AA w/ K Q 5 flop

[KJS]

Playing in a live NL cash game with 2 .25 blinds. Heads-up this hand. I have $35 before it starts, my opponent has me covered. He is in MP and raises a couple limpers to $2. I reraise to $8. Everyone folds to him, he shrugs a bit and calls. 2 Players, $18 in the pot. I have $27 remaining.

The flop is K Q 5 rainbow.

He checks...

What is your plan for the remainder of the hand? What factors are you considering when deciding your course of action?

Thanks,

KJS

[AlanBostick]

Since a reasonable-sized bet leaves you pot-tied, I'd say just push all your chips in and pray he has AQ.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

I probably bet $12, and then bet $15 on the turn no matter what.

Basically, if he has me beat right now, I'm not going to figure it out with enough confidence to fold before it's too late. In other words, if he has two-pair or a set, I'm going to put the rest of my money in bad. If I'm still ahead, about the only hand that I'd like for him to fold is JT. Against anything else, betting $12 and the last $15 on the turn does not give him +EV on these rounds. If I bet all $27 on the flop, he will likely get away from any losing hand except maybe top pair, but he certainly won't fold any hand that is beating me. This bet does probably get rid of JT, however.

Against most opponents, I want to keep them in, and I bet part now and part later. There are some who are more likely to call if I bet it all now. There are no opponents to whom I would give a free card. Too easy to let someone with 5 outs beat you for free.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Ignatius]

> MP raises a couple limpers to $2. I reraise to $8.

Given that you have a stack of only $35 and that a reraise will put you on a very narrow range of hands, I think a slight overbet (e.g. to $12) is in order here and to cut down the implied odds and make it harder for MP to get away from the hand if he chooses to call.

> What is your plan for the remainder of the hand?

move in, regardless of the flop.

cu

Ignatius

[Erdnase]

[KJS]

Greg,

What if you knew that this player would check a set of Queens or Kings 100% of the time? Would you still always bet?

Would you fold to a checkraise?

Thanks for the great response.

KJS

You said he shrugged when he called your preflop raise. Did he indeed have KK?

JP

[Greg (FossilMan)]

It would depend upon what other hands he would always, never, or sometimes check. I still probably bet every time, because there are too many likely draws for him to hold, where he has more than 2 outs, and I don't want to give the free card (even if I don't mind him calling once I do bet).

I would probably never fold to a check-raise, unless I knew that this guy never check-raised with less than two pair.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[KJS]

Not quite...

After he checked the flop, I bet $10. He said "Let's just do it..." and put me all-in. At this point all signs pointed to a set. I could not lay down though. I fretted for a long while then called. He showed QQ and I got no lucky A on the turn or river.

The thing that made me post this is the trap aspect. I wondered if people would do anything to identify and/or avoid a trap by QQ or KK (I was rather sure he had a big starter when he called pre-flop, perhaps I did not let that on enough in my post). It was surprising to me that no one even *mentioned* that he could have QQ or KK and I should be aware of that. Since one of my leaks in NL is having trouble getting off big hands that got cracked I wondered if more experienced players would tell me to watch out, because a set will nearly always check and then slowplay or checkraise. Seemed like everyone was more likely to just get all their money in and hope that they were best. Personally I hated that flop but perhaps I am more weak tight than the others here.

Thanks to all who responded.

KJS

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Of course you worry about a set, and many people will check-raise or even just check-call with a set. However, many people would do the same thing with AK in that spot, and you've got that hand down to 2 outs, just like a set has you down to 2 outs. With the dead money already in the pot, and the relatively small amount of money left to bet postflop, there is little chance you can intelligently get away from AA.

You would have to know this player VERY well, and have one or more almost 100% reliable tells on him to do so.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)