$10 NL HE 6-max: Terrible call with KK?

[blueskies]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Stakes

$.05/$.10

Table Format

6-max (6 seats)

Currency

$

Villain opens to 26c from CO. I have KhKd on SB. I 3bet to 93c. I have villain marked as donky mcdonkmeister. He calls.

JsAsKc flop. I lead out $1.30 into $1.96 pot (not rake adjusted). He calls. It's about 2/3 pot non-rake-adjusted, but adjusted for rake it would be a larger bet.

Turn's Qc. I check. And he shoves.

Knowing how this guy plays, certainly can have a T. I also have seen him shove multiple times in the past with weak/medium strength hands. He would shove two pairs here. Even if he does have a T I still had outs. So I called.

It was a $7.36 call (he had under $10) into a $4.56 pot.

Cooler? Or did I just make another boneheaded call?

Spoiler

he had the most likely non-bluff hand, AhTs.

 

[mssmotilda]

I think you did everything right, and the check-call of the turn was the best decision. There will be a lot of bluffs and semi-bluffs here after your check of the turn. Your opponent will have a lot of hands with a pair plus a flush draw that he will want to push after your check, there will be 2 pairs and 2 sets below yours that he will push. And even if he has a ten, you have outs to get to a full house.

 

[steve01991]

i think you played it correct, too bad you didnt hit a boat.

 

[Suns of Beaches]

It's a very tough one but to call there can't be really terrible ever.

Not sure if donkmeister ever overshoves there with 2 pair...

 

[puzzlefish]

Turn shoves are usually strong at low stakes.

 

[Station_Master]

He called you pre with ATo what a fish!
But, your 3bet size is too small and will mean more continues (fine with KK but presumably you have bluffs too).
Turn is close, I think few people.are taking that line as a bluff at 10NL , so.probably fold is better.

 

[SpanRmonka]

He called you pre with ATo what a fish!
But, your 3bet size is too small and will mean more continues (fine with KK but presumably you have bluffs too).
Turn is close, I think few people.are taking that line as a bluff at 10NL , so.probably fold is better.

I think I tend to agree with this. Reads can be helpful but I don't think what you typed here helped you. Calling him a donkey, maybe persudes you to call more often. But, is he a very loose donkey, or just poor pre flop, does he make massive overbet bluffs. I tend to think most players don't at this level.

What I think happens sometimes when we label a player as bad, is we end up with a feeling of entitlement that we should beat them, and that can make us make bad decisions. Try to stick to notes that are more suggestive of actual play styles. Thee are loads of ways to be a donkey!! You don't have to beat him every time!

Finally, the fact that we see him make shoves with weak holdings doesn't mean he can here. What were the situations there.....right here, a weak player with a medium strength hand can easily just check back too, as your play looks like standard C bet, then check back a dangerous turn.

 

[Station_Master]

I think I tend to agree with this. Reads can be helpful but I don't think what you typed here helped you. Calling him a donkey, maybe persudes you to call more often. But, is he a very loose donkey, or just poor pre flop, does he make massive overbet bluffs. I tend to think most players don't at this level.

What I think happens sometimes when we label a player as bad, is we end up with a feeling of entitlement that we should beat them, and that can make us make bad decisions. Try to stick to notes that are more suggestive of actual play styles. Thee are loads of ways to be a donkey!! You don't have to beat him every time!

Finally, the fact that we see him make shoves with weak holdings doesn't mean he can here. What were the situations there.....right here, a weak player with a medium strength hand can easily just check back too, as your play looks like standard C bet, then check back a dangerous turn.

He is a bad player as he called ATo to a 3bet , that doesn't mean we need to call the shove

 

[SpanRmonka]

He is a bad player as he called ATo to a 3bet , that doesn't mean we need to call the shove

No it def doesn't. I was kind of suggesting that same thing.

Maybe not very clearly. What I'm trying to say in labeling someone as bad, potentailly, makes us more likely to want to call the shove, as we feel like we should trya nd beat him. Rather than making m=best decisions and waiting for our time!

 

[Aballinamion]

Villain opens to 26c from CO. I have KhKd on SB. I 3bet to 93c. I have villain marked as donky mcdonkmeister. He calls.

JsAsKc flop. I lead out $1.30 into $1.96 pot (not rake adjusted). He calls. It's about 2/3 pot non-rake-adjusted, but adjusted for rake it would be a larger bet.

Turn's Qc. I check. And he shoves.

Knowing how this guy plays, certainly can have a T. I also have seen him shove multiple times in the past with weak/medium strength hands. He would shove two pairs here. Even if he does have a T I still had outs. So I called.

It was a $7.36 call (he had under $10) into a $4.56 pot.

Cooler? Or did I just make another boneheaded call?

Spoiler

he had the most likely non-bluff hand, AhTs.

