Shutting Myself Down (theory post)

[ProfessorBen]

Poker used to be easy. Call when you have pot odds. Bet when you are ahead. Get to showdown in big pots with marginal hands. I learned these lessons and learned them well. Then, life got hard. Competing interests came into play and I had to learn to make distinctions if I wanted to stay a winner as the limits got bigger and the players got better.

More and more, I have found myself in a specfic situation where these distinctions are vital:

1. I have a marginal holding as well as a draw of varying strength OOP on the turn.
2. We are HU and I had the last action on the flop.
3. Villain is an aggressive player and there is a reasonable chance I will get raised by a chunk of his range. However, I am likely to still have some FE.
4. I have pot odds to see a river so bet/folding is not a good option. I must either bet/call or check/call.

I've posted 3 hands. Talk to me about them. I'm not so much interested in what you're doing but why you are doing it. If you are taking different lines for each of these, what are the distinctions that you find important? Talk to me about villain's range, plans for a blank river, sacraficing value for drawing cheaply, etc.

In all of these situations, villain is an aggressive, thinking player(winner at this limit) with a reasonable preflop range who is aware that you are the same.

Hand 1:
Villain raises in the CO, Hero calls 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in the BB.
Flop: K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Hero check raises, Villain calls.
Turn: J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Hero...

Hand 2:
EP limps, Villain raises on the Button, Hero 3-bets 88 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the SB, BB folds, EP calls, Villain calls.
Flop: 975r
Hero bets, EP folds, Villain calls.
Turn: A
Hero...

Hand 3:
EP limps, Hero limps QJ [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], MP limps, Villain limps, Blinds call.
Flop: J86 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Hero bets, MP calls, Villain raises, 3 folds, Hero 3-bets, MP folds, Villain calls.
Turn: 9
Hero...