Routine Hand -- AKs in the BB

[jbrock]

There have been a number of interesting posts lately on AK in the blinds and so when this situation came up late last night I was thinking about those. This is my first hand posting in this forum and I think that thinking about these "routine" hands is very helpful. Anyway...


PokerRoom No-Limit Hold'em, $50 Table ($.25sb $.50bb -- yeah they have a half blind structure) Full ring: 10 handed

I am in the BB having sat down 1 orbit ago and have a full stack (about $50) as does villain. This is recreated from memory and I have no reads on villain (mp2).



Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/club.gif K/images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG calls $0.50, fold, fold... MP2 calls $0.50, fold.. CO calls $0.50 button folds, Hero raises to $2, UTG folds, MP2 calls $2, CO folds.

I vary between 3 and 4bb(pokerroom big blinds) for my standard opening raise with a wide range of hands as on these tables even $2 will often get folded around. The $100 tables are looser ironically.

Flop: (~$5.25) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif, 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, 4/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)

Ok, the didn't get TPTK, but I have the flush draw and a backdoor str8 draw on a paired board. Unlikely that MP2 has a 4, but no read and no sense of what he might have. Time to fire away.

Hero bets $3, MP2 calls $3.

Now I think overcards, a small pp, baby flush draw, or even a 4 (still unlikely) are now possibilities.

Turn: ($11.25) 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)

The flush hit. Good. My thoughts are now (1) he is unlikely to put me solidly on the flush given the preflop raise and the flop bet and (2) I may be drawing dead if he has 3 3, 8 8, or (much less likely) 3 4 or 4 8. The boat/quads possibility is remote in my mind and I figure I am far ahead and want to extract the maximum.

What do you do?

do you:

(a) go for the check raise on the hopes that he has the baby flush and will go to the mat?

(b) bet the full pot to see where you are (and hope he has the baby flush)?

(c) bet a lesser amount (say half the pot) to feign weakness on the "scare" card?

(d) remove all possibility of "fancy play syndrome" possibilities and just push? Or is that fps trying to look like you don't want a call...


Results will follow later.

-jb

[djoyce003]

I'd say underbet the pot slightly, maybe $7. I don't think you realistically have to worry about the boat here, but you might. I think he has a pocket pair though, hopefully it isn't 8's. See what he does after you bet your $7. I'd really worry about a call of the $7 bet...I think he calls you if you are beat, and I think he reraises if he has a smaller flush than you.

[BradleyT]

He would call with a lot more hands than a boat here.

[amoeba]

I don't think you are neccesarily beat if he calls.

I can easily see TT calling in this situation.

[Kaz The Original]

Bet the full pot or 2/3rds. Any pair has 4 outs to boat up. A smaller flush will raise you and you will most likely get the money in so check raise is needless there. A fourth club will kill your action.

[lil_o]

I would bet 2/3 the pot as it doesn't come across as having a made hand yet maximizes the amount of $$$ you are putting in.

I think the only viable situation to push is check the flush card and hope he pops you for a pot size bet, then you can come over the top with an all-in raise. I don't like this line though because you can lose a bet if you are playing against a weak-tight or passive player.

[jbrock]

This is getting me to think even more about this hand. The consensus seems to be that a small flush would raise if I lead the turn (say 2/3's of the pot) whereas a monster would smooth call. Maybe it is just the boards that I play on, but the play is fairly ABC. With a large raise, I would be more concerned about the boat than the baby flush.

I could see TT smooth calling hoping that I was on AKo, but I generally I would expect TT to raise on the flop as that hand would not want to see either another club or any jack or higher.

If I do lead for say $7 and am smooth called, the pot will be about $25. Do I then lead the river on a blank for, say $18? Checking the river would only induce a bluff which I would have to call.

jb