Again... trying new things at the table

I've been posting some oddities / things I'm doing off-norm to experiment with live play and see where it takes me.  Last week, I posted a hand where I decided to flop / squeeze a wet board with blanks, into what seemed like a weak cbet, scared of flopped trips...  It backfired in my face :-).  However, I did get a cool comment out of it: I have "balls of steel."  Nice!

Anyway, your hero joins the fracas this week with a hand from last night:
Straddled to $8 from UTG, who is a Iranian guy - crazy, hot headed who just loves to get loud and grouse about anything and everything.  He also is in love with the raise; he's got a wide range from all positions and is not afraid to "ship it" with weak holdings.  So far, he's made correct reads and worked his stack up from $300 to $500.  I'm on the BTN and I overlimp 3 players to my right with QJhh when it gets to UTG who pops it to $25 on top.  Folds around to the player immediately to my right (weakish player, plays hands face up, etc. - generally non-thinking) who thinks for a bit then calls the $25.

Action to me and I pump it up to $100, having had the plan all along.  Thought is that I can see a flop cheap for $8 with suited connectors / premiums if it checks through or I can squeeze the UTG if / when his bet comes as somewhat expected.  There's a ton of dead money (around $35 plus the UTG $25 + the guy on my right's $25) and UTG is rarely ever showing up with a hand.

Thoughts?  Thoughts on bet sizing?  What about the overall execution?

Squeeze!

Epic fail:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $52.80
MP1: $50.75
MP2: $50.75
CO: $78.75 - 7 / 6 / 6% steal / 6.2% 3bet / 181 hands
Hero (BTN): $125.40
SB: $17.00
BB: $20.90
UTG: $58.30 - 43 / 24 / 40% steal / 16.7% 3bet / 51 hands

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with 6c 2c
UTG raises to $1.75, 3 folds, CO calls $1.75, Hero raises to $7.50, 2 folds, UTG raises to $20, 2 folds
This guy has been raising big and wide from all spots.  It feels like he's ripe for a squeeze.  When he comes over the top, either he's reading my squeeze as what it is and knows I can't call his 4bet, or he's got a monster.  With $7.50 committed, I'm going to shut down and pick a better spot where I know I'm ahead.

Final Pot: $17.50
UTG wins $17.50

What would you do? #136 - Facing river shove with middle pair

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $50.75
CO: $17.50
BTN: $49.00 - 28 / 17 / 67% steal / 0% 3bet / 3.5 aggression factor @ 30 hands
SB: $59.55
Hero (BB): $50.00
UTG: $110.60
UTG+1: $32.20
MP1: $37.55

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 9c 3c
5 folds, BTN raises to $1.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $5, BTN calls $3.50
Typical spot; this guy has been raising a ton of buttons and COs...

Flop: ($10.25) 4h Ac 4c (2 players)
Hero bets $7, BTN raises to $14, Hero calls $7
Club flush draw.

Turn: ($38.25) 9h (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN checks
Nice to get a pair to go along with the draw.

River: ($38.25) Jh (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $30 all in, Hero requests TIME, Hero ???
I think your hand is a bluff catcher.  Do you make the call?



Click to see results

Either this player is a very tricky player, or he's a total donkey bluffing in a spot where it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to bluff. I don't think there's any chance he flopped a boat. The reason I call, though, is because of the check on the turn. Referring to my first sentence, a good majority of the players out there are *NEVER* checking back the turn if they have a good- or even decent- Ace. They're betting for value, particularly after raising the flop. I've somewhat established my hand as a draw or weak Ace by my flop call. None his hands are worthy of shoving 60BBs on the river; it is unlikely he turned a set of 9's, and if he hit a Jack, he's looking to get to showdown. It just seems like such a fishy play, I make the call and find he turned his hand into a TOTAL bluff.

Hero calls $30

Final Pot: $98.25
BTN shows 2c 3s (a pair of Fours) -LOL; playing the board!!!
Hero shows 9c 3c (two pair, Nines and Fours)
Hero wins $95.25
(Rake: $3.00)

Squeeze!

Compliments to Poker Grump!

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $45.75
SB: $101.10
Hero (BB): $57.05
UTG: $24.00
UTG+1: $54.45
MP: $50.00
CO: $50.00

CO posts a big blind ($0.50)

Pre Flop: ($1.25) Hero is BB with 2d 4d - Poker Grump's hand!
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, CO calls $0.50, 1 fold, SB calls $0.75, Hero raises to $5.75, 3 folds
Really?  $1 raises are [heavily weighted towards] weak-as-crap holdings who are trying to look strong by betting weak.  Nice little pickup here.

