2-3-5 NL, AK with nut flush draw

While playing 2-3-5 NL last night, I had two interesting hands where AK flopped a K and the nut flush draw. I was on both sides of it.


1: Five people call, and I call in the BB for $5 more with Qs8s. Flop comes KsTs4s. Here's hoping nobody has the nuts.... Marvin, agressive but tight with big raises, checks to me. I bet $30 into the $60 pot. Folded to Marvin, who check-raises $100 more. I instantly push in my $600 stack, and he calls, saying, "My ace is the only out," which apparently means he has a flush draw.


He turns over AsKd for top pair top kicker nut flush draw. He doesn't get there, and I double up.


2: I have AsKs (note the spade theme). Overly aggressive player who is running really good tonight opens for 40. Sam B calls right behind, and I make it $200, slightly overbetting the pot. Aggro player thinks for a while, and calls. Sam folds.


Flop comes KdJs6s. I hit well. He checks, I bet $300. He sits for a little bit and calls. Turn is 8d, he checks. I hesitate and check behind. River is 7c, he checks, I turn my hand over. He stares at it, grumbles, and turns over JJ for a set.


Comments?


- target

1: Not a lot of thinking here. Marvin I think can lay down his hand there, but didn't even consider it. I guess there's *some* chance I'm bluffing, but I *way* overbet the pot and he had me covered.


The last time we both just pushed in like that, I had KK for an overpair, and he had bottom two. I won that one too. /images/smile.gif


2: This one was interesting. I tried to put him on a hand, and there were a tiny number of hands he could have there. Before the flop, he's calling that huge a bet with a big or somewhat big pair, or AK. And that's it. He's not dumb enough to do it with AQ, and it seems really unlikely he'd do it with less than, say, TT.


And if he had AA, he would reraise before the flop, since the pot is so big. He might with KK as well. So I'm thinking he has KK-TT or AK.


On the flop (KdJs6s), he checks and calls. What's he going to do this with? If he has AK, I think he's committing calling the rest of my stack here. If he has QQ (unlikely as hell, since my hand is looking a lot like AK) or TT, I don't so much mind giving a free card -- there's only two that can hit him.


But at this point, I think he most likely has a set. That call on the flop is scary. Either he thinks I way out on a limb bluffing, which is really weird in that situation, or he is trapping with a huge hand, or he has AK. So I take the free card, and hope I flush.


I'm glad he didn't bet out on the river. That would have been an annoying call to have to make. I'm pretty sure I would have laid it down, but one does make stupid mistakes in the heat of the moment.


What do you guys think?


- target

Sounds like overly aggressive player is the perfect guy to play against. He will bet out trying to take pots with weak or moderately good hands, and he will check it to you three times, when he holds a monster. By checking he risked his whole stack, as he probably would have forced himself to call if the spade falls, giving that he plays this way.


There is a guy on Ultimate bet in the nolimit and pot limit games very similar. Yesterday i saw him raise the 50c blind to $25 with 73 suited in middle position, and then moments later raise 50c with AA. PLayers who push the bad hands on bluffs but try to slwoplay monsters are the ATM of big bet poker.

Hand #1 - pretty sweet hand. Your only real decision is how much you want to re-raise Marvin. since he called you obviously made the correct decision to put him all-in.


Hand #2 - Classic illustration of the difference between limit and no-limit. In limit poker you have no brainer value bet on the turn. I think you played it well by checking on the turn. It may have saved your stack. I think you were lucky not to face a bet on the river. The guy can't be afraid of 9-10 and even a mediocre player would almost sureley bet the turn with KK and that board.