Poker

[Goodspeed]

@Garja How is your pro career going? Have you moved?

[Vinyanyérë]

Thanksh. Yeah, the 1/1/2 format is quite strange. The lack of true limping makes it almost like some sort of weird 0/5 game. Additionally, it's a $400 max buy in with a lot of people buying short stacked. So far it's been a straightforward game - as Goodspeed mentioned playing very tight and betting your good hands is pretty much a money printer. Unfortunately, not only is this boring, but I think it's instilling a lot of bad habits.

KQs in a tight configuration like this one (EP vs MP vs late position) is definetely a fold even online. Maybe in high stake games with proper solver ranges etc. it becomes a fairly clear call but still with close to zero EV.
As played I don't like the jam on the turn, it seems the worst option. I mean, it is a low EV spot that we shouldn't be in, but jamming on the flop or call-call-fold seem better to minimize the damage.
From a practical standpoint, I think you have close to zero fold equity as opponent range is probably uber strong AND you are supposed to jam weaker stuff for value (especially ott with 2 FD). So it's easy decision for the opponent, basically no way we can manage to outplay him, and atleast a jam on the flop it means we get it in with the highest equity we can.

So overall it looks like:
- easy fold pre
- if you can't fold pre, at least go call-call instead of jamming
- if you can't fold pre or go call-call, at least jam the flop instead of the turn

In SRP OOP I don't like cbetting much if at all on most boards but there are definetely practical reasons to do that in a supposedly weak pool. Getting raised there = bad news unless you cbet small in which case there is a tendency from weak players to overaise both marginal value hands or bluffs. Basically small cbet usually triggers weak players. With nut FD and against a polarized range it doesn't make too much sense to rejam here (especially we might fold out his weaker FD). Again, we have a pretty strong hand so the EV of any play can't be too bad but probably even a xr and call to a rejam seems superior as we give him the chance to jam worst FD and maybe some other bluff or weak value hand against which we have good equity.

Hmm yeah, I didn't realize how often you're supposed to check range in SRP OOP, even as the pre-flop raiser. This spot also probably comes up a lot more in live American games compared to the international online ones given that I understand many of the online games run 6max and solvers prefer 3bet or fold until the button. On the other hand, at your average 1/2 or 1/3 live game any EP/MP open is almost guaranteed to have a caller. Next time I go (probably tonight) I'll try to check these spots more. I guess you also do a lot more check-raising this way.

Bet calling the turn seems a mistake here without specific read the opponent is capable of airball bluffing. As played a bet-fold ott would be standard with naked FD. However if we pot commit ourselves then we are forced to call but it sucks, meaning we chose a line that is inherently less EV than for example playing the hand more passively from the flop or xcalling the turn to see the river.
I wouldn't be too afraid of trips given the positions and the fact that it is a 6 rather than an 8, 9 or 10, but I guess that depending on villain it can be a concern and another reason to play overall more carefully (and ye the FD has slightly less equity on a paired board in general).

Interesting, could I bet the turn smaller here? I was pretty much committed to call the turn because of the stack sizes, but a smaller bet on the turn would let me get away more easily if villain jams. I guess check raising here is maybe not best compared to x/c, but not terrible either?

It depends a lot on relative position of villain. IP it doesn't make much sense to raise at all with any hand on the flop. OOP, in theory, the caller is supposed to xr a bunch of stuff to maximize the EV of his range. It's more about range construction to be balanced across all 3 streets than the actual EV of the play with the specific hand. He has nut FD and possibly one or two overcards, it can't be too bad to get all the money in.
Just note that if the jam is relatively big compared to the pot, then the most nutted hand are likely not in villains raising range. Even from a practical standpoint it doesn't make much sense for any reasoning player to fastplay nut stuff that big.

Alright thanks, I wish I remembered the positions here. I was seat 2 and villain was seat 7; I feel like I was BB (making villain the LJ), but I also feel like I 3bet to $45, and I think if I were BB I would have 3bet to $60, so I'm misremembering either the 3bet size or the positions. So the thinking is that even though this specific hand is going to be pretty low EV, it can still be worthwhile to check raise because it's helping out the EV of the rest of his range? And even then, although he is probably behind there, with two overs and the nut flush draw, the EV of that spot isn't terrible. That makes sense (though as Goodspeed also mentioned neither villain nor I are going to be anywhere near good enough to incorporate or play around that lol).

[Garja]

So overall it looks like:
- easy fold pre
- if you can't fold pre, at least go call-call instead of jamming
- if you can't fold pre or go call-call, at least jam the flop instead of the turn

Ye pretty much. Option 3 might be preferable than option 2 if you are not sure his range is actually that tight (he may be capable of cbet bluffing).

Hmm yeah, I didn't realize how often you're supposed to check range in SRP OOP, even as the pre-flop raiser. This spot also probably comes up a lot more in live American games compared to the international online ones given that I understand many of the online games run 6max and solvers prefer 3bet or fold until the button. On the other hand, at your average 1/2 or 1/3 live game any EP/MP open is almost guaranteed to have a caller. Next time I go (probably tonight) I'll try to check these spots more. I guess you also do a lot more check-raising this way.

I'm not that great multiway. I mostly check range when OOP vs cold caller(s). But I'm pretty sure we do lose some substantial EV, especially in practice, if we start range checking everytime we are OOP in a srp. Best way would be to play somewhat theory oriented if they are all good players in the hand, or just in the most convenient way if there is one or more bad players involved. For sure we can't be cbet-happy like when we are IP.

Interesting, could I bet the turn smaller here? I was pretty much committed to call the turn because of the stack sizes, but a smaller bet on the turn would let me get away more easily if villain jams. I guess check raising here is maybe not best compared to x/c, but not terrible either?

Yes, exactly. However betting small might trigger the opponent and he might start bluff jamming, making our assumptions wrong (we bet fold happy there because we assume opponent is never bluffing and we never get the right odds to call). That's why it is better to either xc or xr the flop and then proceed with a xc ott (to always realize full equity) or bet fold (with no pot commit nor too small of a bet).

Alright thanks, I wish I remembered the positions here. I was seat 2 and villain was seat 7; I feel like I was BB (making villain the LJ), but I also feel like I 3bet to $45, and I think if I were BB I would have 3bet to $60, so I'm misremembering either the 3bet size or the positions. So the thinking is that even though this specific hand is going to be pretty low EV, it can still be worthwhile to check raise because it's helping out the EV of the rest of his range? And even then, although he is probably behind there, with two overs and the nut flush draw, the EV of that spot isn't terrible. That makes sense (though as Goodspeed also mentioned neither villain nor I are going to be anywhere near good enough to incorporate or play around that lol).

IP he's not supposed to raise much at all. OOP he's supposed to raise a bunch of hands (both value and bluffs) because overall his range would gain EV that way. Talking specifically of his play, it's surely +EV (2 over + FD is at 55% against your KK-JJ for example, and then you also fold a bunch of stuff you're cbetting which he's behind to like AKo) but it is unbalanced. He's never going to jam IP a nutted hand like a set. Raise jamming a vulnerable overpair like JJ or strong TP like ATs would make sense for the specific combo but would then make his calling range too weak. So basically he's never balanced when he's playing this way and it is much easier for us to make the right decisions.

[Garja]

@Garja How is your pro career going? Have you moved?

Went down from playing mostly 200nl and 500nl back to 100nl and 200nl because it is more manageable (especially more traffic makes all the difference). I did not move outside of Italy. Realistically I'm not going to if things stay the same.