A-J Play Mistake

Question on the play of hand I had last evening in a 15-30 game. Any and all constructive comments would be appreciated.


A solid, aggresive player in LP leads out pre-flop with a raise. I know the guy fairly well. I 3-bet with A-J offsuit in the cut-off. BB caps. The BB is also aggresive, but not solid to put it mildly. The BB has 3-bet and capped from the BB before in this and past games with a variety of hands from the nut down to A-x suited.


LP and I call. The flop comes A-K-blank rainbow. BB leads out, LP folds, and I just call. The turn is a queen. BB bets. At this point, I'm fairly sure that I'm drawing thin - probably just the 10's for 4 outs - because his lead on the turn with the A-K-Q on board and my pre-flop 3-bet has to have given the BB some sence that an A-rag on his part is no good. My own senses tell me to lay the A-J down, but the pot contains $240. I call.


This turn call of mine, based upon the significance of the pot, tends to be a trap for me.


In reviewing the hand on my drive home, I thought my simple call (i.e., no raise) on the flop and my call on the turn were mistakes. Yes? No? Maybe?


Steve C.


BTW - I make the 10 on the river, but that I think is irrelevent to my concerns about my play.

i think you should have mucked the AJ offsuit and not called a raise with it, especially when the BB reraised......you should have some feel that you are the underdog in the hand...

I don't like calling raises cold with A-J offsuit.

One in a while you hit, but you lose too much too often.

"BTW - I make the 10 on the river, but that I think is irrelevent to my concerns about my play."


Hitting it may be irrelevent but the outs you had to it were very signifigant. You might raise the turn and check the river if you miss. Your raise will look very terifying and you want to show down anyway by this point.


D.

Pre-flop and flop, your play is correct.


Turn, depends on the opponent, but I would always call here, and make a decision on the river. This would be one of those spots that you might win a no-bet showdown, in addition to hitting a 10. So I think calling is nearly automatic. There are 8 big bets in the pot, and there's a chance you are ahead or tied, or that a K will split the pot for you.


Dan Z.

I think the flop and turn calls are fine, given your overaggressive opponent. Seems like a pretty classic way ahead or way behind scenario, where your raise probably only scares off worse hands or opens the door to a reraise from a better hand, costing you money either way. Well played.