Totally lost vs. unpredictable player in home game

[sapsuckah]

Interesting hand from a home game last night where I had tough (for me, at least) decisions on every street post-flop. I'll post it in stages. Comments on all streets welcome, of course.

Two-tables of seven each, first level (10/20). Hero's already down to about t1600 after some good early starting hands turned to dogmeat on bad flops + aggressive opponents.

Villain is experienced but not very serious, more tricky/trappy than skilled, relatively loose and very unpredictable in terms of starting hands. Pretty typical mid-20s home game LAG. He's got about t2300.

Preflop: Folds to villain on button, who calls 20. (He could just as easily have AA here as any two suited, any connector or gapper, A or K-rag, etc.) SB folds and I check with 74o. Pot is t40.

Flop: 4-8-T rainbow. Hero - ???

[Soulman]

Uh...check? It's not close.

Check >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>> whatever.

[ilushan]

Are there any other options except checking?
Betting of half the pot is possible, but not against LAG, who will call with any two giving you no info about his hand.

[registrar]

Is this my home game? I bet here. Bottom pair is the nuts and if, I bust out, everyone can [censored] off out of my house.

[sapsuckah]

Preflop: Folds to villain on button, who calls 20. (He could just as easily have AA here as any two suited, any connector or gapper, A or K-rag, etc.) SB folds and I check with 74o. Pot is t40.

Flop: 4-8-T rainbow. <font color="blue">Hero checks, villain bets t50, hero c/r's to 200.</font>

c/r rationale (if you can call it that)... no idea where I was, his overbet seemed like he was trying to buy it with nothing, and he knows me to be a generally tight player (depite being somewhat active early in this one). More importantly, he's the type of player who goes to the felt with top pair and I'm willing to take some risks vs him to draw to something. Planned to shut it down if he called.

Of course, none of this really supersedes the fact that it's level 1 and I shouldn't be involved here with nothing... so feel free to flame away.

Villain thinks for a while and calls.

Turn: [4-8-T] [9] (still rainbow). <font color="red">Hero - ? </font>

(By the way, you know how all the good players/posters here always say that they posted some really boneheaded hands when they first started posting? I acknowledge that falls into that category. Bear with me.)

[registrar]

I don't like a check raise this deep because you're best out, a seven, is not clean.

Edit: and I wasn't joking when I said I would bet bottm pair here, this deep, in a home game from the blinds. I'll bet anything I hit from the blinds.

[SinPies]

Yeah, I might bet it in my home game too. Depends on who my opponent is. Some of these guys want to see every card in case they make top pair. Default is to check the flop, however, and check/raise is spew. You've turned your hand into a bluff out of position against what you describe as a maniac.

[creamfillin]

The check raise isn't that bad. You might take it down right there and it gives you a good idea where he is at. You turned an OESD, and you have money invested so you might as well try and peel one with a smallish bet.

[registrar]

[ QUOTE ]
The check raise isn't that bad. You might take it down right there and it gives you a good idea where he is at. You turned an OESD, and you have money invested so you might as well try and peel one with a smallish bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

The check raise is terrible because there is no way that this hand can develop that will make you feel comfortable playing a big pot. So now we've turned the wrong end of an OESD OOP and still have bottom pair and the pot is at the stage where turn action threatens our stack. Hmmn...nice.

[A_C_Slater]

min-bet/fold to raise. If min-bet is called then check/fold turn unimproved. Maybe check/raise turn if you make trips.