This is not a terrible call, given that your opponent is a maniac. But we must consider one thing: maniacs also hit their equities. Thus, given this board configuration it doesn't matter if villain is a loose maniac, a passive calling station or an average regular, we assume that players know how to read board texture and this is not the best turn to put up a bluff.
That being said, you had a pretty good situation where you hit a top set against a weak player. However, we didn't have position and the board wasn't on our side.
One the the principles of the cash games is to play in position against weaker players and, in this particular case we have a weak player, in fact, but we lack equity.
Make the combos calculations and equity calculation as well and we will get to the conclusion that is very hard to fold a top set against a maniac type player, but we must lay down our hands, no matter how strong they are when the board is not on our favor.
In this case we are considering two things: the overall relative equity of our hand and the player we are facing. However we must also put another variable that is the board texture.

 

[makisaa]

You risked and it just didn't work! Of course when he just calls your risings and then attacks more and shoves he would have the best. In your position with that flop I wouldn't bet so much, to examine if he had something better.

 

[EarnDAStack]

I think at low stakes you're going to be behind here most of the time. It's not a texture players are going to want to 1.5x bluff jam on. He might bet two pair here but do you really think he over bet shoves it?

With the range we're behind to and the frequency we are going to be shown that strong range I think we can lay this down without much afterthought. In spots where players don't have enough bluffs the proper adaptation is to over fold, even wild aren't going to overbet jam this spot to make calling with a bluff catcher profitable, which is what even a hand as good a trip Kings becomes with this turn.

GL

EDS

 

[Highfish]

Even it was not a check/raise on the turn, it reminds me a lot of the beluga theorem. Villain seems like a calling station too. If those players wake up on the turn be careful.

 

[Ship Knapped]

Preflop Analysis
Your hand: Pocket kings (𝐾♥𝐾♦K♥K♦) in the small blind is a premium holding.
Action: Villain raises from the cutoff to $0.26. You correctly 3-bet to $0.93, aiming to build the pot and isolate a likely weaker player. The sizing seems good for live play—big enough to discourage speculative hands, small enough to get action from worse hands in a loose game.
Villain type: As "Donky McDonkmeister," he will likely call 3-bets with a wide range of hands, including speculative hands like suited connectors and weak broadways. This is important for understanding postflop.
Flop Analysis
Board:
𝐽♠𝐴♠𝐾♣
J♠A♠K♣
Your equity:
You flopped top set, which is an exceptionally strong hand on this board.
However, it is a highly dynamic flop with straight and flush draw possibilities.
Action: Your $1.30 bet into $1.96 is about two-thirds pot (non-rake adjusted), which is reasonable for value.
Villain is unlikely to fold here, as his range includes hands like
𝐴𝑄,𝐴𝐽,𝑄♠𝑇♠,𝑇♠9♠,𝑄𝑇
AQ,AJ,Q♠T♠,T♠9♠,QT, and many other combinations that connect with this board.
Turn Analysis
Turn card:
𝑄♣Q♣
This is a problematic card. The board now reads
𝐽♠𝐴♠𝐾♣𝑄♣J♠A♠K♣Q♣, completing straights with 𝑇T and adding more flush draws.Your top set has dropped significantly in value because:
Straights now dominate you.
There are many two-pair combos that could shove.
The opponent may have picked up additional equity with hands like
𝑄♣𝑇♣Q♣T♣ or
𝐾𝑄
KQ.
Action:
Your check gives Villain the opportunity to shove. Given his aggressive tendencies, this is fine if you plan to call some of the time. However, leading out again for protection might have been better against this player type.
Decision Point: Villain's Shove
Pot odds:
You are calling $7.36 into a total pot of $11.92 (4.56+7.364.56+7.36).
pot odds:
7.36 11.92≈61.7%
11.9 27.36 ≈61.7%, meaning you need around 38.3% equity to make the call profitable.
Villain’s range:
Hands you beat:
Two-pairs like
𝐴𝐽,𝐴𝑄,𝐾𝑄AJ,AQ, KQ.
Combos of flush draws and straight draws (e.g.,
𝑄♣𝑇♣,𝑇♠9♠Q♣T♣,T♠9♠).
Bluffs with single-pair hands or random aggression.
Hands that beat you:
𝑇♣9♣,𝑇♠9♠,𝑇♣8♣T♣9♣,T♠9♠,T♣8♣ (straights).
Occasionally
𝑄𝑇
QT, if he plays loose enough to call preflop.
Sets are unlikely because Villain would likely 4-bet
𝐴𝐴,𝐽𝐽 AA, JJ preflop, and you block 𝐾𝐾.
Your equity vs. range:
Assuming Villain’s range includes straights, two-pairs, and some bluffs:
Top set’s equity against a mixed range: Around 40%-45% in most scenarios.
Your call is mathematically justified because your equity against his range is slightly above the required threshold of 38.3%.

Result and Context
If Villain had a
𝑇
T, it's a cooler.
If he was shoving weaker two-pairs or bluffing, your call was excellent.
Key Takeaways
Against Aggressive Players: It’s crucial to identify whether their aggression increases in specific spots (e.g., scare cards like the
𝑄♣Q♣).
Exploitative Adjustments:
If you know he overplays two pairs and weaker hands, calling is fine.
Consider betting the turn to control the pot and discourage shoves.
Avoid Results-Oriented Thinking: Regardless of the outcome, this call was not "boneheaded." Based on the information provided, you made a mathematically sound decision.