AQs for two bets

2 limpers, a raise, a call and I call on the button with AQs. The bb calls.


flop= Ac,7d,3c (none of my suit). The pre-flop raiser bets, another calls, I call, and the bb calls.


turn= 9h. bb bets, the pre-flop raiser calls, now the next guy raises, I call two cold, the bb calls, and the raiser calls.


river= A. bb bets, raiser folds, next guy raises, I fold and bb calls. One guy has 3's full and the other A3. Where did I go wrong?

Preflop, your cold call is probably best.


Raise the flop, because you have three players between you and the bettor and the pot is bloated.


On the turn, cold calling is the worst option. You should 3-bet or fold. The more sane your opponents are the more you should lean to a fold, because you start running out of aces to put them on, which starts pointing you to sets.

If you decide to 3-bet the turn and it's 4-bet, then you can probably safely fold, and if they back off then you check it down on the river unless you improve considerably.


The river is a similar situation to the turn, except that the ace crunch is now severe. There is only one ace to give one of them, so it smells like the other player has a set. Would the big blind make a desperation bet with 97? Would the raiser make a value raise with A2 because you have shown no strength? Would the raiser make a bluff raise with TT because he thinks the bettor has no ace and you will lay down your ace? Calling is the safest play against Looney Tunes, though you can make a good laydown against sane opponents.

Three bets before the flop. You might drive the blinds out.

Thank you Abdul-


I chose to cold call on the flop (ala Mason?) in order to wait for the turn. The pot was big enough to where most draws would've been correct to call even had I raised the flop. There was also the chance I was beat. But if a safe card came on the turn, I'd have raised hoping to check it down while charging draws the max. If a flush turned, I thought I'd save money.


I very much agree with you about the lack of aces. However, I called the two cold on the turn because my hand was never properly defined. I felt it was quite possible a worse ace could've made this raise not realizing the strength of my hand. It was also entirely possible that I was beat, but by a hand which I still had sufficient outs to try to draw out on.


On the river, there was little chance my hand was any good for a bet and another raise. I just hated the way this hand turned out from beginning to end. Thanks for your input.

Where did you go wrong?


Preflop, except it wouldn't have mattered anyway because the guy IN FRONT of you called 2 bets cold w/A-3, flopped 2 pair, and then rivered a boat, while the bb was allowed to stay in the pot with a crappy little pocket pair, flopped a set, and rivered a boat.


If the winner had been on your RIGHT, well, then, your flat call preflop would have been what would've cost you the pot, because, well, you'd have lost him and the bb by 3-betting (one might hope).


I consider AQs a 3-bet hand against all but the VERY tightest players.

Although with AQs its OK to smooth call pre flop to get a multi-way pot, in this hand Iwould raise. You are on the button & want to assert that you are in control & you may force a hand like 33 or A3 to fold to 3 bets.


You must raise the flop. There are 2 clubs on the board & you want to make it expensive for drawing hands. If you get reraised, then there is a good chance that you are already behind &

would fold here, or on the turn, if not significantly improved.


I would not call 2 bets cold on the turn. With this board somebody certainly beats a pair of As.

I agree with much of your analysis, although I don't believe re-raising pre-flop is mandatory. Letting weaker hands play, is a chance you can take with a big multi-way hand yourself. As for taking control- It's not likely I'm going to wrestle control away from a better hand such as AA. The same hold true for AK,KK and QQ if they get a likeable flop.


You must raise the flop. There are 2 clubs on the board & you want to make it expensive for drawing hands.


You have a strong point. But the reason I just called the flop was precisely because of the clubs and to make it MORE expensive for draws on the turn (assuming I got a card I liked). Making a flush draw call two cold on the expensive street is decidedly more expensive than calling two cold on the flop.


If you get reraised, then there is a good chance that you are already behind &

would fold here, or on the turn, if not significantly improved.


Now this is all well and good in theory, but now the pot is pretty big to be making an incorrect fold. This would be especially true if I had 3-bet pre-flop as you suggest. Even if you are beat... It might be by a hand such as two-pair, which you have outs to.


Anyway, I might be just babbling "what if's". The fact that I didn't raise on the flop caused me to call the two cold on the turn. It was a loose/aggressive game and entirely possible that a worse hand than mine had raised in front of me, not worrying about me because I never properly defined my hand. All in all, this hand was a mess. Thanks for your input. It was helpful.