Not capping with AA pf in a HU pot... Party 15/30

[LAGmaniac]

Sorry I don't have the hand history with me but I will try to recollect as best I can.

Party 15/30 villain is unknown.
Pre Flop:
Folded to the Hero in MP1 with AA. Hero raises. Villain in MP3 three-bets. Folded back to Hero who smooth calls.

Flop: (2 players)
A Q rag
Hero check raises and villain folds.

The pf smooth call was a split-second decision which I now regret but my reasoning at the time was that a cap would define my hand too well which would make it less likely for him to make mistakes post-flop, i.e. pushing too hard with a lower PP or overcards on a raggedy board. I'm thinking now that I give up more than I gain with this move but I may just be being results oriented.

Given how I played it pf, how's the flop check raise?

[Ian J]

I like the PF decision. With one or more other callers, it turns into an obvious cap. For the reason of not defining your hand, I like the call. On the flop, I think you should have led out and if/when raised, just call and then checkraise the turn. The preflop 3 bettor is going to raise the flop and bet the turn so frequently that this line will consistently get the most money in there. Your line sort of forces him to have AK, AQ, or QQ or else you're not getting played with.

[Nate tha' Great]

I think you need a reason to play preflop this way. One good reason might be if he'd been 3-betting you a lot *and* you'd been just calling those raises and meekly folding a lot on the flop or turn. On the other hand, if he's 3-betting you because he thinks you are an action player, you definitely want to give him action.

You'd almost rather that the ace hadn't flopped once you do make the preflop play, since it means that you've probably crippled the deck. Unless there's some second level thinking going on here wherein you think that he thinks that you wouldn't check-raise the flop with a pair of aces (let alone a set of aces), I think you need to play it a little slow and encourge him to put another bet in with KQ or TT or something. I would check-raise the turn on the chance that he has QQ, AQ or another very strong hand, but I'm expecting a fair number of folds.

[steveyz]

Given the way you played it, the flop check-raise is bad. On a flop like that you want to convince your opponent that you didn't hit the ace to outdraw his PP. I'd check-call the flop. Perhaps lead the turn. If he'll bet the turn with KK/JJ/etc, check-raise the turn.

When you smooth call the pre-flop 3-bet with AA, what you are really hoping for is a rag flop so that he will go nuts postflop with an overpair, thinking you must have hit top pair or have a lower overpair since you didn't cap preflop.

[bobbyi]

I think that not capping HU with AA is a much better play when you have position. It's a lot harder to make up money later if you're going to be out of position for the whole hand.

[LAGmaniac]

I was hoping that my check-raise on the flop would look weak but really I just didn't want to go for a check-raise on the turn because I know a large percentage of the hands he holds will make him inclined to check through. I figured since I'm going to lead the turn no matter what, I may as well make it look "natural". I didn't want to freeze him up with hands that might have given me some action, but my reasoning is probably flawed here.

[legend42]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that not capping HU with AA is a much better play when you have position. It's a lot harder to make up money later if you're going to be out of position for the whole hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. I'll sometimes flat-call HU if the 3-bet comes from the blind. You have a lot more maneuverability. Out of position, especially in games like Party 15, I think it's better to just cap and take control. It's amazing how many players put you squarely on AA, but then call you down just to make sure they're right.