Lots of Sklansky Bucks - Where can I spend them?

[ihardlyknowher]

Villains like action.
Did I play this right?


Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, CO calls, Button calls, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (8 SB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(8 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP1 calls, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 caps</font>, CO calls, SB calls, BB calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (14.50 BB) 7/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, CO calls, SB folds, BB calls, Hero calls.

River: (22.50 BB) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
BB checks, Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, BB folds, Hero folds, MP2 calls.

Final Pot: 26.50 BB

[milesdyson]

Check the turn, especially as MP2 capped the flop and you were not the last flop aggressor. Nice flop action though, and lovely table.

[yellowjack]

Flop is great.

I would check to MP2 and call. Only checkraise when there are 5 or more others in the pot and you somehow know they will call, because you have about 19% equity on the turn. In other words, given your hand I would check-call the turn.

[Ianco15]

Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[davelin]

Check/call turn

[KDawgCometh]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[/ QUOTE ]

no, I would've folded this PF out of position. Flop play is good

[TomBrooks]

PRE-FLOP: Call with Ax suited is correct.

FLOP: All your bets were good for value because your odds of making the flush are 4:1. Assuming this would be the nuts, I figure your pot equity is 20%. Therefore, when you got five callers, every bet that goes in the pot is making you money.

TURN: (edited) Checking instead of betting was probably better because the flop raiser/capper is on your left. If you can count on him to bet out, there is a better chance of everyone calling and then you can check-raise, trapping the entire field for an additional bet.

As it happened, your bet combined with MP2's raise knocked out one potential caller, making the money that went into the pot neutral EV for you. Had his raise knocked out two or more, the money would have been -EV for you.

RIVER: With a bet and a raise in front of you on top of all the prior action, there was no uncertainty about laying your A high hand down.

Since TomBk

[istewart]

Given the table I think you can limp.

[vulturesrow]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen very few party micro tables where Axs limpingin EP wasnt profitable.

[DontRaisePlz]

I always play A-x suited with limpers behind me, no matter what the table. You want to encourage the weak players to limp their J9o and 57s hands.

[ihardlyknowher]

Mostly the flop play. I am new to limit and thought it was right, but wasn't sure. In NL, I would probably be down to the felt on the flop, as you can tell from my location. Is checking this turn pretty standard.

[Ianco15]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen very few party micro tables where Axs limpingin EP wasnt profitable.

[/ QUOTE ]

A3s tho? You can't feel good if an ace flops with a 3 kicker.

[bottomset]

[ QUOTE ]
Check the turn, especially as MP2 capped the flop and you were not the last flop aggressor. Nice flop action though, and lovely table.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'll add that even if you were the last flop aggressor you prob still shouldn't bet the turn, your only way of winning is to make the flush(the 3Aouts can make you the best hand but I'd say maybe 5% of the time)

with 4 opponents on 8outdraw(I'd discount the pairing /images/graemlins/spade.gif to a 1/2 each, given strong action often means a set or 2pair is out, and will counterfeit your draw) .. making you a 4.8/1 underdog to hit, if all 4 call you are getting 4/1 on your bet not enough when factoring in that all 4 won't call, and it'll be raised fairly often

[bottomset]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen very few party micro tables where Axs limpingin EP wasnt profitable.

[/ QUOTE ]

A3s tho? You can't feel good if an ace flops with a 3 kicker.

[/ QUOTE ]

but you feel great with A6,A7,A8,A9??? Axs is by definition a marginal speculative hand, it derives much of its value on its ability to make the nutflush, but on occasion makes other strong hands like 2pair, trips .. its not a big $ winner, but it should be +EV to play Axs UTG at your microtables almost all the time

[TomBrooks]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one who folds this in early position?

[/ QUOTE ]
Those following Jones' WLLH starting hand recommendations will not call lower than A9s in early position. The SSH tight game chart says no lower than ATs. The SSH loose game chart advises to call all Axs though, so maybe that's the key, the game should be loose to call with them. Both books suggest calling all Axs in any game in middle position, by the way.

With 34k hands of .5/1 that I've played, my Axs performance in early position is mixed, but my sample size is only about 10 instances per hand per position. Mostly where I'm losing it's an average of about 1BB/hand. One good nut flush ought to send any of those hands into the green, so it looks to me like it's worth seeing the flop with any Axs if you can do so cheaply.

I have playing all Axs' in all positions in all my games. I am going to adjust that to reject them in early position in the tighter games in which I find myself.

=TomBk

[djhoneybear]

folding Axs at this kind of table just doesn't make sense. You will only make your flush about 6% of the time but it generally will cost you 1 SB to see if you have a good chance at it (i.e. 2 to a flop). If you play Axs 20 times with at least 6 people in to the flop this has a + EV by a long shot. The key is that there will be plenty of people to pay you off when you do make the flush.

[hate]

Limping Axs is easily profitable at .5/1, but it's a bad habit to get into when you're trying to move up to any higher levels. And like many other people have already said, the starting hand recommendations are just recommendations, your play should vary widely depending on circumstances.

[stoxtrader]

pre-flop and flop are good.

The turn lead is a mistake - you need to ge 4:1 for it to be for value, and this is far outweighed by allowing hands that beat you to get a better shot at more tun bets, which you hate.

[jba]

[ QUOTE ]
The key is that there will be plenty of people to pay you off when you do make the flush.

[/ QUOTE ]

The bigger key is knowing when to drop the hand when an A hits the flop, IMHO.

[jskills]

Why are we betting the turn here? MP2 raised our flop bet and capped our flop 3-bet (which BTW was a bit excessive as well).

[Entity]

[ QUOTE ]
and capped our flop 3-bet (which BTW was a bit excessive as well)

[/ QUOTE ]

Our flop 3-bet wasn't really excessive at all.

Check-call turn. Check-fold river.

Rob

[SlantNGo]

Flop 3-bet was great. 3 callers trapped between you and the raiser, raise it up some more! And I agree, easy turn check. Not enough pot equity to bet for value, and not enough fold equity (probably none at all actually).

[ QUOTE ]
Why are we betting the turn here? MP2 raised our flop bet and capped our flop 3-bet (which BTW was a bit excessive as well).

[/ QUOTE ]

[afk]

Just check call the turn here, the rest of the hand is played well.

[GrunchCan]

I view Axs the same way I view small PP in EP.

If you can't limp A2s in EP, you are sitting at the wrong table.

Flop action was very nice.

Turn was not terrible, but I would have check-called. You don't have an equity edge here, or if you do its very thin. The risk of players being faced with 2 cold and folding is great enough to outweigh the risk of it getting checked through - which by the way isn't much of a risk, since you don't actually have a hand yet, and no equity edge.

I think you played this hand pretty well overall, but you could have played the turn better.

Don't worry about the Skalansky bucks not translating in to actual bucks too much. You invested 4 BB to win a 26 BB pot. A pot you will win about 35% of the time, if this hand were played over and over again. In the long run, you'll get lots of actual bucks from plays like this.

[dkernler]

[ QUOTE ]
Why are we betting the turn here? MP2 raised our flop bet and capped our flop 3-bet (which BTW was a bit excessive as well).

[/ QUOTE ]
If villain likes action, what are we worried about on the flop? That action is beautiful, IMO. Cap me every time with my nut flush draw.

(Agreed on the turn bet.)

[Luke]

check - call - the - turn

Luke