DECISION POINT: In a loose and passive live $1/$2 cash game you've managed to chip up to $400 and most of the table is sitting with around $200. You are dealt A♦K♦ in the Hijack position, the Under the Gun player and MP2 limp, and you raise to $16. The Button and both limpers call. The K♣6♣2♦ flop is checked to you and you bet $26. The Button folds, the UTG player check-raises to $100, MP2 folds and action is back on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing a very loose, passive $1/$2 live cash game and have managed to chip up to $400. The majority of stacks are sitting at around $200, with the exception of UTG who starts the hand with $340. Play has been very passive from our opponents with lots of limping and calling both preflop and postflop. The UTG and MP2 players both limp and we are dealt A♦K♦ in the Hijack seat.

Against this UTG limp we have a clear raise as our hand is well ahead of our opponent’s likely preflop limping ranges. In loose/passive games such as this we often have to size up preflop raises a bit. Using a larger sizing increases the chances of thinning the field and also punishes opponents who call too wide preflop, as we are likely to have a significant equity edge over those limp/call ranges. Unfortunately, we are unable to significantly thin the field as the Button, UTG, and MP2 each call the 8x raise.

The flop is K♣6♣2♦ and both UTG and MP2 check. We likely have the best hand with top pair and top kicker plus a backdoor flush draw. In multiway pots our default c-bet sizing is around 33%-40% of the pot. Continuation betting is preferred in this spot because we have significant equity and for some degree of protection. We bet $26, the Button folds, and UTG check-raises to $100. MP2 elects to fold and action is back on us.

Against aggressive, GTO-style opponents, our top pair with top kicker and backdoor flush draw have too much equity to fold in this spot. However, in this case we are playing against very loose/passive players who have almost exclusively been just checking and calling. In these loose/passive games our opponents are likely to check-raise with a very narrow range. Most of these types of opponents are not capable of bluffing very often, if at all, and are usually content to just check and call with their draws.

It is important to note that four players saw the flop which makes it far more likely that someone could hit a big hand. In addition, players that are particularly passive tend to play quite straightforward in multiway pots. While there is some possibility we have the best hand, the far more likely scenario against this type of player is that they hit a huge hand and we’re drawing extremely thin. The most likely big hands for UTG are sets, with some 2-pair combinations also possible.

It’s very important in these low stakes cash games that we’re able to exploitatively adjust to our opponents to win more money when we’re ahead and lose less when we’re behind.

Folding is the best play.