Bad Session Hand 1 PP 2/5 NL - AQs

[LuvDemNutz]

This is the first of a series of hands that I played last night that amounted to me losing a boatload on Party NL.

Since I have decided to take a break from Poker, I want to analyze where I made mistakes.


Party Poker Pot-Limit Hold'em, $ Hero (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP2 ($333.4)
MP3 ($353.9)
CO ($244)
Button ($200)
SB ($204)
Hero ($388)
UTG ($307.3)
UTG+1 ($1144.3)
MP1 ($267.4)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. SB posts a blind of $2.
UTG calls $4, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $4, MP3 folds, CO calls $4, Button folds, SB (poster) folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $12</font>, UTG calls $12, MP2 calls $12, CO calls $12.

Flop: ($66) 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets $20</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $60</font>, UTG folds, MP2 folds, CO calls $40.

Turn: ($186) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Questions -

1) Is the PF raise standard?
2) Was this a good or bad spot to check-raise - why or why not?
3) What is your action on the turn?

[TheDrone]

(1) I don't like the preflop raise with AQs here unless you are pretty sure it will get you heads up. Otherwise you build a huge 4-way pot and have an ugly decision when the flop misses you most of the time.
(2) Bad spot to check raise on this board, because you are giving a free card to straight and flush draws if checked through. Fire out a pot-sized bet here.
(3) You have up to 4 outs for the boat and 9 outs for the nut flush. AK or KK kills some outs but both are unlikely given the villain's preflop and flop action. Villain only has about $130 left, so I'd put him all in and hope to hit your clean outs if behind a set.

[ihardlyknowher]

I agree with the Drone on the pre-flop raise. Maybe if you would have made it larger you would have gotten heads-up, but keep in mind you are out of position for the rest of the hand.

The check-raise on the turn depends on your opponents. If you are confident one of them will bet, go for it (looks like it worked here). But you are in the lead and the flop either hit your opponents hard or scared the sh*t out of them. Given that, I a going to bet out on the flop unless there is a maniac behind me. You definitely do not want to give a free card here.

On the turn, I would bet about 3/4 the size of the pot to kill the odds for all possible draws out there (Kh,Jh or Kh,Th have 12 outs to beat you). If he plays back again, he probably has you beat with AA, AK, or KK unless he is a maniac or an idiot. Then, consider your pot odds against the odds of hitting your boat or flush (don't count the Aces as full outs).

[LuvDemNutz]

[ QUOTE ]
(1) I don't like the preflop raise with AQs here unless you are pretty sure it will get you heads up. Otherwise you build a huge 4-way pot and have an ugly decision when the flop misses you most of the time.
(2) Bad spot to check raise on this board, because you are giving a free card to straight and flush draws if checked through. Fire out a pot-sized bet here.
(3) You have up to 4 outs for the boat and 9 outs for the nut flush. AK or KK kills some outs but both are unlikely given the villain's preflop and flop action. Villain only has about $130 left, so I'd put him all in and hope to hit your clean outs if behind a set.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a hand I seem to have problems with at NL - AQo and AQs. When to raise and when not to raise. I am used to playing limit where I almost always raise with it.

Can you explain the merits of not raising versus the merits of a large raise with this hand in this particular instance?

[Shaun]

Your pre-flop raise is fine. You have a suited AQ and can stand some action. You flop top two pair with a backdoor flush draw. Then you check. Debateable, but kind of fun when it works out. That said:
When opponent bets 20, I don't make it 60. This raise is giving big draws a cheap look. Instead, make a ridiculous bet here. Make it 100 at least. A lot of the time a line like this will irritate your opponents into a bad call. Then you push the turn if it doesn't make a flush.

If your opponent has AK or something, that's life. But its all the more reason why your flop bet needs to be HUGE. IF someone caught up or flopped a set that's the breaks, but you still have live outs.

Anyway I don't think AQ was your problem here, and I don't think it was what you raised preflop. I think not betting big on a dangerous board with a strong hand was your mistake. I'm curious to know what happened, but I suspect someone had Jh Th or something like that.

[LuvDemNutz]

Party Poker Pot-Limit Hold'em, $ Hero (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP2 ($333.4)
MP3 ($353.9)
CO ($244)
Button ($200)
SB ($204)
Hero ($388)
UTG ($307.3)
UTG+1 ($1144.3)
MP1 ($267.4)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. SB posts a blind of $2.
UTG calls $4, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $4, MP3 folds, CO calls $4, Button folds, SB (poster) folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $12</font>, UTG calls $12, MP2 calls $12, CO calls $12.

Flop: ($66) 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets $20</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $60</font>, UTG folds, MP2 folds, CO calls $40.

Turn: ($186) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $100</font>, CO is all-In [$168]Hero calls $68.

River: ($354) 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: $354

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has Ad Qd (two pair, aces and queens).
CO has 2h 2s (three of a kind, twos).
Outcome: CO wins $354. </font>

[TheDrone]

I would like the raise more if he was in position or could buy the button. In the blinds after three limpers I would rather make it $20 to get heads up (or maybe take it down) instead of pricing everyone in with $12. Maybe that's just me.

When the 4-way flop misses you (2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif K /images/graemlins/club.gif for example), and it usually will, are you going to bet out of position or check/fold? How much would you bet?

[TheDrone]

Interesting. I changed "behind 22" to "behind a set" at the last minute in my original reply. At any rate you had outs and didn't hit them. Better luck next time.