I hate AK

[Ojo_Rojo]

AKo, please flame my play up to the turn...
Cryptologic 0.5/1 NL

Me $90
The loose (50% vpip / 17%pfr) MP had me covered.

Preflop:
One limper to MP who makes it $3. (I read this to mean small pocket pair or large suited connectors.)
One caller to me, who pops it to $15 in the small blind. (Am I pushing it too hard?) All fold except MP.

Flop:
($30 pot) 9c 4c Qd

I bet $20, MP calls

Turn:
Ts

Now what would do you do? Give up? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks in advance for any responses

Ojo Rojo

[Caruso329]

I don't like re-raising with AKo PF, but I've been yelled at for not doing it with AKs so I can't really argue against your raise. Let someone else elaborate. But if I was going to re-raise PF I would make it $10.

Okay, you've made a stab at it on the flop, MP let you know he's staying until the river. Check/fold time.

[theredpill5]

Well, I did poorly tonight, too. But, you are definitely pushing way too hard with A K . A K is a drawing hand. This play looks like me on tilt. I would just call the raise and check the flop. You are out of position here so just check and if he bets hard, fold.

[PoBoy321]

In this particular case, I don't like the idea of a reraise pre-flop. You are OOP and have a hand that will almost never win unimproved. Save the reraise for when you have position.

[Tilt]

I like your reraise. This helps define how you stand in this hand. You will get a lot of folds this way from AQ/AJ and medium PP's.

Sometimes I fire again here. But generally you should check/fold the turn unless you are given great odds. If he checks behind, I would still check/fold unimproved to anything but a small bet.

Another piece of advice with AK out of position - sometimes you have to mix your line up post flop. A 2/3 pot bet is often so obvious here that I occasionally will check/raise or even check/push (if the stacks are not too deep). The player with a medium PP who would just flat call when he sees no A or K on board becomes very confused by this play and since that line is consistent with an overpair or set they will often fold a decent pot to you. Its a bit risky and read dependent.

[maranello11]

I feel he could have top pair with a K /images/graemlins/club.gif high flush draw or QQ. Tough spot I would check and see what he does. You are out of position. Sounds like he doesnt buy the idea that you have KK AA with your $15 raise. Or he knows and he has QQ. I feel a check fold is good, wait for a better time and when you have position.

[Raiser]

[ QUOTE ]
But, you are definitely pushing way too hard with A K . A K is a drawing hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is just silly. Calling it a drawing hand is assuming that it is behind. Against a lot of raising hands, AK is ahead. Especially against this guy. Raising/Re-raising AK and betting almost any flop (when heads up) is +EV.

Think about what kind of hand villain would need in this spot to call that flop bet. AA-QQ, 99, 44, AQ, JT or a good club draw. Against this guy, I'd say he's raising most of those hands from MP and probably a lot more. There are so many more hands that the villain (especially this villian) will raise with preflop that can't call his flop bet.

Anyway, to the original poster, I would re-raise too, but probably to something like $10. Then I'd bet $15ish on the flop. Check/fold the turn to a big bet. Check/call a smallish bet as you still have several outs that could give you the winner.

[JoeC]

[ QUOTE ]
A K is a drawing hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is?

[rickr]

The only thing I see you did wrong was raised too much. You aren't going to fold out the original raiser very often. You are trying to isolate. So what size raise folds out the limper and the other cold caller. If it's going to happen 9 or 10 would do that. The guy to your left is sanwiched between you and the raiser. He'll drop. Even if raiser flat calls this one, cold caller has to call 6 or 7 more sandwiched between you too. Without a premium hand, he should get out of the way. Two ways to play this flop. I've been trying the check/raise here lately with what I feel are good results. You would need to do what, a $15 or so bet to be taken seriously at all with this pot? What happens when you check? If he bets pot, you can safely lay down. But if he bets less than say $6 or $7 (amazing how often this happens at this level) reraise him to $15 or $20. Without a premium hand or really hitting this flop hard, he'll lay it down. If he comes back over the top of you, you again can safely lay it down. Basically the same money spent, with much more folding equity.

Later,
Rick