here we go with an AQ hand again

15-30 not great game, but still playable for sure.


8 handed and an aggressive loose (raised early earlier with 75s) asian lady waiting for her 40-80 seat openraises in middle position, i 3 bet from the sb with AhQh and everyone else folds, she 4 bets it and i call. she's been watching me and ive been playing very aggressively as well so we've got each other's number to at least some extent.


the flop is AsTd4c rainbow none of my suit. i check, she bets, i call.


the turn is a Js. i check, she bets, i call.


the river is 5h. i bet.


comments?

Admittedly, there isn't a whole lot you can beat, but since you are unlikely to be raised, your river bet might get a call from KK or QQ. If you check, she will likely check also. Good play.

After playing passively on the flop on the turn by just check- calling, your bet on the river with a rag coming off is difficult to understand. If you think you are ahead, you should have raised earlier not to give a free card. If you let her bet on earlier rounds knowing you are ahead, give her the opportunity to do it again on the river. She is not gonig to call with less than AK. And if you think she is ahead because she capped pre-flop, you have already waisted 1.5 big bets and are waisting another one because she is not going to fold.

"If you think you are ahead, you should have raised earlier not to give a free card."


i disagree. raising gives away my hand and it will force her to fold a weaker pair and possibly weaker A. and i could be reraised. she would probably make it 3 bets with AK here on the turn. i was not very worried about her having a better hand, but i was concerned with tipping the fact that i had an A and her folding.


"If you let her bet on earlier rounds knowing you are ahead, give her the opportunity to do it again on the river."


if she has a hand i beat (pretty likely) then she will not bet the river but she will call my river bet out of confusion and curiosity.


"She is not gonig to call with less than AK."


you are wrong about this. sorry.

What weaker ace would she cap with before the flop?

any suited A? i dont know. how can you read a player who normally plays those nutty 40-80 games and raises early position preflop with 75s and so on?


she probably had KK, QQ, 99, KJ, QJ, KT, or something else because when i bet the river she called and my hand was good.

Typically my approach would be to find out where I stand in terms of the relative strength of my ace on the flop, rather than check and call, check and call, then bet the river. I have two questions (niether of which I am asking sarcastically, I am honestly curious):


1. Would she fold if you bet into her on the flop, turn and river? Same amount of money, and you might know where you stood earlier.


2. What would you do if she raised you on the river? Would you make a crying call, or toss your hand?

these are good questions.


"1. Would she fold if you bet into her on the flop, turn and river?"


well it's hard to know for sure, but my guess is if i bet the flop she might raise on the flop and then take a free card on the turn and either call or fold the river. i dont like that, i want more value from my hand than that. if i 3 bet the flop or checkraise i think i make my hand pretty clear and ill only get future action from a hand that has me tied or beat. i dont like that either, i want to get to a showdown with my AQ here.


if i bet into her on the flop and she raises and i just call i think she may take a free turn card. if she bets the turn after i call her turn raise and i checkraise her than i think again i make it to easy for he to fold her hand if she's beat but she can make a tricky 3 bet with a weaker A, some draws w/ pairs, and of course all the hands that beat me and i probably have to pay her off. that's very bad all around.


"2. What would you do if she raised you on the river? Would you make a crying call, or toss your hand?"


i think id have to call due to pot size and the fact that im sure she is capable of a river bluff raise or raise with weaker hand to get a better hand to fold.

This play is very strange and unique. I know you have talked about not betting the A high board when you have a big A since your opponent is likely to only have two or three outs. It also gives you protection when you have KK or QQ and the flop comes A high. It won't be so easy to put you on a hand.


I think your play is good. However, I would recommend raising the turn if a better card than a jack came as a general rule. Make these players laydown whatever they have. You will probably find most can't.


However, your play is good also.


I don't like checking with multiple players in however. Okay, that's pretty obvious.


I going to incorporate more of this into my play.


Good post.