$2 NLHE 6-max: TP2K but I don't like my line here

Only 3 hands with these villains, all I could spot was that they were very passive and soft.

pokerstars - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3: http://www.pokertracker.com

BTN: $2.35
SB: $1.95
BB: $2.00
UTG: $1.79
MP: $1.07
Hero (CO): $2.00

SB posts SB $0.01, BB posts BB $0.02

Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero has [Qc] [Ks]
UTG raises to $0.05, fold, Hero calls $0.05, BTN calls $0.05, SB calls $0.04, fold

Flop: ($0.22, 4 players) [Qh] [9h] [6s]
SB checks, UTG bets $0.06, Hero raises to $0.14, BTN calls $0.14, fold, fold

Turn: ($0.56, 2 players) [8d]
Hero bets $0.43, fold

I think my line should've been 3bet, bet, bet. I'm not sure why I called such a tiny raise. Given the softness of the table I think it was not that bad but I did not have any reads. So... without reads, what would the best line be?

Passive player raising UTG + you have KQo = 3-bet probably meh.

I dont think you had any reason to 3-bet after only having 3 hands on people, i like the call pre-flop, on the flop i like the raise but i hate the size of the raise. Raising to 14c from 6c is just really weak and im surprised it even made the guy leave the hand, its also not punishing draws enough, people will call much larger raises here and without the odds to do so which helps us, so i think you should be making it atleast 22c here. Then your turn bet is fine.

If you know after 3 hands that these guys will call 3bets with pretty much anything theyre raising then by all means a 3bet is fine as you're ahead of their range.

baudib1 said:

Passive player raising UTG + you have KQo = 3-bet probably meh.

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[] Bad players understand position.

acky100 said:

What acky said.

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Pretty much this, but I think there's more room to 3-bet than you guys think, just because of what acky posted at the bottom. People tend to call too many 3-bets at 2NL.

KQ seems like a hand that will get you into trouble 3betting more than it will win you big pots... I'd much rather 3bet small SCs but when I played 2nl I hadn't heard of 3betting lol

Look up polarization, watchtowel.

In short, why would you ever prefer 3betting someone who will defend T8s with 67s rather than KQ?

OP: 3betting is fine, a bit thin, but whatever. As played raise flop to a significant amount and bet/bet turn/river for stacks. Plenty of worse Qx, pairs and draws to get it in against.

I mean villain is most likely a tard but UTG is UTG. He's most likely not stealing with total trash and he's not balancing or polarizing his UTG range. If we have significant history and stats and we find he's opening 20% UTG, then KQ is a fine 3-bet for value but it seems a waste to 3-bet a perfectly solid hand like this in position.

baudib1 said:

I mean villain is most likely a tard but UTG is UTG. He's most likely not stealing with total trash and he's not balancing or polarizing his UTG range. If we have significant history and stats and we find he's opening 20% UTG, then KQ is a fine 3-bet for value but it seems a waste to 3-bet a perfectly solid hand like this in position.

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But chances are he is opening that wide UTG, and will call a 3-bet behind, so why not?

baudib1 said:

I mean villain is most likely a tard but UTG is UTG. He's most likely not stealing with total trash and he's not balancing or polarizing his UTG range. If we have significant history and stats and we find he's opening 20% UTG, then KQ is a fine 3-bet for value but it seems a waste to 3-bet a perfectly solid hand like this in position.

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I respect your opinion but mate... they are clueless and you are giving them too much credit. Most of the guys playing 20/18 (which are rare!) at 2NL are opening 18% from any position instead of the tighest range from UTG and the widest from BTN. If they are playing 25/20... they are probably opening 15% everywhere and stealing 100%.

Heck, they call KTo from SB if I open from UTG where I usually play AQ+, suited paint and pairs.

if that's the case they could be 4-bet shipping A7 and we'd have to fold a ton of equity. You have no reads other than leaning toward passive and generally passives don't raise wide to begin with.

That's why I flat called but kept wondering if I should've taken another line. I agree with you about paying attention to his raise, not about I have no reason to believe his positional awareness is related to his opening range.

baudib1 said:

if that's the case they could be 4-bet shipping A7 and we'd have to fold a ton of equity. You have no reads other than leaning toward passive and generally passives don't raise wide to begin with.

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...4nl players are definitely not 4betting enough to worry about that. Especially when they're 3/4-stacked, and we have a read that they're passive and soft.

He may be passive, but he doesn't have to be raising that much to make 3betting fine. Really this isn't a huge point to argue though - flatting and 3betting are fine depending on the reads of OP on the average unknown fish. Both are profitable.

baudib's right about generally tightening up our 3bet range overall vs earlier position opens obviously, but if villain is completely unaware positionally then it doesn't take much of a range to make 3betting KQ profitable (assuming they're calling really wide).