Critique JJ in EP

[Redd]

I've been playing my $10 free from Pacific at $.05/.10, and I seem to be slowly bleeding money. This particular hand had me wondering if I played it right. Sorry, no pretty convertor for Pacific, but we proved we can get by without it last week, right?

(8 Players $.05/.10) Table is full of very passive, fairly loose calling stations.

Hero has J/images/graemlins/club.gif J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif UTG. <font color="red"> Hero raises</font> , two limpers to Hero's immediate left and small blind call.

Flop comes 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. SB checks, <font color="red"> Hero bets</font>, both limpers call, SB calls

<font color="blue"> Mr. Miller says to protect weaker hands. And Mr. Jones says sometimes it's wise to raise for information. Plus, these guys will limp with anything , so there's a fair chance that there's no ace among the three of them? </font>

Turn comes A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. SB checks, <font color="red"> Hero bets</font>, both limpers call, SB calls.

<font color="blue"> Here I decide that if anyone had another ace, I would have probably seen some action on the flop. I would fold to a raise, but likely have the best hand and I might force some hands out that may hit the river. So I keep on trucking.</font>

River comes 5/images/graemlins/club.gif. SB Checks, <font color="red"> Hero bets</font>, <font color="red"> limper 1 raises</font>, limper 2 folds, SB calls, Hero (crying) calls.

I'm new, and I'm unsure about pretty much well every street in this hand. I wonder if I should have tried a flop checkraise, or backed off on the turn or river? Or something else?

I'm thinking that my (primary) money leak may be due to playing aggressively on a scary board because nobody else shows any strength. I wait until I have a premium hand and everyone calls to me while I bet every street for fear of my good hand being checked around, then I assume the calling stations are holding out for a weak draw. However, it seems like they're just playing passively to my raises with playable hands often enough to cost me. I don't see many hands like that on the forums - is this just a side effect of the passive microlimits, or am I exhibiting LAGish behavior with lines like this?

[Chris Daddy Cool]

you played this hand fine.

no you shouldn't checkraise this flop because it's not clear whether or not there will be a bet and your hand is vurnurable, so a free card sucks and just because an A flops there's no real reason to believe you are behind.

turn bet is good as well.

river is interesting as you got raised on a blank and the sb coldcalled two best on the river. this is a sign of either one or two things in this order:
a) dude has an A and was waiting till the river to pop you.
b) the delayed bluff

depending on how likely you think b is, you can make this call or fold. so comapre how often you think he's bluffing versus the size of the pot and you have a judement call on what your action should be.

[Redd]

Well, it makes me feel better that I played it all right. Villain turned over a surprising AKo, leaving me even more confused why he backed off on the flop. Many thanks for your input.

[fflyer]

Because he's an idiot who thinks it is better to trick his opponents than to win money. You feel a bit daft when your opponent slow plays his AA, AK to beat you, but in the long run he will be losing through playing this way.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

[ QUOTE ]
You feel a bit daft when your opponent slow plays his AA, AK to beat you, but in the long run he will be losing through playing this way.

[/ QUOTE ]

the opponent didn't play as badly as you would think postflop. he's likely way ahead and doesn't want to stop his opponent from betting a weaker hand like, say, JJ, and he certainly doesn't want JJ to fold on this board.

[fflyer]

Firstly, I would raise before the flop with AK to limit the field. Secondly, he has three opponents after the flop. He should be raising for value and to drive out hands that might otherwise stay in and outdraw him. I can see the merit of slow playing the flop HU, but not with so many other players still in.