Final Pot: $4.00
Hero wins $4.00

Squeeze!

Fairly uneventful hand, but if there ever was a spot to squeeze, this would be it.

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $50.00
BB: $62.05
UTG: $37.15
UTG+1: $50.00
UTG+2: $60.95
MP1: $68.80
MP2: $34.50 - 53 / 12 / 24% steal / 3.1% 3bet / 164 hands
CO: $50.15 - 34 / 23 / 57% steal / 5.3% 3bet / 44 hands
BTN: $133.85

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Jd Qc
4 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, CO raises to $2, 1 fold, Hero requests TIME, Hero raises to $7.50, 3 folds
Gee, 57% steal (CO)?  Hmm.... 53-12 = 41% limp (MP2)?  I think I'm way ahead of MP2's limping range and  decently far ahead of CO's stealing / isolating range...  SQUEEZE!!!

Final Pot: $5.00
Hero wins $5.00

Squeeze!

2nd hand in; this seems like a prime opportunity to 3bet squeeze.  (No real reads.)

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $50.00
BB: $50.00
UTG: $50.00
UTG+1: $147.50
UTG+2: $25.70
MP1: $35.80
MP2: $50.00
CO: $51.65
BTN: $111.95

MP1 posts a big blind ($0.50)

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is SB with Kh 8h
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $2, MP1 calls $1.50, 3 folds, Hero raises to $7.50, 3 folds

Final Pot: $6.75
Hero wins $6.75

Squeeze from the button

It is somewhat infrequent that at $50NL people are pre flop raising light, but there is an occasion where I can see fit to squeeze.

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $10.00 - Raising fairly wide from all positions
UTG+1: $109.65
MP1: $25.00
MP2: $103.25
CO: $58.35 - A regular stealer, 50%+ AND fairly competent
Hero (BTN): $53.35
SB: $30.05
BB: $49.40

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with Qh Ad
UTG raises to $2, 3 folds, CO calls $2, Hero raises to $7.50, 2 folds, UTG requests TIME, 1 fold, CO calls $5.50
I have not been defending my BTN, but with a "premium" hand, I opt to 3 bet here. I'm more than happy to get it in with the the original raiser, and I feel that CO is somewhat dead money. This is the definition of a squeeze. However, based on the call, I honestly think CO has a hand. I've now established that I have a hand as well.

Flop: ($17.75) 3c 3h Jh (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $10, CO calls $10
Two heart board, and I've represented a strong 3bet hand. I'm leading his check. If he check raises me, I think I have to fold. At this point, though, I'm putting him on combinations of AJ, KJ, QJ, TJ, under pairs, and heart draws. He could also be floating air. The air is less likely for this player, because he's 1. out of position and 2. I've 3 bet strong pre flop.

Turn: ($37.75) Ts (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks
I'm not sure where I am with this hand right now, therefore I check through- the pot is already HUGE and out of control.

River: ($37.75) 3s (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $35.85 all in, CO requests TIME, CO folds
The third three falls. This makes any pair into a full house. At this point, the pot is HUGELY bloated, on a steal / re-steal. I don't want to go down in flames and lose the pot to a pair of deuces or fours or some such crap. As I talked about above, I have to make a very strong river bet in order to take down this pot. The only logical bet here is a shove. If I bet $10-15, I'm getting called because he's getting nice odds to call with a pocket pair or even AK. If I shove, then his stack is on the line too. I don't think he wants to do that, even with Jacks (though he may be WAY more inclined to call with 3's full of Jacks).

As I talked about above, he knows I'm competent, and not willing to put my stack on the line without a major hand.

By pushing, I force my opponent to make a decision as to whether I have air or a boat. I have represented strength the whole way through the hand. He does not see me push very often, so I'm able to take advantage of my image.

I held my breath and prayed. Fortune was on my side because he folded to my represented strength.

Am I crazy?

Final Pot: $37.75
Hero wins $35.90
(Rake: $1.85)

Rarely executed squeeze play

I've been trying to expand my repertoire. I've been fooling around with 3 betting and squeezing. This seemed like the textbook example of a spot to squeeze:

Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/452891
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $25.00
CO: $27.95
BTN: $6.10
Hero (SB): $25.55
BB: $25.00
UTG: $20.95
UTG+1: $19.90
UTG+2: $4.50
MP1: $19.90

Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is SB with 3c 7s
UTG raises to $0.50, 4 folds, CO calls $0.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.75, 3 folds

Final Pot: $1.75
Hero mucks 3c 7s
Hero wins $1.85
(Rake: $-0.10)