AK n BB and an odd line

[Shillx]

Playing the jackpot tables like I always do. The play is pretty lose and the pots are big since the JP is bigger then normal. Preflop raiser is a loose-passive (50/3/1) over about 125 hands. He only goes to a showdown about 20% of the time, so he can let go post-flop. The SB is a TA-N (17/7/2) who is more ABC then the typical TAG. Everyone else is playing pretty loose-passive postflop with moderate aggression preflop.

I'm running at about 10/6/2 if that makes any kind of difference. People generally don't give me too much respect when I bet/raise (that is a good thing). /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Superhero is BB with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, SB calls, Superhero calls, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls.

Flop: (10 SB) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/club.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(6 players)</font>
SB checks, Superhero checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Superhero 3-bets</font>, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, CO folds, SB calls.

Turn: (8.50 BB) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Superhero bets</font>, SB calls.

River: (10.50 BB) 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, Superhero checks.

Final Pot: 10.50 BB

Good, bad or ugly? Any and all comments appreciated.

Brad

[Russ McGinley]

I would have gone ahead and raised preflop. You might have been able to get rid of a limper or two. I think the check on the end is okay. Unless he also has AK, he's not going anywhere. I'd put him on QQ.

[Nick C]

CO doesn't raise much preflop, and SB is tight and not that tricky. So when SB checkraises and it comes back two to me, I'm thinking I'm probably behind either CO or SB, if not both. However, I'm not going to assume either has AA or KK, so I'm not ready to give up yet with my collection of weak draws (overcards, backdoor flush, backdoor straight).

I probably would just call instead of raising, but I do see some potential advantages to the check/3-bet. For instance, if CO also has AK, well, that means there are two fewer cards in the deck for me to catch than I'd like for there to be, but at least if I can drive CO out, I can avoid a chop with him if one of those cards does fall. Also, if I can get heads-up, maybe there's some hope of pushing SB off of his 88 or 99 or whatever, later in the hand. Plus, check/3-bets are scary, so maybe I can slow everyone down and see the rest of the hand more cheaply than I would have been able to otherwise, even out of position. And if by some chance I get a better hand to fold and end up heads-up with a worse one, that's a great result.

The check/3-bet ends up buying me the button and gets me heads-up with a probable better hand. On the turn, though, I now potentially have 18 outs. There's a good chance I'm not a big underdog at this point, and when we add in the possibility that I'm ahead (a small possibility, I think) and the possibility that SB will give up and fold, figuring me for trips or a better overpair (I'm not very confident this will happen, but it seems possible), a bet could be a good idea. If I get checkraised, I'm not going to fold, but it's not a disaster either.

When SB calls and the river brings no help, I doubt betting again will do much good. SB has hung around this far and is very unlikely to fold a better hand now (maybe he'd fold A2, but that hand seems improbable).

I don't know how close I came to your thinking during the hand, but that's my interpretation of your postflop play.

[Shillx]

I'm mainly wondering because I like to call in the blinds with AK from time to time (and then check-raise the flop no matter what hits). There was little doubt that my hand is good here. The loose passive in this hand is pretty reasonable post-flop from what I can see, so if he caps or calls I know my hand is drawing. When he folds, I have to think that AK is the best hand.

So is not 3-betting preflop giving up too much? Or getting tricky like this worth it?

[Nick C]

[ QUOTE ]
There was little doubt that my hand is good here. The loose passive in this hand is pretty reasonable post-flop from what I can see, so if he caps or calls I know my hand is drawing. When he folds, I have to think that AK is the best hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, you're more experienced than I am. I'm curious why you weren't worried about the SB, though.

[Nick C]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm mainly wondering because I like to call in the blinds with AK from time to time (and then check-raise the flop no matter what hits).

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing you do abandon this plan on some flops, with five opponents, when there's a lot of action behind you after you check.

If not, then I'd much prefer to get my raise in preflop, before I know the flop is going to miss me. (But like I said, I suspect your postflop plan is more flexible than you made it sound.)

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

I don't understand this line. What are you trying to accomplish that wouldn't get done better by 3-betting preflop and leading the flop?

[Redeye]

I've really had a problem with a lot of posts where people say something should be done 100% of the time in certain situations. That being said, AKs in this situation should be raised near 100% of the time in this multiway pot. You are giving up way too much equity IMO not to raise here.
If only the loose passive raised and no one else was comming along, I would more feel more at ease with calling out of the blinds.

Since you didn't 3-bet, I think you should fold the flop. It's come back to you getting 6.5:1 not comming close to closing the action. You have 6 possible outs, but I would discount those a bit, and the board is paired also requiring you to discount your BD flush outs a bit. I think maybe you have 4-5 outs here and would fold on the flop.