. I lead about half pot at the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

Checkraising looks strong, but bet/calling flop then leading strong on the turn doesn't? The only kind of bet I think I would like vs. this opponent is a small, scared looking bet for like 4-5$, but even then against this guy I doubt I'm getting paid off by much. This guy liked to make you fold the best hand more than he liked to try to stack people when he had the best hand.

[thac]

[ QUOTE ]
im surprised no one has commented on me reraising 66 preflop... I had a fairly long conversation on AIM with EMcWilliams about this hand, and he hated my preflop reraise... does anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I like it, and it'd be the same way I play it if you would've made it 2. [censored] button minraises.

To your post beneath this - Leading here doesn't look as strong as check-raising. Leading looks like you're protecting a weak J, checkraising blows him out of the water.

[Supwithbates]

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[ QUOTE ]
im surprised no one has commented on me reraising 66 preflop... I had a fairly long conversation on AIM with EMcWilliams about this hand, and he hated my preflop reraise... does anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I like it, and it'd be the same way I play it if you would've made it 2. [censored] button minraises.

To your post beneath this - Leading here doesn't look as strong as check-raising. Leading looks like you're protecting a weak J, checkraising blows him out of the water.

[/ QUOTE ]
a weak jack that i 3bet preflop?
I mean, maybe I could rep a stubborn TT or something but that certainly won't provoke him to raise turn, which is what we want him to do if we're leading

The other thing I noticed is whenever I go on ubertilt because some donkey is playing back at me I take this same line and I ALWAYS get called by nothing hands, so I think this line really looks like a bluff, if I 3bet pre/betcall flop/checkshove turn

edit: looking back at this hand from several days distance i don't know wtf I was thinking making that tiny flop bet, making it 3 here would've made the pot a lot bigger and made the turn easier to play

[corsakh]

Its not exactly a 3bet pot, so bet more on the flop. His turn bet is tiny, raise to pot. Halfpot the river.

[Supwithbates]

[ QUOTE ]
Its not exactly a 3bet pot, so bet more on the flop. His turn bet is tiny, raise to pot. Halfpot the river.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think this right here is the beauty of 3betting in this situation. Even reraising to 1.5, that's much less than 10% effective stack, meaning I still have odds to play the hand this way purely in terms of flopping a set.

[corsakh]

I am not criticising the 3bet, indeed its the only right play. What I am saying is because hte original raise was a minraise, you can not consider this pot to be 3bet for bet sizing and hence you should bet more on the flop.

[prodonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
im surprised no one has commented on me reraising 66 preflop... I had a fairly long conversation on AIM with EMcWilliams about this hand, and he hated my preflop reraise... does anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.. I pretty much hate it too.. what's it supposed to accomplish? You're building a bigger pot with it out of positon. I have no problem with 3 betting in this situation.. but if you're going to do it, at least make a 3 bet that might actually take the pot down instead of some little sweetener bet.

[corsakh]

I agree, 3betting to 1.75 looks better.

[Dastone]

I prefer to lead the turn, since the bet/call, check/raise line looks so strong. I think you will likely lose all top pair hands with this big check/raise. I think a smaller check/raise may be more likely to get called. Check raising to ~11 feels like a good amount, since we're not too concerned with villain drawing out now.

[prodonkey]

I like the stack a donk line here sometimes.. but he screwed it all up with his tiny bet.. if I checked the turn to get him to commit himself i'm just check calling that $3 bet and depending on the river I may check again and let him take a shot at it if he wants... or I will value bet if I have defined his hand range enough.

[zzzzzz75]

After he raises the flop, what do you put him on? Mentioning he's more than willing to fold, and a minraise is uncommon, it appears he hit something.

Would he repop once again JJ with position? Would he pop you on the flop with 35 or TJ? I like the 1/3rd to half pot lead-out on the turn, doesnt look like hes drawing and has a real hand, hoping hed commit, if really THAT passive then id try and "sell" it on the river, if he raises on the turn, what NOW do you put him on?

Think gratz on snapping AJ QQ, KK AA bummer if he snaps you with JJ, 44.

[Dastone]

[ QUOTE ]
im surprised no one has commented on me reraising 66 preflop... I had a fairly long conversation on AIM with EMcWilliams about this hand, and he hated my preflop reraise... does anyone else have any thoughts on it?

[/ QUOTE ]

The only thing I don't like about it is the size of it. The size of the reraise doesn't seem to accomplish anything, but to build the pot. You said it yourself, villain is aware of position, and he takes shots at small pots after the flop. I would prefer to raise bigger, which will hopefully help define villains hand(if he calls), while somewhat concealing ours. Then no matter what comes, unless it's extremely favorable, or extremely bad I take one good shot at picking it up right on the flop. The small raise seems to play right into oponnennents strength(?).