AQ in the big blind, an UTG tight raise.

I'm in a somewhat tight-passive 7.50 - 15.00 game with AQ in the big blind. Tight Old Man brings it in for a raise UTG. My read on this guy was "straight forward player who, doesn't get out of line pre-flop" and it is folded around to me. I just call, since this guy has been at the table for an hour and aside from his blinds I've seen him involved in one pot(he showed down pocket Queens).

The flop comes down A 2 8 rainbow. About as perfect as they come. I bet, he raises, I call.

Here is my question, should I get out?

I am almost 100% certain now that I am up against either AA or AK. At the table I had a very tight image, and was getting much more respect than I deserved...More than a couple of times my open raises from middle position took the blinds. My point is, this guy knew I had something and just didn't care.

I desperately wanted to get out, but instead I check-called it down to the end, hoping to see an AJs,AQs, KK, QQ, or JJ. By the way, blanks hit on the turn and end, the board wasn't scary at all, actually seemed like a dream board with AQ.

Just wondering what everyone would do in this situation. I will post results in a separte post.

[loki]

Your poker confessional writes as if you lost. I wish you the best of luck here.

Myself, AQ I would not take against an UTG raise from TOM. I would want a pair at least to see if I can make a set or a premium hand like he has AA,KK,AK,QQ. I would loosen up though if I knew I could out-play the person on a blank-flop.

If you introduced a few cold-callers though then I would play AQ on the chance of making broadway or top-two.

[Piers]

I think you should either fold on the flop, or see the river.

If he is only playing AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT or AK say. Then its about 50% that your winning on the flop. The question now is how passive does he play post flop.

[skp]

Even against a TOM, I would call preflop with AQ in the bb but when he raises on the flop, you should know that you are in trouble against a TOM if he folows up that raise with a bet on the turn. Get out at that time.

[astroglide]

i think the best way to play these hands out of position is simply to check/call the whole way. if you're betting out for info, great - you got the info. i don't see the point in paying extra for it if you're not going to use it.

[Homer]

If you are that confident that he has AK or AA based on his flop raise, you should fold immediately. With three outs, you are 14:1 against spiking a Q on the turn, and your immediate pot odds on the call are 7:1. You would need to pick up at least 3.5 bets on the turn and river after hitting your queen to justify the call of his reraise on the flop, if you were certain he has AK or AA.

However, I am not as sure that he has AK or AA. I could see him raising here with a lower pocket pair, since you were the BB. He could either not believe that you have an A, or be trying to make you fold a weaker A. Since he knows that you know that he raised preflop, he could be raising to make you think he has a better A. If his preflop raising standards consisted of AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, and AQ, and he will raise with any of these when you bet out on the flop, he is ahead of you 9 times, behind 21 times, and tied 6 times. To call his flop bet and check-call to the river, you will have to put in 2.5 big bets to win a pot of 8 big bets. So, you will have to win at least 1/3 of the time (approximately) to justify calling the flop bet and check-calling to the river. This is easily satisfied if he will raise the flop with any of the above hands. However, he may not do this, if indeed he is a TOM. So, I think a lot of it comes down to your read on the TOM. I think I would call him down as you did.

[Ginogino]

Huh:
You put the TOM on the following hands (and I'll take your word for it): AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, AQs, AJs. You have AQ, and an Ace hits the flop. Because of the two Aces you can see, there are only 8 ways he could hold AK, and only one way he could have AA (the hands you'd lose to), while there are 24 ways he could hold one of the other hands he'd bet like this with (or possibly 25, if your own AQ was suited).

Seems to me that you're 3-to-1 to win by this count. I don't know when the Q hits the board (turn or river), but it seems to me that you'd want to get aggressive at some point -- say on the flop. When he raised the flop, I'd have re-raised. I don't see how you could possibly fold at this point. If he has AA or AK, then you lose. But 3 times out of 4 he has something you tie (6 chances) or beat (18 chances).

By the way, if I had raised the flop and he had re-raised, I think you still want to call him down, but I could be persuaded otherwise (if I thought he was a super-TOM and wouldn't put in a 4th raise without AA or AK).

Gino

if you choose to play the hand by leading at the flop, a good opponent will raise you almost everytime, so how about if you three bet with the intention of checking the turn.

and play on from there...

does anyone else ever play the hand this way ?

[Jeffage]

If I 3 bet this flop, I'd plan on betting the turn and folding if raised.

Jeff

As I said, two blanks hit, he continued betting, I continued calling and he showed down AKo.

The thing that bothered me about this hand was that I put him on Aces or Ace-King, after the flop-raise, but could not get out.

If I thought this guy was the slightest bit tricky, I would have had no problems with calling it down, but he wasn't tricky and I paid him off. I think the thing that bothers me most of all is if it happened again, I can't see myself doing anything differently.

Thanks all,
-huh?