This certainly isn’t a typical spot for a bluff. It really looks like you’re up against a hand that doesn’t want to put the chips in first, but will be willing to put them in second. It also seems like it’s tough to sell much of a hand here, unless you’re trying to represent an ace that played pot control. A monster would probably bet the turn given the preflop and flop action, and a non-ace mediocre hand is going to have a hard time justifying a bet for value.

What actually happened: Hastings pushed and MSampoerna called, showing AQ to win the pot

Four-bet preflop was terrible…cbet on the flop was reasonable…once called the hand is over. Check the river and deal next hand.

You dont turn a flush draw.

If youre in this spot though I think you’ve definitely got to give up. If youre oppenent is willing to flat call the flop and put half the available money into the middle I dont think hes going away.

AK or AQ is a very high possibility. But given your aggressive image he may even call you down with Kings or Queens.

what kind of missed draw did we have? ……….

I never understand why these high stake players play so loose. I mean suited connectors or whatever junk hand are occasionally raised for deceptive purposes but constant trickery just turns into a huge leak in your game

or maybe I’m just not at their level yet..

I don’t play heads up often, or high stakes, so feel free to laugh.

Maybe after checking both the turn and river, he will fold to a pot-sized bet(in other words, a push)at least 50% of the time? Any more than 50% makes it + EV.

We now know he had AQ, but all that we knew then was that he called a less than half-pot sized c-bet, on the flop, from a player he sees as aggressive. Then he checked two streets down.

Also, in the quiz, it looks like the 4 of diamonds was supposed to be a 4 of spades?

Help me understand this? Who 4-bets a re-raise with 96s?

This seems more like chicken than poker.

sorry folks, the 4d should have been a 4s. i’ve changed it now.

On another note, I think opening for 3 x the BB in cash games - especially heads up - is a bad risk/reward situation. In fact I only do it in tourneys after the ante kicks in.

I always min-raise or fold in heads up matches. If I get reraised I throw away garbage like 96s. That is certainly a raising hand, but with a min-raise I can let it go for a reraise.

Playing this way allows me to steal cheaper and keeps me from getting committed to seeing a flop with hands like 96s, and keeps me out of this ugly situation. As soon as the opponent sees that I also min-raise with premium hands they respect it just as much as a 3x raise so there is no need to risk more (since most opening hands are far from premium playing heads up).

By the way, low and medium stakes heads up cash games are sucker games. The only one who wins is the poker room.

Gotta let it go. You tried an aggressive tricky move, didnt work out. You tried to sell it through the flop, but he let you know his hand is for real. At this point, youre either going to lose the rest of your stack, or lose your pride when he sees your 9/6. Better the pride.

Can someone please let me know where Brian Hastings plays online? Seems like easy money to me.

Are all HU players such donks?

What level are you guys playing at? Do you know who Hastings is? the 4-bet pre flop with 6-9 is something called balancing a range because against opponents that actually know what they are doing it is important. The game is about putting oponents on hands, if u only 4-bet with QQ+ your hand is turned over. Good poker?!? Having said that, at low/mid stakes fish pay u off anyways, so you are all maybe right to a degree. Understand it is high stakes though, obviously 6-9 isn’t a premium HU hand.

>> the 4-bet pre flop with 6-9 is something called balancing a range because against opponents that actually know what they are doing it is important.

$20k to improve your image?

That just seems stupid, you don’t win money by losing your entire stack - quite the opposite!

Look i realise that HU poker is played different, but this is just sheer lunacy. This is how I would play poker if i was totally drunk with a $2 buy in.