How should I have played this? AKs in SB...

[Go Blue]

So this is from a tourney on Stars a couple of days ago. I have a somewhat above average stack with the blinds 50/100. Still a good way to go until the money. Now with this situation, I KNOW that I didn't play it the way that everyone would have, and with hindsight, I prolly should have done something different, but I did want to try and extract some chips from this guy.

So I pick up A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifK /images/graemlins/diamond.gif in SB. I have around T3,500. UTG, who is also either first or second in chips in the whole tournament with about T11,000, raised to 200. It's folded aroud to me and I decide to just call and see what the flop brings. The BB folds. Flop comes something like A /images/graemlins/spade.gif9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. So I figure I must surely be ahead here, so I try and slowplay. I check, he checks.

Turn is 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I bet 240, he calls. River is a 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif (or another rag of spades, but I think a 3). I bet 400, he raises to 800, I call. He shows Q /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif for a flush. That REALLY pissed me off, becuase for one thing, I can't stand it when people raise with QTs or QJs and win. It's really not that good a hand in my opinion. But anyway, aside from that, what should I have done to and try get the most chips from this guy given the situation? And what did I do wrong here?

Thanks

[jslag]

You must bet the flop here.

On the turn, you are giving him 3-1 on his call. Since you checked the flop, he also may think his overs are good. Couple that with his implied odds, and his call is perfectly justified.

On the flop, I would have bet about 350-400. If I'm called, I'd lead out with a pot sized bet on that turn. If I'm called there again, I would have checked the river.

I don't think the preflop call is bad, but you also could have re-raised to about 600 to see where you stand. He's likely folding out QTs to a re-raise.

J.

[Lloyd]

I usually don't mind calling the raise out of position heads-up. If there been any callers you obviously should raise. And I'm a bit worried about the BB since he certainly has odds to call with just about any decent hand. But I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to trap your opponents IF you can get off the hand when you're behind.

I also don't mind checking the flop, especially if the original raiser is an aggressive player who is likely to bet if checked to. Everyone always thinks that you have to protect your hand with a flop like this. While that's certainly true when there is multi-way action, it's much less true heads up. Yes, he could have a straight or flush draw. But he is more likely to have a middle pair and might bet the flop. So I personally don't see anything wrong with checking here. The only thing I would suggest you consider is if you're playing with good opponents, and they are paying attention, and they see you lead out in situations like this, when you lead out on a semi-bluff type of hand they may give you more respect and fold even if they are ahead.

The turn is a little dangerous as there are now two flush draws in addition to the straight draw. There's T550 in the pot and you bet T240 giving him 3.3 to 1 odds. That's a little too much in my opinion. You have to consider that he has something like AXh or JTh giving him quite a few outs. As it turns out, he had 13 outs making him a 2.8 to 1 dog. Getting 3.3 to 1 odds makes him calling correct, and your bet incorrect. I'd go ahead and make a pot size bet here given there are lots of draws.

[ QUOTE ]
I can't stand it when people raise with QTs or QJs and win

[/ QUOTE ]
It certainly isn't uncommon for people to play those types of hands up front. While it's traditionally unsound, there is some merit to it if used judiciously by good players.

[zaxx19]

Alot of posts popping up by people who slow play their "MONSTER" pairs or MONTER AQ....Guys you have to realize when you check flops and then go into extract mode you will occassionally be sucked out on...you cant have your cake and eat it too.

[Lloyd]

[ QUOTE ]
Alot of posts popping up by people who slow play their "MONSTER" pairs or MONTER AQ....Guys you have to realize when you check flops and then go into extract mode you will occassionally be sucked out on...you cant have your cake and eat it too.

[/ QUOTE ]

And your advice would be?

[Go Blue]

[ QUOTE ]
Alot of posts popping up by people who slow play their "MONSTER" pairs or MONTER AQ....Guys you have to realize when you check flops and then go into extract mode you will occassionally be sucked out on...you cant have your cake and eat it too.


[/ QUOTE ]

Well here's the thing...I'm not talking about trying to play my MONSTER hand and trap someone. Certainly however, AKs is a great hand to be haeds up with. My thinking was that if I flopped A or K and the rest of the board looked okay, I'd try and set a trap because he would likely have an ace with a lower kicker or an underpair. I'd only be worried about a set. I was going to check raise the flop, but that didn't work since he checked. My bet of T240 on the turn was to suck him in, becuase I felt that he might have had a PP that didn't trip up, or an ace with a lower kicker, which was certainly a good possibility, and since the board didn't contain a Q, J, or T, then I was safe.

As for his skill level, I noticed that even though he was 1st or 2nd overall in chips with about T11,000, he was not a wild player. After getting moved to that table, I did not see him play many hands and try to make many steals so certainly, it would be okay to think that he had AK, AQ, AJ, or AT...or a pair, and with my flat call, the ace on the flop might scare him such that he might try and test what I have by betting the flop.

Unfortunately, the cards played out in such a perfect way for him that I was bound to pay him off.