$100 NLHE 6-max: Turning TT into a bluff OTR. Spewy or fine?

C

c0rnBr34d

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 6, 2019
Total posts
991
Chips
1
Had a tilt inducing patch of runbad in an epic long online session and somehow ended up playing well above my bankroll lol. At any rate this hand stood out during review of that session. What are your thoughts on this line?

V in the BB is playing a bit short and has VP 36 / PR 11 / 3B 2 over only 193 hands

As you can see the table is only 4 handed at this point and one of things I'm trying to work on in my game is my post flop aggression factor and frequency. Both of which are too low. This hand it feels like V is capped at AJ here most of the time. His aggression factor is 4 so I think I would have heard from 5x hands like A5s before the river. He could be slow playing a monster but when he checks river to us it's much less likely he has JJ or 99. I decided to attack his capped range and turn the TT into a bluff since I thought most of the time he shows up with Jx and missed spades that floated flop here since we block some straight draws. Even with his tiny 2% 3 bet stat over the tiny sample QQ+ fall within top 2% and Hero is raising from CO so maybe we can run into a slow played combo or two of AA but we are attempting to target Jx or a sticky under pair.

PokerStars - $1 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players

Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 95.15 BB
SB: 84.63 BB
BB: 76.57 BB
Hero (CO): 255.89 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T T

Hero raises to 3 BB, BTN calls 3 BB, fold, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (9.5 BB, 3 players) J 5 5
BB checks, Hero bets 6 BB, fold, BB calls 6 BB

Turn: (21.5 BB, 2 players) 9
BB checks, Hero bets 15 BB, BB calls 15 BB

River: (51.5 BB, 2 players) 2
BB checks, Hero bets 50 BB
 
Last edited:
F

fundiver199

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Total posts
13,261
Awards
1
Chips
252
First of all I dont think, you are bluffing on the flop and turn. He is never folding a better hand, so this is more like thin value bets. For that reason I would size down on the turn and check back river. If you want to have bluffs on the river then choose those hands, that have no showdown value like your busted backdoor spades.
 
G

gustav197poker

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
May 2, 2019
Total posts
1,292
Awards
1
Chips
107
Very well played. I think you wanted to cheat from preflop, although a slightly smaller aperture size might be more tempting for a passive villain. In order to engage your entire open range.
TT is a good hand for this texture, because it makes the Jx who decided to continue suffer a lot. Your rank could also trick an 8-8; 7-7 who decides to pay on the turn to catch lost draws.
If the villain called you on the turn, the river is the street that most favors BB's bluff catcher range. So I like an overbet here, because now the villain could perceive to hero as; AK; AQ; A-T; A-6; Q-T; K-T + flush draws.
Greetings.
 
G

gustav197poker

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
May 2, 2019
Total posts
1,292
Awards
1
Chips
107
I noticed an important detail. On the flop you should bet a smaller size. In addition, your opening plus your cbet denotes a quite narrow range and unfortunately with few bluffs. If you bet less on preflop and flop you have more range ability to trick your opponent.
 
John A

John A

Poker Zion Coach
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Total posts
6,492
Awards
3
Chips
37
The problem in hands like this isn't just what your opponents range is, it's about your perceived range on a super dry board. Is this your normal bet sizing? If so, your bet sizing on a low paired board is way too high. These boards will usually miss most opponents, so you should be betting smaller with your whole range.

Why do you want sticky mid paid hands to fold? You want them to call. I can't make sense of this hand really. It's not a good run off to turn a hand w/ showdown value into a bluff. Your opponent isn't going to have enough Jx or higher to justify this A) bet sizing, B) bluffing, and C) your hands ranges for these boards.

This hand smells like I just watched X training video, and I now want to turn my mid-strength hand with some showdown value into a bluff. Am I far off?
 
G

gustav197poker

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
May 2, 2019
Total posts
1,292
Awards
1
Chips
107
The problem in hands like this isn't just what your opponents range is, it's about your perceived range on a super dry board. Is this your normal bet sizing? If so, your bet sizing on a low paired board is way too high. These boards will usually miss most opponents, so you should be betting smaller with your whole range.

Why do you want sticky mid paid hands to fold? You want them to call. I can't make sense of this hand really. It's not a good run off to turn a hand w/ showdown value into a bluff. Your opponent isn't going to have enough Jx or higher to justify this A) bet sizing, B) bluffing, and C) your hands ranges for these boards.

This hand smells like I just watched X training video, and I now want to turn my mid-strength hand with some showdown value into a bluff. Am I far off?



