The "Which Line is Best?" cash game quiz!

The following are 3 hands are from a real $25 No Limit 6-max session. And while often times there are many ways to play a given hand, in this situation there isn't. There's 1 answer that is certainly best, and that standard action is the answer you guys will try to guess.

I'd like the answer in the form of what you'd do on the streets I ask for. For example, if I ask what you'd do on the flop & turn, you'd say "bet the flop, bet any non-flush card on the turn" or something like that.

So, let it begin! The best answers (correct action and an explanation) may receive glittering prizes. C9 reserves the right to deny certain cash game players aforementioned glittering prizes.

Hand #1

Reads: The player in the small blind is a Tight, Aggressive regular player. He plays straight-forwardly.
SB: $72.25 (289 bb)
BB: $55.22 (220.9 bb)
UTG: $35.50 (142 bb)
MP: $37.02 (148.1 bb)
CO: $8.51 (34 bb)
Hero (BTN): $41.50 (166 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is BTN with Q K
UTG folds, MP raises to $0.85, CO folds, Hero calls $0.85, SB calls $0.75, BB folds

Flop: ($2.80) K 9 5 (3 players)
SB checks, MP checks, Hero bets $2.35, SB calls $2.35, MP folds

Turn: ($7.50) 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero???

What is the correct action for the turn, and river?


Hand #2

The Under the Gun player is poor & loose.

CO: $37.67 (150.7 bb)
BTN: $19.32 (77.3 bb)
SB: $21.19 (84.8 bb)
Hero (BB): $49.06 (196.2 bb)
UTG: $33.43 (133.7 bb)
MP: $22.76 (91 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is BB with Q Q
UTG raises to $0.85, 4 folds, Hero raises to $3.60, UTG calls $2.75

Flop: ($7.30) 2 6 6 (2 players)
Hero bets $6.35, UTG calls $6.35

Turn: ($20) T (2 players)
Hero???

What is the correct action for the turn, and river?



Hand #3

The middle position player is loose, and aggressive.

BTN: $11.15 (44.6 bb)
SB: $21.13 (84.5 bb)
BB: $32.33 (129.3 bb)
MP: $61.62 (246.5 bb)
Hero (CO): $27.94 (111.8 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is CO with 7 8
MP raises to $0.75, Hero calls $0.75, BTN folds, SB calls $0.65, BB folds

Flop: ($2.50) 4 5 6 (3 players)
SB checks, MP bets $2.50, Hero???

What is the correct action for the flop?

Good luck!

Hand 1:

This is the one that hurts my brain the most - AK probably raises preflop, right?

There's no real draws out there, so I figure we're either way ahead of something like KJ, or way behind a set that's taking the standard slowplay and milk line.

I check behind on the turn and probably call a small bet on the river. I won't be too concerned about a flush card on the river, but a jack or maybe an ace might make me uncomfortable.

Hand 2:

Seems to me we want to be doing whatever will get the villain's whole stack in, and he's committed almost a third of it already.

There's only really a couple of plausible hands he can have here: 77-JJ (I'm figuring QQ for the split is unlikely, and that AA-KK would've four-bet preflop), or the flush draw. A weird A6 or 22 is possible too, and TT now beats us, but the majority of his range is probably in the aforementioned category seeing as how poor and loose players seem to love those kind of hands so much. JJ's gotta figure it's practically invincible in this spot, right?

Since a big part of the range is draws, I'd prefer to get it all in now because we're likely not getting any more unless he hits. Alternatively, another club could kill our action if he's in the 77-JJ range.

So... I think I bet about $14 on the turn - villain only has about $9 behind so he's probably getting all in if he's calling.

Exception: if the villain is a habitual float-and-take-it-on-the-turn type then I might try a check-raise here. But mostly I prefer the above line, don't wanna risk losing value and letting him draw cheap unless I'm pretty certain he's betting.

Hand 3

Gotta figure villain's preflop range is pretty big here, especially at 6-max, and that he's c-betting pretty much all of it. The fact the c-bet was pot sized usually says one of two things to me: either it's a weak-ish made hand wanting to discourage draws (99 or something of that ilk), or it's a "Yeah I'm adopting orphans, what are you gonna do about it?".

My instant reaction is to slow play with the nut straight. I can see a case for raising a LAG in this spot and having him give us action figuring us for something like AQ, which he could push us off with another raggy card on the turn. Like the exception to hand 2 though, I'd want to know more about the villain. Our image comes into play as well.

Sod it - I'm gonna go for raise, to around $8, obv hoping the villain has the overpair or just figures us for a draw and puts us all in.

man this thread reminds me why im so god damn awful at 6 max and its probably becuase i lose money on all these 3 hands since i bet each 1 with a bet of $6, $16 and $8 respectively coz i suck. I then re evaluate each river, likely checking first hand behind on river, value betting 2nd and obv value betting third. Action wise, i fold first hand to a check\raise, i fist pump ship 2nd hand to any action and obv same with third

Funny, I put this in the learning poker section to avoid you guys giving away all the answers. Good to see I don't have to worry about that

Oz loses, for question 1 he failed to specify what happens if villain checks river.

Par for the course really, Oz is a SnG donkey

If villain checks the river in Hand 1... the only thing I figure that'd call a bet that we still beat is KJ/KT. We could bet/fold but I think I probably just take the cheap showdown.