Ok, I've been trying for a while to think of a hand I've played to demonstrate some of the stuff I've been learning/thinking about, that doesn't just look standard. I think this hand from my bum-hunting session is a fair example. Maybe it'll look standard to some, and maybe it'll look bad to others, but I'll give my thoughts behind it:


Villain seems to be std TAG over very small sample.

No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) - Hold'em Manager Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($261.15)
SB ($189.52)
Hero (BB) ($100)
UTG ($143.30)
MP ($204.80)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, J
1 fold, MP bets $3.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $2.50

Flop: ($7.50) A, 9, 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: ($7.50) Q (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $4, Hero raises $12, MP calls $8

River: ($31.50) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $18, MP calls $18

Total pot: $67.50

Results:
Hero had A, J (one pair, Aces).
MP didn't show A8
Outcome: Hero won $65.50


PF is kinda loose for me, but I plan to play postflop carefully.


Flop is interesting when he checks back. Not the wettest flop, but I dont think he ever checks back AK, AQ, or AT here. He may pot control a weaker Ax hand, check behind QQ, KK, all PPs not sets, maybe his sets, and I'd expect him to c-bet all his complete air on the perfect c-betting flop so I dont expect to see much of that. 78 would probably cbet but not always, KQ, KJ, QJ might go either way. Any 9X or TX hand he probably checks back a lot. 9T I'd definately expect him to cbet hoping I have an A.

On the turn, I pick up an OESD to go with my TP. I choose to go for a c/r here, because the board got a lot more drawy. His weak AX hands really need to bet now for protection, hands like QJ, TJ should bet, two diamonds will normally bet, especially weaker ones, and some of his complete air will fire off a bet since I've now shown weakness on two streets. Even his PPs may decide to bet for protection. So a LOT of his range will bet the turn meaning we wont miss our chance often, and most of his betting range will call, everything except his air I think. I really think I could have made my raise a bit bigger though because of this. He has a lot of TP and Pair + draw hands in his range, as well as draws without pairs that will often call. KJ beats us, and QT may have got there. Thats about it thats ahead of us (other than his sets), and if he raises us we can evaluate whether we have odds to call or not. I expect calls a LOT.

Note we dont have a lot of nut hands in our range either. He'd expect us to lead turn with most of them for protection, so infact he's going to assume we have a draw a lot. Much the same kind of range we gave him without the weak Ax hands. TJ, QJ, 78, two diamonds, etc.

When the river bricks, I think the lead is pretty standard. At slightly over half pot, when he considers a lot of our range to be missed draws, or smallish pairs with missed draws, I expect a call from any A and probably any Q, maybe even wider. My nut range is so tight and my weak range so wide that its almost impossible for him to fold a pair here, and again very few of his hands beat me. KJ is probably the only one he wouldnt have raised turn with. Its probably still a b/f situation, but I definately expect him to call a lot and not raise or fold much at all.

So we've not only considered his range and how we compare v's it (1st level), but we've also considered our own range, and what we're representing (2nd level). By taking a strong line, with a medium strength hand, that looks like a weak range we get good value from a hand we may normally have only gotten smaller value from. Previously I may have just gone for a c/c, c/c line on turn/river and only got the one turn bet out of him.