



The hand in question:

Table Stacks:

Hero (BB) 600
Villain (CO) ~650
Limpers have 200-300


Hero dealt Q♢ Q♣

Flop ($67):

T♣ 8♠ 3♣

Hero bets $50, villain calls without much hesitation.

Turn ($167):


Hero bets $100, villain calls fairly quickly.


River ($367):


Final board:

T♣ 8♠ 3♣ 4♠ T♡


Should we call?

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10 Answers 10



I call.

  • The logic you are using is wrong. You think he thinks he would want to do this, but maybe he thinks that you think that he thinks, so he doesn't do that. Then you can think that he thinks that you thinks that he thinks, but this just doesn't help much. This kind of leveling doesn't get you anywhere and it is much better to just use a good strategy. Hero is kind of at the bottom of his range here and should be looking to fold his hand. It is a much better and unexploitable strategy then; well I think he is bluffing let's call. – Raymond Timmermans Mar 18 '17 at 14:01



I call.









Ok, so first thing is first.

He is very unlikely bluffing. Why?








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You are looking at a pot sized bet on the river, so since you are getting 2 to 1 you should be looking to fold around 2/3 of your range. You should try to play a balanced and unexploitable strategy. Arguments like he would never bluff this river or he would always bluff this river are invalid, since you cannot just assume that. Basing your calls on your range and calling the right percentage based on the price that you are getting is a very good strategy and will be profitable in the long term against many different opponents. So, let us look at your range first.

In your range should be some bluffs like clubs, spades or straight draws. And I think some full houses as well as over pairs. Because he is such a maniac, like you mentioned, I think it is very possible you would play a flopped set or top two pair the same way you played your two queens. Getting value and protecting on a draw heavy board and on the river looking to trap against a missed draw. So I think, other than bluffs, you have mainly full houses in your range and over pairs. Some other middling hands are likely to check on flop or turn to control the size of the pot, so I think I can safely assume that the following hands are in your river check range:

Bluffs, over pairs and full houses.

What I would personally call in this spot is obviously all your full houses, since it is a very strong hand, plus it will block some of his value hands like sets and Tx. After this I do not think you have enough calling combinations to prevent being exploited so you should be looking for a couple more combinations to call. Your over pairs are Js-As. I think it would be a good strategy to fold your Js and Qs here especially if they contain a club or maybe even a spade. The reason being by having some of those cards in your hand you block him from having bluffs you want him to have like a flush draw or a straight draw like J9 or even QJ. Whereas calling with aces and kings without a club makes more sense, since you don't block those straight draw hands.

In conclusion, your calling range should be all your full houses and some over pairs preferably those that don't contain in order of importance: jacks, clubs, queens, spades, since they will block bluffs your opponent can have. Which over pairs exactly you should be looking to call is up to you, but I think you have to fold some of them and queens with a club is a very good candidate to lay down. Conclusion: fold.





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I vote call.







Pre flop villain lead out for 13 and then called 33
You raised a 20 into a pot of 47 giving villain 2.35:1
Unless he had nothing and was trying to steal villain is going to call
If you just want to build a pot then fine

Villain has hand. But he is probably not AA on KK has those would likely have pushed pre flop. He could certainly be on a big ace, big king, or JJ - 55. Any suited 10+.

That is a good flop for you. You are only behind TT and 88 and if villain was on AT you can get paid off. AK is is possibility. 9J and QJ are not likely as very weak for that preflop betting. You have blockers on the QQ so QJ is not likely and 9J only has 6 outs.

50 into 67 is enough to chase off draws. That call is a made hand unless villain cannot do math.

You have to put villain on a T or a strong 8. AT, KT, TT, A8, K8, 88, or JJ.

I am not getting the $100 on the turn. The card did not help you and helps villain if is he was on AT, KT, 9J spades. Considering just checking. You have a quality hand that only has 2 ways to improve. This is the type of hand that should look get to a cheap show down.

T on the river is a real scare card for you. AT, KT, QT, JT, TT, 88 are all hands that would have been played that way. You have shown strength all the way. It is not a good spot to bluff. Villain is not doing this thinking a pair of 8 will win. He is bluffing or has you beat. He would have to be bluffing over 1/2 the time for you to make the call. I see more hands beating you than bluffs. Is he turning J9, A8 of clubs into bluff? I am not finding enough bluffs to justify a call.




Answer: CALL

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