DECISION POINT: You are early in a live $1/$2 cash game session and have observed the UTG player as being extremely loose and wild. The UTG player comes in with a straddle, the MP1 and Hijack players call. You call from the Button with 2♦3♦, both Blinds call, and UTG checks. The 4♣5♠Q♥ flop gets checked around. On the 6♦ turn it checks to UTG who bets pot ($24) and both MP1 and Hijack fold.

Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing in a 9-handed $1/$2 cash game. Although we just recently sat down, we have history with the UTG player and identified them as wild and loose, frequently making big bluffs and big plays at the pot. This player is in UTG to start the hand and comes in for a straddle, which means they posted a raise under the gun before the cards were even dealt. UTG+1 folds but MP1 and Hijack both call. Action is on us on the Button with 2d3d.

In this spot with multiple players in the pot, and in particular the aggressive straddler in UTG, we really want speculative hands. These combos can flop hard equity and make big hands such as flushes, straights, and sets so that when we do hit postflop we can have the kind of holding that can withstand or even welcome large bets. We do call and both blinds come along with the UTG player checking their option from the UTG straddle.

The flop is 4c5sQh and action checks to us. This is a spot where in a game with more straightforward players a small bet would be recommended with this 8 out draw. If we hit an ace or a 6 we can be very confident our hand is best, and betting potentially allows for a free card on the river if we miss on the turn and action checks around. This game, however, is not full of straightforward players.

We have a hyper aggressive player involved and one of the worst things that can happen is we bet and get raised big and have to fold a hand that potentially has a good implied odds. Given the UTG player's observed tendencies and our specific draw, in game we elect to check as well.

The turn is the 6d completing a rainbow board and giving us a straight. Both Blinds check, UTG bets $24, MP1 and Hijack fold and action is back on us. This is a spot where under normal circumstances a player that checked the flop then bets full pot on the turn in a 6-way pot likely has a some type of hand, and we can often just raise now for value.

It can be hard to get all the chips in on the river without a raise on the turn in particular given these deep stacks, and against unknown opposition our default would be to raise this turn.

In this situation however, we're not up against an unfamiliar opponent. Since we know the UTG player is very aggressive and loves to make big bluffs, it’s likely they have an above average amount of bluffs in their range and we want to keep those hands in so they can bluff again on the river.

This spot also has the added bonus that one or both of the blinds could come along getting 3:1 in a situation where they are likely drawing to a few outs, at best.

Calling is the best play.