Top set with possible straight...

[DOMIT]

OK, I'm getting beat enough lately that I'm wondering if I'm playing some of these wrong. I played too much yesterday to get the hand history, so I don't recall suits but that's unimportant here.

25NL on Party. I'm UTG+1 I think. Villian is UTG+2, directly to my left either way. I just have started the table, so no read and have 24.50 (I posted in late position). Villian has me covered.

I have KK and make it $3 to go. Villian calls and we take the flop HU. Flop is KQT giving me top set (rainbow if I recall correctly).

Perhaps I give my competition too much credit, but I put him either on another wired pair or AK, maybe AQs. I'm hoping he has AK or QQ, so I push looking for him to want to call (so many on Party get trapped with AK and are all-in even with huge betting).

Villian calls and shows down AJo for the flopped straight.

So first question, I suppose is should I not push? I'm all-in either way, I think, as I have top set. If he pushes, I'm calling, as he could make this move with QQ, TT, and maybe JJ.

Second question is, what's the deal with AJ, suited or not? I'm getting killed lately with it. Short stack pushed for $4.5 with AJ, I have AKs in last position, so I call him. He gets JJ on the board and doubles through me. There's more, but I'm sure you've "been there, done that".

/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[kpux]

When you bet $20 into a $6 pot, you're almost always only going to get called by the straight. Plus, if he had QQ, wouldn't he have reraised preflop?

I hate this push, rarely are you going to get called by hands that you beat. I would bet about the size of the pot, maybe 2/3 the pot. This way, you'll get called by the AQ, AK, and QQ's.

Also, many weak party players will try to slowplay the AJ here, if the board pairs you're golden and can double up on him, instead of getting all your money in with the second best hand.

[SlyAK]

I would bet the pot on the flop, and call an all-in. (Obviously I'm not folding top set HU). The reason I dont like the all-in is because it could force the opponent to fold a hand like KJ or AK (well I doubt it at Party $25 but you never know).
Obviously you want these type of hands to call.

It was just bad luck to be against the straight as you know. You are right about AJ being lucky lately. Last night I saw a $500 pot where I guy had AJ on a flop of AQJ... he turned a 2nd Jack, and beat a guy who had AQ and a guy with QJ....

Anyway, better luck next time.

Sly

[DOMIT]

[ QUOTE ]
When you bet $20 into a $6 pot, you're almost always only going to get called by the straight. Plus, if he had QQ, wouldn't he have reraised preflop?

I hate this push, rarely are you going to get called by hands that you beat. I would bet about the size of the pot, maybe 2/3 the pot. This way, you'll get called by the AQ, AK, and QQ's.

Also, many weak party players will try to slowplay the AJ here, if the board pairs you're golden and can double up on him, instead of getting all your money in with the second best hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK, I can see your point, I was basically going on the hands that I thought he might have. I have been called plenty of times by AA and AK, and I'd have to believe that QQ and TT call here too, that I thought there were enough ranges of hands that would call to make it profitable.

Now, beyond that, say I bet $4 into the $6 pot, making it $10, leaving me with $17. Say my opponent puts me on a flopped pair and shoves (he had me covered, so he's putting me all-in). So, for me anyway, there's the 10 in the pot from my bet and our preflop bets, plus the addition 17 that puts me all-in, making 27 I can win vs the 17 that I have left. I'm getting 1.6-1 on the call, on a 1.86, about 2-1 to fill. In other words, if I bet the $4 and he puts me all-in, do I always call? For this amount of money, I think it's an easy "yes". But what about if the money is deeper. Say I'm only getting 1-1 on my call.. would I still call, based on the probability that it's 75-1 to him to have flopped a straight?

Thanks for the feedback /images/graemlins/smile.gif