$1-3 NL – The check-min-raise

Hi guys. Just wanted to post a few interesting spots I was in during last nights session. This hand, villain was fairly quiet at the table, but I was only there for 30 minutes and couldn’t really profile him. He did win a pot in the hand before this one with pocket kings on a queen high board from the BB, and he played the hand fast. His play against me was the interesting part of the hand.

Hero stack: 240
Hero hand: 32hh
Hero position: a

Villain stack: 300
Villain hand: QQ
Villain position: SB

Preflop:
3 limps to hero, hero limps, V1 raises to 18, only hero calls.

Pot: ~50
Flop: 9 8 5 hhc
Villain checks, hero 20, villain raise to 45, hero calls

Pot: ~140
Turn: Jh
Villain checks, hero bets 80, villain 160, hero all-in, villain calls

River: ~480

Villain made the similar play in the previous hand when he had KK. When he played this hand in the same manner, I wasn’t sure if he did have another pocket pair, but his bet size made me think his range is fairly strong. I’ve been told the hand I’m holding plays fairly well in position, in single raised pot. I see a flop.

Villain checks the flop and I’m thinking he probably has ace-high here. I look at the board and it looks good for my range and I think I have some fold equity. I bet thinking I can just take it down. To my surprise, he puts in a raise! “Not ace-high”

I had spent the previous two weeks studying the game. One thing that stuck with me is the min-raise on later streets. I attribute this to Bart Hanson. Studying off the felt is really helping my thought process as well.

I looked at the raise amount and thought, “that’s pretty much a min-raise.” I know this raise is not a set almost 100% of the time, and he probably doesn’t have two-pair. I’m holding two hearts in my hand, so its likely he doesn’t have a draw either. I put him squarely on over-pairs. It’s possible he has top-top with a flush redraw, but I was pretty confident on my read.

I call hoping to snag him on the turn, because he is not getting away from his over-pair.

Villain checks the turn. I bet for value. He check min-raises me again! “What a weird line!” I look at the board and its not paired. I’m 100% at this point that he’s holding a one pair hand, and likely an overpair. “If he does have a flush redraw, then I’m just unlucky” I shove, knowing he’ll call.

The river comes and I flip over my mini-flush. Here comes the interesting part. As he flips over his hand, he’s saying how that is a bad beat. He looks over at me and says, “that was a terrible call on the flop man, you got lucky!” To which I reply, “yea I was drawing pretty thin there.” The dealer pushes me the pot and he says to the dealer “How could you give him hearts man!”

The dealer tries to ignore him, and I interject, not wanting things to be awkward. I tip the dealer, and he thanks me. I continue and say to the dealer, “No I insist, thank you.” To which the dealer replies, “No I insist, thank you” So the hand is over and villain is quiet now, but clearly still tilted and festered by the hand.