AA vs KQ Trap Question!

Howdy Y'all...still recovering from another card session...


Here's a hand that I keep replaying and replaying in my head, not because it was a bad beat for me, but I believe it could have been one of the most critical laydowns I could have made, but failed to put my 'gun back in the holster'!!!


I was playing in the $5,200 Supersatellite; i've only rebought once; I was confident in my reads and my cards. There were about 13 players left and paying about 6 spots or so.


Blinds were 200-400

I was a less than average stack with 3500.

Largest stack had at least 10,000.

Blinds are posted and I find KQ one off the button.


Player UTG limps in for $400. Everyone else folds to me. I find _KdQh_. Now at this point, when I saw UTG limp in, I knew I had to be careful; I knew he had a strong hand. For that reason, I decided NOT to raise and call the $400 blind, to see what the flop would bring. Button folds, SB folds, BB checks.


Flop comes _Kh 5d 2d_. Great looking flop for KQ in an unraised pot, right? Well, UTG seemed to like it and he fires in $2000 immediately. Now I KNOW he has got a monster now. However, out of impulse(and almost panic), I disregard the fact that he may have AA, AK, or KK, and shove my whole stack in, for about another 1200 or so. OH NO!!!!


UTG actually thinks for a couple seconds, shakes his head and calls. Now i'm thinking I may have actually won this pot. He shows me two aces and takes me out of the running. He holds his heart after the river, thinking I had slowplayed KK against him or had the nut flush draw after I had moved all in. I was SO CLOSE to folding because I knew he had a monster, but my impulse took over and I pulled the trigger on myself.


My question is this: should I have raised preflop with KQ at this point? Because If I had raised to say, $1200, 3x BB, UTG had lots of options. He could have reraised all in, in which case I would have folded easily, but he could have slowplayed me and gotten me anyway.


I was disappointed that I had not had the discipline to fold the KQ there, but do any of you feel this hand could have been played better?


Thanks in advance!


Misctwo.

", I knew I had to be careful; I knew he had a strong hand. "


If you really know this, and you're not second-guessing yourself, then trust your read and pass.


Andy.

If your read was that you were worried about the UTG limper then you should have folded pre-flop. When I get to a smallish stack like you had then I am very careful about limping in hands. At this point I tend to muck or raise. I probably muck in this situation. KQ is a stealing hand but at this point I would not raise with it after a limper.


On the flop you either believe you read or you don't. What can you beat when you raise all-in? You can only beat QQ or JJ and would he bet 2000 with QQ or JJ?


Ken Poklitar

I've always found it hard to trust my read and fold a good hand. It is much easier (for me, at least) to trust my read and call with a mediocre hand. However, we all must learn to read hands well, and to trust those reads. If you can't do that, then you are not going to be a great player. It is my greatest hurdle, that's for sure.


Also, in the present situation, and having played in a few of these supers myself, your read is almost automatic. Unless the UTG player is really weak, he is not limping with a mediocre hand in this spot. In fact, he should have raised with AA because he should have known that his limping in UTG was a huge tell. The only reason you can call with KQ (not that you should have) is that you know you can retrap him for all his chips if you outflop AA and KK. And, since you won't KNOW if a flop of KQx is great or terrible for you, you should fold KQ. 89s, a small pair, or the like would have been better, since it would be clear to you when you were ahead of AA, KK, and maybe QQ.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

You know, his odds of having AA are 220-1. And pairing up your kings, initially looks pretty good. If you look at it this way, you have a great hand!


But what hand could have been playing from this position? Would he make such a bet with QQ or JJ? Even though AA is 220-1, it's possible. What about AK? That still beats you. Or how about KK? See what's happening here! AdKd also gives him a four flush, if he has that! Think of what he could have that would win, consider his chip stack, consider his position, and consider how well he plays. It sucks mucking a hand like this especially if you later learn that you threw away the winner. That happens.


Good luck!

Yes i agree with you all that my reraise all in was a STUPID play, but it was my impulse and cost me a chance at the 5200.


Barring the bad all-in move, I find it difficult to fold KQ with no raisers; in some cases, it's correct to raise with it, right?


Thanks for your insights, and I may see you on 11/16 for the final supersat at the Woods. : )