Hey John, if we block JT we have mainly J8 and J7 left. I agree that the stakes should be smaller. But the times that villain has JX it could compensate with bluff catcher range that we could build with a polarized bet on the turn. Can we increase the passive calling frequency of the V-range with turn/river bias? I think so, if the villain is of semi open rank.
 
C

c0rnBr34d

Visionary
Silver Level
Joined
May 6, 2019
Total posts
991
Chips
1
I think there's some good points in all of the responses thus far. I think in general I clearly didn't consider board texture enough here. Especially on the flop. Way too large. I like keeping pre consistent. Turn is also a tad large but closer. I think as played 12 BB is plenty. Had we sized down flop and turn the river check back would be my standard play. I think I was still tilting a bit and may have been trying to overcompensate for a weak Aggression factor and frequency that has been haunting my leak tracker since day 1. I agree this line doesn't seem to fit this board though.

@John, no not a training video or article. Just a combination of tilt and over-compensation while whiffing on board texture. Mutli-tabling probably had a small impact as well.

Thanks all.
 
Aballinamion

Aballinamion

Sleeping with the Dark Lady of the Sith
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Total posts
2,517
Awards
3
BR
Chips
331
Had a tilt inducing patch of runbad in an epic long online session and somehow ended up playing well above my bankroll lol. At any rate this hand stood out during review of that session. What are your thoughts on this line?

V in the BB is playing a bit short and has VP 36 / PR 11 / 3B 2 over only 193 hands

As you can see the table is only 4 handed at this point and one of things I'm trying to work on in my game is my post flop aggression factor and frequency. Both of which are too low. This hand it feels like V is capped at AJ here most of the time. His aggression factor is 4 so I think I would have heard from 5x hands like A5s before the river. He could be slow playing a monster but when he checks river to us it's much less likely he has JJ or 99. I decided to attack his capped range and turn the TT into a bluff since I thought most of the time he shows up with Jx and missed spades that floated flop here since we block some straight draws. Even with his tiny 2% 3 bet stat over the tiny sample QQ+ fall within top 2% and Hero is raising from CO so maybe we can run into a slow played combo or two of AA but we are attempting to target Jx or a sticky under pair.

PokerStars - $1 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players

Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

BTN: 95.15 BB
SB: 84.63 BB
BB: 76.57 BB
Hero (CO): 255.89 BB

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T T

Hero raises to 3 BB, BTN calls 3 BB, fold, BB calls 2 BB

Flop: (9.5 BB, 3 players) J 5 5
BB checks, Hero bets 6 BB, fold, BB calls 6 BB

Turn: (21.5 BB, 2 players) 9
BB checks, Hero bets 15 BB, BB calls 15 BB

River: (51.5 BB, 2 players) 2
BB checks, Hero bets 50 BB

Hi c0rnBr34d, thank you very much for sharing it. Well, first of all, I would love to say that I am not here to please anyone. If you don't like the way I think, please, feel yourself comfortable not to read it. Without any further duo, there is nothing personal around, no offense given nor taken.



The Preflop

Standard

the postflop

The Flop

Well mate, we can/could be opening possibily something from 15% to 30-35% (or even more) from the CO.
I'm afraid this flop doesn't hit ones's ranges, neither the Hero raisor preflop even less the callers, that almost always call down with dominated ranges.
The problem is given the fact our range is very dynamic, and we are out of position in relation to the button, and the fact that the flop is very dry, plus, Hero goes for 2/3 pot for a 3-way pot, well, all of those actions combined together (raise preflop 3x from Dynamic Position, 3-Way Pot and 2/3 C-bet Flop OOP), are signs that you are mostly holding something like 66+, that are possible pocket pairs that could be 'bluffing' on a flop like this.
For our luck the player in the BTN folds and only the recreational calls. We should not be worried about any of these overthinking, because the players in the blinds is not the philosopher/thinking type of players.
But there will be times that the player in the BTN will perceive this pattern quoted above and will call/float flop/turn to jam you OTR. (counter plau your polarized range).
We do not have significant blockers of anything but T5, JT and given the fact that the BB is not a philosopher player, we must assume that given how dry this flop is it has called this polarized c-bet flop with Jx's types, 5x, types because if we look coldly to this flop, there are no possible bluffs on our range that could be c-betting 2/3 pot:
the 5's doesn't connect to the J's, there are no possible straight draws or flush draws, so the hands that we use to c-bet 2/3 pot are exactly the Jx types, and most of times, overpairs.
We give information twice that we are holding something strong when we 3x raise preflop and when we c-bet 2/3 pot 3-way pot, bloating the pot and trying to put the fish all-in no matter what OTR.

