AQo, monotone flop

[Nick C]

Okay, so I dug myself out of a big hole tonight, and along the way (mostly out of frustration) I got my first 3/6 limp-reraise with AA in. And I won some short-handed pots, while the table wasn't so populated, from a player who's used to full tables.

But before any of that took place, there was this hand, which took place while I was digging my hole.

At this point, the table mostly seemed loose/passive, and MP1 fits that description too:

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Button calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: (9.33 SB) A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
UTG+1 checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 bets</font>, Hero calls, Button folds, UTG+1 folds.

<font color="#0000FF">I was thinking I'd wait for a non-flush card to raise. Go ahead and raise anyway, hoping I'm up against a worse ace and can drive out a low/medium spade, if that's what Button and UTG+1 have?</font>

Turn: (5.66 BB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">MP1 bets</font>, Hero calls.

<font color="#0000FF">So much for a non-spade turn. What do I do now?</font>

River: (7.66 BB) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">MP1 bets</font>, Hero calls.

<font color="#0000FF">And here I continue calling down.</font>

Final Pot: 9.66 BB

Thoughts?

[ThePenguin]

Raise the flop. You want to knock out possible small spades before the turn. Continue to bet. You can fold to a raise after the fourth spade comes. I don't think this is the type of situation where you wait till the turn to raise because you can gain more info and probably protect your hand better with a flop raise.

[Nick C]

MP2 is 78/22/0.5 after hardly any hands. I had stolen some small pots 2- and 3-handed before the table started filling up again, but I was still pretty far behind for the night.

I looked at the screen and saw aces and thought, "Why not try to catch up quickly?":

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (8 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Hero calls, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, SB calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 caps</font>, SB calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (13 SB) T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, SB calls, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, MP2 calls, SB calls.

Turn: (11 BB) A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, SB folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, MP2 calls.

River: (17 BB) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP2 calls.

Final Pot: 19 BB

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has Ah As (three of a kind, aces).
MP2 has Ac Kd (one pair, aces).
Outcome: Hero wins 19 BB. </font>

I'm not claiming I necessarily played this optimally, but it was enjoyable.

Usually when I limp-reraise, I lose to something like Q3s. So it was nice that my first 3/6 LRR ended more favorably for me.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking I'd wait for a non-flush card to raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bad


[ QUOTE ]
Go ahead and raise anyway, hoping I'm up against a worse ace and can drive out a low/medium spade (or a gutshot, or second/third pair w/o a spade kicker, etc.), if that's what Button and UTG+1 have?


[/ QUOTE ]

Good

[Nick C]

[ QUOTE ]
Go ahead and raise anyway, hoping I'm up against a worse ace and can drive out a low/medium spade (or a gutshot, or second/third pair w/o a spade kicker, etc.), if that's what Button and UTG+1 have?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm. You're right. Good point. I shouldn't have just been thinking about the flush draw.

[feelixthegreek]

I'm raising the flop, too. Then I call it a day when spade 4 hit the turn.

Glad you got out of your hole last night. I didn't get out of mine.

[Nick C]

MP1 had A /images/graemlins/club.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif for two pair and took the pot.

Thanks for the responses, which were very helpful. While I was playing the hand, I was fixated on the three-flush that I had no piece of that appeared on the flop, but, as Chesspain points out, I shouldn't have limited my concerns just to the flush possibilities.