Stack sizes and flat calling with AA (long sorry)

10c/25c Pokerstars NL game, I pick up AA in the cutoff after 3 limpers, and i raise it to $2 (add a few zeros if you want it to be more interesting). The blinds drop and the UTG player reraises to $7. Everyone has has folded. He has $82 left and i have $91.


I have notes on this player that read as follows "tight preflop, but tends to overplay his hands, likes to limp reraise in early position with Aces and Kings...".


I flat called his raise hoping he would bet off his whole stack to me. This does run the risk that an A will flop (significantly reduced as i have 2 of them), but it also reduces the risk of going broke as i can get away if a K comes on the flop.


Anyway the flop comes 26T with 2 clubs (i have the Ac), and he bets $15 into the $14.85 pot (less rake). I consider reraising him allin here but to do so, i would have to overbet the pot significantly. So again i smooth call the bet and the pot is now $45. The Jd hits the board and he bets out for $30, now i decide to raise him allin for his last $37 which he is forced to call.


Of course a K hits the river and he takes the pot of the night, but the question is should i have tried to get him allin earlier? I'm not sure if he is capable of laying down Kings preflop, but he does know that i would not be taking big liberties against the only player at the table that can hurt me, so he may have folded to a big preflop raise. Also the fact i could accurately put him on a hand helped me make this move reducing my risk, while (i think anyway) increasing my potential to win a big pot.


Were the stack sizes to big for such a play? Ciaffone reccomends slowplaying the big pair preflop only when stack sizes are 2-4 times the current pot. Does the good read let you get away with making the play with bigger stack sizes? What if we each had a couple of hundred on the table?

You read him perfectly, played him perfectly, and he hit his 21:1 shot. You couldn't have avoided this, and you shouldn't have tried to do so. You don't want to tip off your hand and let him get off the hook here, not when he's this big of a dog. You simply must learn to accept this outcome (about 1 time in 22).


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Mr. Peterson,


I agree with Greg too, and just wanted to add that by calling you are disgusing your hand and your opponent will quite often misread you.


I was playing in a NL tournament where UTG limped in and I was the SB with pocket aces. It was early in the tournament, so I decided not to raise since it was only UTG and the BB. I call and the big blind raises. UTG calls, and I just call the raise, since there were only two opponents I thought this would give me a chance to win a big pot. The player in the BB was tight, so I put him on AK, AQ, KK, QQ, JJ as the most likely to raise with. The flop was As-8d-Qs. I checked from the small blind and to my delight, the big blind bet his whole stack. UTG folded and I called. The BB had pocket kings, but I think he put me on a possible flush draw. So, even with an ace on the flop, you can get them to bet their stack if it looks like you could be drawing to something. I believe that I would have not won much money if I had raised or check-raised preflop.


Good Luck


Mark

"So, even with an ace on the flop, you can get them to bet their stack if it looks like you could be drawing to something."


or, like in this case, your opponent is an idiot and doesn't know how to play tournaments.

I've just started playing PL tournaments, so far I'm losing of course and I'm making mistakes like this. Last week I got kicked out after slow playing KK on the button and losing to the BB with QTo who made his straight.


So, I've learnt that lesson now. I learnt it in a way that's engraved it in my mind more deeply than if I'd just read it in HPFAP.


So, I've got a lot more to learn and I know I'll enjoy learning it. But does that make me an idiot?

1-1-2 blinds NL -- The other night I had aces. Very aggressive player (VAP) raised 10 UTG, I decided to flat call right after him, mug in the big blind raised 20 more. VAP calls, I throw in a green chip, raising to 100. I have about 200 left in front of me, the mug has about 125 after he calls quickly (VAP folds). I'm now almost entirely certain he has kings, with a slight possibility of queens and AK.


Flop comes K Q 8. You gotta be kidding me.


The mug goes all in for his last 125. I think, come very close to mucking, but decide that it is possible he has AK and decide to call. He has the kings, and no help for me on the turn or river.


Should I have folded on the flop here? I know maybe the correct play is "gone all in preflop", but as we would have had the same result, I'm wondering if this way could have been cheaper in case it comes up again. I had decided if only one K or one Q came on the flop, I'd definitely call/raise all-in, as I couldn't put him on one of those two particular hands. But when both hit, I was almost certain I was drawing to 2 outs. Still, is folding the right move there, in case I'm wrong?


Thanks,

Max.

You're getting 3.35:1, which means that you need to win about 23% of the time to make a call correct. This means that you will have to be ahead on the flop about 23% of the time, since you have two outs if behind and he has two outs of behind.


AK: 6 ways

KK: 3 ways

QQ: 3 ways


I don't know the correct way to weight those combinations, since I don't really know how VAP plays. What I would recommend your doing is assigning them weights and then figuring out whether or not you're ahead a quarter of the time (remember to weight by consistency with both preflop and flop actions).


-Dan

I don't like the flat calling in this siuation as you are not heads up, and if anyone comes in behind you, you don't have position anymore.