Poker Hand From Yesterday - WWYD

[timsta007]

Ran into this strange hand playing in a 1/2NLHE cash game. Here's some background information. The game was a home game after a tournament. At the time we were 7 handed. From playing with this group a few times, the players have a huge range of skill from incredibly fishy to very solid. The villain in the hand described below is someone that had just recently sat at the table (less than 2 orbits) and I'd never played with him before.

Several people limp in ahead of me and I limp with for $2. It goes around to the big blind who makes it $5 total and everyone calls, 5 way to the flop $25 in the pot. Flop comes down and villain opens for $8. Two other players call in front of me and I call with good pot and implied odds hoping to hit an A or a 2 on the turn and get paid big. The last player folds making me last to act on the turn and the pot is now $52. The turn is an Ad (this emoticon is broken) villain thinks for a moment and opens for $75. I've never seen him make any kind of bet this large before. Villain has about $200 behind the $75 bet and I have around $300 in my stack.

What do you think his hand range is with this bet and what would you do in this situation having hit one of the cards you were hoping for but getting a strange overbet in front and no read from prior hand history? What is your reasoning for taking the action you propose? Once I get a few opinions I'll explain what I did and why.

[RyGuy]

Is the Villain the BB?

[Shadow]

So villain was first to act all the way (UTG)? A rainbow board, no flush to worry about. But what about 34s? Hmm. $8 bet on OESD (25% of pot) seems reasonable. Of course, calling pre-flop anything with 34s is a donk play IMO. Then again, it's a ball-buster if you make a hand with it and see the flop cheap, which is what happened here, so I don't think you can completely discount that as being a possibility.

The overbet on the turn with no other real draws (other than that 34) on the board is strange. If he did have the 34, why make that bet? Seems a $15-25 bet there is more likely to get called by someone with TPTK or something similar. This makes it seem like he may have Ax here. In fact, maybe even A5 and the $8 bet was a feeler. Not enough to get out any draws, but enough to lose anyone who caught complete air. Or, he has air and is trying to buy it outright here. I don't think any other hands (52, Q5, Q2) make sense, with only AQ and a set being possible but a pre-flop limp and a flat call on the raise with that, combined with the overbet, doesn't make sense.

I don't think you can flat call here. It's a raise/fold prop. I have to think two pair is pretty good here. A flat call would be a very conservative move and I don't see you making that move. I might if I couldn't get a read only to save some stack, but I'm more tourney oriented.

You didn't mention if the other 2 players folded, but I assume they did. The overbet seems strange to me and I think an all-in shove is in the cards at this point. Make him decide if his stack is worth it.

[timsta007]

Villain was not in the blinds but was in early position. I could have mis-remembered who it was that raised the $5 preflop, but that doesn't matter. Other two people between us folded to the $75 bet.

[Hirize]

Trips

[Hirize]

With no knowledge of this player you let him have it. Fold.

[Doctor_XXX]

Originally Posted by Hirize

Trips

This.

My guess, after the fact, based on the story so far, is that he has 55 (or maybe 22?) Based on that thinking, I'd most likely have called the original $5 bet (like you) but would have thought a little more about the $8 bet later. Yeah, depending on how your night is going, a call here isn't out of the question, but you are beat to A5/AQ/22/55/QQ/AA - some of those less likely than others, for sure. Is $8 the end of the world? No...but as they say, "What are you going to do on the NEXT street, if XXX & YYY happen?" Are you planning to take your two pair to the show down, no matter what? If not...what's going to stop you? [ I'd suggest a $75 bet would stop ME, in this hand/situation. ]

Two pair is just way too beatable for a $52+150+??? pot. I'd fold, maybe asking if he'd show if you fold, etc. He MAY give you the info "for free" (aka $13).

[gps4]

i would not be a bit surprised if he has AQ, hit two pair on the turn and expected "to get paid big."

[MsprinM]

If he was a preflop limper who then called the raise opens up a lot more hands.

If he limped called he could easily have a small pair that tripped up and he is over betting to make it look like a bluff or just trying to get paid off by people who don't pay attention to those type of things. He could have the connecting cards to the wheel and was semi bluffing the flop and then hit gin on the turn but I think trips makes more sense in that situation.

If he was a raiser in the blinds his play reeks of scared kings hoping to make a small to mid ace fold but there is also the possibility of Queens who tripped up hoping and praying that someone has a good ace and is willing to go broke with it.

As played and with no reads I don't call with just $225 behind. I'm either all in or folding. And im leaning towards a a fold.

[T v2.0]

I'm gonna say he has either Q5 or KQ in the hole cards.

Probably more with Q5, loses the hand then verbally abuses you for calling with A2

T