This a great hand because it created interesting choices on each street. I'll give a street-by-street analysis of what I was thinking. The FTR regs can add whatever they think relevant. I have come up with a couple of "exercises" for noobies to get you thinkin' :P

Villain is a 25/17/2.5 TAGG-ish player over 80 hands. I haven't tangled with him, so no notes yet, but he hasn't gotten out of line.


$0.25/$0.5 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($99.80)
UTG 1 ($55.25)
CO ($51.25)
BTN ($144.65)
SB ($50.25)
Hero (BB) ($58.75)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 6 players) Hero is BB
1 fold, UTG 1 raises to $1, 3 folds,


I was thinking: "Hmm...non-standard. Middle position min-raise. Check notes - nope - only 80 hands. Looks TAGGy."

With no relevant read, I considered what hands I've seen shown down after min-raise opens. At my stakes, this is most often a weak holding, but the range is polarized with maybe 20% KK+ type hands playing "tricky." These villains have the happy tendency to call/fold to 3bets with weak hands and raise with strong ones. Usually a min-raise, lulz.

Next, I'm wishing I had JJ 'cuz I'd insta-3bet for value. I stop to consider 99 against his likely calling range, given that I get to play oop. The fact he's MP, isn't too nitty and is playing a non-standard line convinces me I'm 3betting for value. So I plan to 3bet/fold. I do plan to call the min-raise 4bet, but if it comes to that I'm not committing any more chips without the immortal nuts.

Finally, what's my 3bet size? Against a more typical opening, I would raise 3x or 3.5x. I choose 4x to give him only 1.75 to 1 pot odds on his call rather than 1.9 or 2.1 to 1. Too small, and he pretty much has to call with any two.


Hero raises to $4, UTG 1 calls $3


Exercise for noobies: The "never give your opponent a free card" mantra is nonsense. There are lots of times we "give" a free card. Think of several non-obvious instances where it is correct to do so. Discuss ITT.


Flop: ($8.25, 2 players)
Hero checks, UTG 1 checks


Flopped gin, but the ace is an interesting card. My options are to bet, which reps the Ace and a big kicker, or check to rep a hand like JJ. I won't specify my range estimate, yet, but I felt villain had some Ace-rag-sooted in there. I check villain's flop aggression percentage and see 40% which is likely meaningless over such a small sample, but he's willing to fire in some bets on the flop.

If I bet, I'm repping a hand big enough to chase off anything he's likely to have outside of Ax or 44, which has to be less than 30% of his range even if he's calling one street w/ every Ax hand he could have. (I've seen more typical raises, so I'm discounting AK/AQ in my estimates of his range preflop.)

If I check, I'm headed down the "obvious set" paths:
1. check/call flop, check/raise turn
2. check/call flop and turn, donk river

I don't generally like playing "obvious set" lines when I actually have a set, though those lines are cool lots of other times. But I don't see how I can avoid it. Leading this flop is folding out every hand I'd want to continue, and he's drawing nearly dead with virtually everything in his range.

But what to do on the turn after he checks behind on the flop? I'm pretty sure I have his range crushed, but I want a chance at his stack, and I can't get all the chips in if he checks behind on the turn. I decide to lead the turn.


Turn: ($8.25, 2 players)
Hero bets $4, UTG 1 raises
to $13, Hero calls $9

Yowza! We have a live one. Unfortunately, I'm pretty confused by what he could have since I felt like he'd bet the flop w/ Ax. Slowplaying 44 or Ax? Did he just decide I can't have an Ace and bet out with TT or JJ (neither of which make any sense preflop)? Maybe 87s or 65s with GSSD/backdoor FD, but he seems too tight preflop for that. So nothing seems likely, not even the nuts, so I'm pretty sure he's lost his mind. I decide to play it like he's got Ax. That makes the most sense to me.

That sets up the river action. Do I lead? I usually lead out because I HATE letting him check behind here. If he's got Ax or 44, he's paying me off, possibly raising all-in. But he'll likely lead those hands. He's reasonably aggressive over 80 hands, betting/raising 5 times for every 2 calls. But it's his range that convinces me to go for a crai river. I think it's largely comprised of Ax hands since he woke up on the 2nd Ace. He could have some pp's, maybe a thin draw. I feel like he might have an Ace and decide I don't have the last one. Most opponents will have trouble not going broke with Ax or 44 here, and if he has A9 (2 combos) or A4 (6 combos), I'm toast. i accept that, and opt for crai.


River: ($34.25, 2 players)
Hero ($41.75)?


Exercise for noobies: give a range for villain here, starting with preflop and narrowing based on successive streets. Discuss if my crai river plan is good or bad based on your estimates of villain's likely responses with the holdings you think are in his range.


Thanks for playing along. I'll post the river and showdown after some folks have commented. I don't mind critiques of how I played this. I admit I got confused by his range and actions after the turn, so let me know what y'all think.