Hand converted with online PokerStrategy.com hand converter:
$0.1/$0.25 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
Known players:
[tg]MP3$34.64:///////;CO$5.00:///////;BU(Hero)$42.54:///////;SB$32.35:///////;BB$43.59:///////;MP2$17.02:///////;[/tg]
Preflop: Hero is BU with T:d, K:h.
3 folds, Hero raises to $1.00, SB raises to $3.00, BB folds, Hero calls $2.00.
Flop: ($6.25) 9:h, A:c, Q:c (2 players)
SB bets $4.50, Hero calls $4.50.
Turn: ($15.25) K:d (2 players)
SB bets $10.50, Hero calls $10.50.
River: ($36.25) 3:c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: $36.25.
Results follow:
Villain is super aggressive in blinds, often 3betting my steals both in SB and BB by this point in our short history (3bet vs steal: 43% in SB (7) 33% in BB (15)). Cbet 88% as pfr. Got the feeling he had me pegged as stealing loosly (True ♦ ) and was almost automatically restealing but no certain reads until this hand.
I can't like this board but given villain is c-betting almost every flop, I will call. The turn brings a pair and I still have the g/shot so I call a 2nd barel. I think river check is fine since no worse hand is calling on this board.
Main question - aside from specifics of this hand - is how to play against a player who defends his blinds really hard by auto-3betting our steals? Are we better off calling or must we 4bet more loosely? I 4bet a few hands earlier with QQ and he folded, but regularly 4betting with the marginal hands I might steal with, like suited connectors, and building $9+ pots seems a little frightening. It also means he wins a ton by pushing against my 4bets if I have to fold.
