77 hand against unknown.

[Entity]

Villain hasn't been sitting at the table for long, so my reads on him are pretty short. He seems decent, but not great, from what I've seen.

Interpoker £2/£4

I raise UTG w/7/images/graemlins/club.gif7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. Villain coldcalls, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls.

Flop comes A/images/graemlins/club.gif2/images/graemlins/diamond.gifA/images/graemlins/spade.gif.

BB checks, I bet, Villain calls, BB folds.

What's a reasonable plan for the rest of the hand, assuming a 7 doesn't fall?

[naphand]

That 2nd Ace makes me want to get to SD as I figure another Ace is not so likely. Trouble is, your opponent has to have something and there are no draws on this board. Of course fish will call here with just about any card over a 2, hoping you are betting a 2 and they can pair up to win (I had a player call me in exactly this kind of situation with 53s, he caught his 3...I had a 2).

You have better than a 2, but out of position against villain. If you bet the Turn will he bluff raise? Can you fold to a raise? I think you should bet the Turn and probably fold to a raise if the card is over a 7, you did raise UTG so he must put you on something decent and that includes a lot of Ace hands and big cards. That would be a brave steal to a PFR without an Ace.

Perhaps bet the Turn and call if the Turn is under a 7 and you get raised, though I still don't like it. The pot is only 4 BB now, and would be 7 BB after a Turn raise which is probably not quite enough to call down with. Assuming villain has no Ace, he has at most 5 outs to beat you, so a free card is not a distaster, but the problem is almost half the pack is bad (over 7) and you will be lost, so I think you are forced to bet here.

What's your alternative? Check the Turn and give a free card to any card 8-K to draw on you? Check-call to the River? That really sucks, but might be a reasonable line against an aggro bluffer who will bet if you show any weakness.

Tough spot. Nice post, this is a tricky position to be in and I don't think there is a an easy answer without better reads. This really is a bluff or slowplay situation, and you are pretty much lost without more of a handle on villain.

[J.R.]

bet the turn. he either has an A and will raise the turn or river, is a clown with a pair draw and thought you did so to (or didn't think about your hand-though if he is "decent" this is less likely than v. a random dude) and will fold to a turn bet or will bluff raise, or has a showdowable hand like K high or a small pair and is going to look you up.

The pot isn't huge and loose flop callers are more common than folks who call the flop looking to float the turn, and its far more likely you are aginst a worse hand than an A or a bigger pocket pair (unless "decent" means more than I thought).

So you have the best hand most of the time and don't fear a bluff turn raise in this mediumish pot (getting only 8-2 to call down), so value bet and muck to a raise (although if the turn card is < 7, mucking is less straightforward, although agaisnt a decent opponent it is unlikely that a turn card < 7 changes much given his preflop coldcall and flop call.

But if you do fold to a raise, watch the guy and see what he is up to, being more inclined to call him down with a amrginal hand, especially if you see him make a move later on.

bet/fold and then check-call river is the clean and guilt free line here IMO v a merely "decent type" and may give you a line on his coldcalling standards and his play with at least a pair of aces headup v a pfr (most play it in a routine fashion IMO).

[Grisgra]

[ QUOTE ]
That 2nd Ace makes me want to get to SD as I figure another Ace is not so likely.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seems to me that every time I decide I want to see a showdown in situations like this, they flip over an ace at the river. Sometimes -- once in awhile -- a higher pocket. Very very very rarely, a lower pocket.

On the other hand, I have also had people call here with something like KJo.

This is tough without a read, but if Hero decided he wasn't going to put any more money in I don't think I could fault him. Maybe maybe maybe bet the turn, if he calls there, check/fold river without JJ or better.

I wish the "there are two aces, he probably doesn't have trips" argument were as strong as we'd all like it to be. In my experience, it's not, not against a UTG+1 coldcaller especially.

[naphand]

Yeah I think I agree, and you just reminded me of an alarming habit I have picked up recently of not considering the cold-callers position enough (I blame 3-tabling). You are right about the cold-call and the "no other A" argument. I said I really wanted to get to SD, but I think there is an Ace here a LOT of the time. With a read on Villain Hero would have a better idea of his cold-calling standards and can better judge the likelihood of an Ace or a bluff.