The villain in this hand is a toss up between myself and UTG.

UTG having limped ako, ajo, and perhaps?! pocket pairs, previously in the rounds preceding this one and was actively on a heater.

I've beleive I was playing a fairly balanced game up until an hour or so after this hand.

No hud is used.

Big blind and the small blind had been playing their stacks accordingly whilst I was on this table.


Winning Poker, Hold'em No Limit - 450/900 (110 ante) - 8 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat

UTG: 52,205 (58 bb)
UTG+1: 68,634 (76 bb)
MP: 16,544 (18 bb)
MP+1: 56,133 (62 bb)
CO (Hero): 64,663 (72 bb)
BU: 19,379 (22 bb)
SB: 71,375 (79 bb)
BB: 53,396 (59 bb)

Pre-Flop: (2,230) Hero is CO with A♣ T♦
UTG calls 900, 3 players fold, Hero calls 900, 1 fold, SB calls 450, BB checks

Flop: (4,480) 4♦ 3♠ 2♥ (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: (4,480) 5♣ (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets 2,386, UTG folds, CO (Hero) folds, SB calls 2,386

River: (9,252) K♠ (2 players)
SB checks, BB bets 5,000, SB folds

Total pot: 9,252
BB wins 9,252

I just had the overwhelming feeling that having not 3-bet utg, I could have derived more clarity in the hand and also potential forced out any stray connecters coming from the small and big blinds, in a limped pot, in this hand I perceived my range to be alot stronger than UTG and failed to bet out of frugality and I think I cost myself a potentially large pot.

Please criticise and advise as you wish.

I'm a great lover of winning folds.
I just don't think this had to be one of those times?

Any thoughts?

I'm always raising up ATo in position in these games. How many players in the $1 and less fields are REALLY limping strong hands from UTG? I find it to be way more marginal hands, suited connectors, suited Ax, KQo, etc than strong hands so I would iso this.

I would then cbet flop - I would size up turn and bet huuuge on the river. Go for max value when we hit our hand. The only likely 6x combos should be A6s and 66 - so I am comfortably betting for value.

Originally Posted by Jon Poker

I'm always raising up ATo in position in these games. How many players in the $1 and less fields are REALLY limping strong hands from UTG? I find it to be way more marginal hands, suited connectors, suited Ax, KQo, etc than strong hands so I would iso this.

I would then cbet flop - I would size up turn and bet huuuge on the river. Go for max value when we hit our hand. The only likely 6x combos should be A6s and 66 - so I am comfortably betting for value.

Thanks for your input, it’s appreciated.

Is that 100% of the time your raising ATo in the position above?
At any level of the tournament?

I believe that the bb range had lots of 6’s
Even 62 32 sorta thing.

Originally Posted by johnsulliv

I just had the overwhelming feeling that having not 3-bet utg, I could have derived more clarity in the hand and also potential forced out any stray connecters coming from the small and big blinds, in a limped pot, in this hand I perceived my range to be alot stronger than UTG and failed to bet out of frugality and I think I cost myself a potentially large pot.

Please criticise and advise as you wish.

I'm a great lover of winning folds.
I just don't think this had to be one of those times?

Any thoughts?

Thank you for posting

We should always be looking to be aggressive in all spots then adjust situationally.
This is a great example of raising pre to isolate a weak limper then if called pre by the blinds having clarity on their ranges

We could also use a min raise when we make the wheel if V plays straight forward to make an exploitative fold when 3 bet or shoved on or even get a free river showdown

V knows an Ace makes the straight and that you can have the six few players stack off without the six

Hope this helps

Yeah, stacks are big so no reason not to raise the pot to 3 or 3,5bb preflop. That way you are pushing the blinds off the pot most likely preflop. Then playing versus a utg player wouldve been a lot easier. I think i am also c-betting this flop.

Originally Posted by eetenor

Thank you for posting

We should always be looking to be aggressive in all spots then adjust situationally.
This is a great example of raising pre to isolate a weak limper then if called pre by the blinds having clarity on their ranges

We could also use a min raise when we make the wheel if V plays straight forward to make an exploitative fold when 3 bet or shoved on or even get a free river showdown

V knows an Ace makes the straight and that you can have the six few players stack off without the six

Hope this helps

Yeah, good advice.

Thanks for your time.

Originally Posted by gupiel0k69

Yeah, stacks are big so no reason not to raise the pot to 3 or 3,5bb preflop. That way you are pushing the blinds off the pot most likely preflop. Then playing versus a utg player wouldve been a lot easier. I think i am also c-betting this flop.

If I would have raised the pot pre-flop, it would have been around the 7-8BB area. Not 3.5BB, already having a limper with a sizeable stack compared to my own.

My c-bet on the flop would be between 15% - 45% pot size.

I chickened half out and called, Hadd I raised 3.5, the big blind would or can still call with 67s 68s 66 A6s /56s 46s J6s etc and provides no clarity going ahead in further rounds.

I wouldn't want to enter the pot with that big a difference in stacks sizes between the blinds and the raiser and me in between, only to be forced out myself from a donk bet.

Thank you very kindly for you time in replying.