DECISION POINT: In a loose and aggressive $1/$3 cash game with players splashing around while limping, calling, and raising often, you are dealt 3♠3♦ in Middle Position. The UTG+1 player limps, you call and the Cutoff raises to $15. The Button and Blinds fold and you call, as does the player in the UTG+1 seat. The flop is K♣3♥9♣ and the Early Position player leads out $35, you raise to $105, and both the Cutoff and UTG+1 call. On the Q♣ turn UTG+1 checks and action is on you.

What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing a low stakes $1/$3 cash game. The game itself is fairly loose with lots of limping and the Cutoff at this table has been observed playing extremely loose and aggressive, often calling and raising with hands as weak as seven high. We are dealt 3♠3♦ in Middle Position. The UTG+1 player limps and we call behind.

Stacks are deep enough that calling will allow us the flexibility to call preflop a second time if the loose aggressive player raises. If stacks were a lot shallower we could consider just folding here with our read that the pot will often get raised, but with deeper stacks and someone who is more than willing to mix it up postflop our implied odds are quite high. The Cutoff does make it $15 and we call, as does UTG+1. The flop is K♣3♥9♣ and we hit a set.

Surprisingly, the UTG+1 player leads for $35. Assuming they’ve been paying attention, they would know it’s unlikely that the Cutoff is ever folding so leading here likely indicates some degree of strength. We could consider just flatting and then if the Cutoff raises, reraising to try and get as much money as possible in on the flop. However if the Cutoff decides to just call, any club, ten, jack, or queen on the turn can be a bit scary for both of us in this spot.

A raise now is unlikely to get both players to fold but it does build up the pot in a spot where we likely have the best hand and the most overall equity. We could make a case either way, but on a coordinated board such as this fastplaying big hands is often preferred, so we decide to raise to $105 and both opponents call.

The turn is the Q♣, which is one of the scarier cards in the deck and UTG+1 checks. Most players make the mistake of slowing down in this spot. Even when we’re behind here we usually have 10 outs to a full house or quads on the river. While the Cutoff can have a flush or a straight, their range also will contain a very wide range of hands given how loose they’ve been playing, including Kx hands with and without a club and a variety of other random combinations.

The UTG+1 player could have us beat as well but with only $230 behind we’re fairly content to get the rest of the chips in with a hand this strong that is fairly disguised. If we check, the Cutoff potentially has a chance to realize their equity with random combinations with one club or something like T9s/J9s that has a gut shot. While we've observed the Cutoff to be aggressive enough that checking could induce a bet, giving a free card here is catastrophic against much of their range.

The preference in this spot is to push our value against the Cutoff's wide range by betting and not giving a chance for a huge equity changing card to come on the river that may cost us the pot or prevent our opponents from continuing with worse.

Betting a size of between $175-$200 is the best play.