The Turn

Now it opens a straight draw and a flush draw, and if we have hands that need protection such as TPTK, Two Pair we are not going for an easy-call c-bet turn, but for a even more polarized c-bet turn of 100%, 120% pot.
When we go for an overbet OTT is it way more easier to put fish all-in on any river, but when you bet so little OTT, you open the possibility of the fish to fold in the case it suits to it, on many rives that are going to be good for our range and bad for fish's ranges.
Consider that our range is also capped for strong hands, on which we are not going to have in a high frequency from the CO, plus we must ask ourselves if the real nutted hands such as 55 and JJ would be playing like this. Would you?
The hands that play like this OTT, are TPTK, random pocket pairs, two pairs and now the SDs and FDs.
Okay that we are blocking 50% of possible straights, this is huge, but the point it that the fish has a blocked mind and will not fold very easy here.
If you realized you had a tilt and continued playing you are irresponsible in the first place.
It seems to me that in this hand you were still mentally compromissed, as you stated, you realized that you had a tilt and insisted playing when you should quit and cool down you head.

The River

Now it is very easy to fish to told a lot of dominated hands such as 88- and to call you only with Jx and better hands. The price OTR for calling your shove is horrible, because you bet so small OTT with your entire range SDs, FDs, Two Pair, Sets, QQ+, you name it.
If your intention, of course, was to make the fish to call you down. I don't know what was your intention when you push OTR, if you want fo fish to call more often or fold more often.
As fundiver199 stated very well, and also professor John Anhalt, as well. It seems very much that you were still a little bit tilted when you played this hand, far away from your A game.
If you realize that you cannot stop playing when you are getting anger, sad, tired, hotheaded, whatever, leave the tables immediately.
If you cannot leave the tables, look for Responsible gambling and they will put you on the right track.

Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa
 
Last edited:
Aballinamion

Aballinamion

Sleeping with the Dark Lady of the Sith
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Total posts
2,517
Awards
3
BR
Chips
331
The problem in hands like this isn't just what your opponents range is, it's about your perceived range on a super dry board. Is this your normal bet sizing? If so, your bet sizing on a low paired board is way too high. These boards will usually miss most opponents, so you should be betting smaller with your whole range.

Why do you want sticky mid paid hands to fold? You want them to call. I can't make sense of this hand really. It's not a good run off to turn a hand w/ showdown value into a bluff. Your opponent isn't going to have enough Jx or higher to justify this A) bet sizing, B) bluffing, and C) your hands ranges for these boards.

This hand smells like I just watched X training video, and I now want to turn my mid-strength hand with some showdown value into a bluff. Am I far off?

Perfect, thank you very much for your analysis professor!

Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa
 
Aballinamion

Aballinamion

Sleeping with the Dark Lady of the Sith
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Total posts
2,517
Awards
3
BR
Chips
331
I noticed an important detail. On the flop you should bet a smaller size. In addition, your opening plus your cbet denotes a quite narrow range and unfortunately with few bluffs. If you bet less on preflop and flop you have more range ability to trick your opponent.

Outsdanding, very good points you put for us, thank you very much mate, awesome!

Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa
 
Aballinamion

Aballinamion

Sleeping with the Dark Lady of the Sith
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Total posts
2,517
Awards
3
BR
Chips
331
I think there's some good points in all of the responses thus far. I think in general I clearly didn't consider board texture enough here. Especially on the flop. Way too large. I like keeping pre consistent. Turn is also a tad large but closer. I think as played 12 BB is plenty. Had we sized down flop and turn the river check back would be my standard play. I think I was still tilting a bit and may have been trying to overcompensate for a weak Aggression factor and frequency that has been haunting my leak tracker since day 1. I agree this line doesn't seem to fit this board though.

@John, no not a training video or article. Just a combination of tilt and over-compensation while whiffing on board texture. Mutli-tabling probably had a small impact as well.

Thanks all.

You should not worry about the stats on your tracker! Sometimes, whether we love it or hate it, we are going to play much more aggressively and other times we are going to play way too passively.
Do not worry about the stats, try to think about your opponent, their perceived ranges, your position, the ranges involved, how do you play certain flop in certain scenario versus some types of players, etc
We can never have focus and emotional control in order to achieve optimal decision making if we are tilting. I am very glad that you have no shame to assume that, because it is normal and it happens to anyone, no matter how bad or good a player can be, if the players is going for millions of hands played, there are going to happen a great deal of supernatural things and our bodies and minds must be prepared to handle it.


Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa
 
Top