AA in the small blind

[Tommy Angelo]

Full $20-40 game at The Mirage. UTG+1 openraised. UTG+2 reraised. Two players called. I was in the small blind with AA. I did not have the ace of hearts. I made it four bets (not a cap). No one folded or reraised. Five players to the flop.

The flop was 9-7-5 with two hearts. I bet. UTG+1 raised. UTG+2 called. The next two players folded. I called. Three players.

Player profiles:

UTG+2 was trying to play well. And that would explain why he was playing so very well.

UTG+1, on the other hand, was trying to play bad. And he too was immersed in accomplishing his task.

This hand had a lot of he thinks I think he thinks I think he thinks in it between me and UTG+2. For one thing, we both knew that we both knew that neither of us would be able to get a reliable read on UTG's holding based on the betting.

The turn card was the jack of hearts. I checked. UTG+1 bet. UTG+2 called. I called.

The river paired the five. I checked. UTG+1 bet. UTG+2 hesitated, and then he raised.

I looked left. UTG+1 did not look like someone who was about to reraise. I turned back to UTG+2. I wondered if he was sharp enough to:

1) Currently believe that I had a big pair, because of my preflop betting and my non-fold on the turn, despite the fact that I did not reraise the flop or make a move on the turn.

I decided yes, he was.

2) Raise on the river with as little as one pair because UTG+1 could still have anything and because I might be capable of folding AA, KK, or QQ in a spot like this.

I decided yes, he was.

I was leaning toward calling. I replayed the hand from the beginning. I came up to the point where UTG+2 did not raise the turn. Smelly. Just smelly. All of it. I looked left again. Still no danger there. So I called two cold. UTG+1 called.

UTG+2 showed pocket tens. I showed next. UTG+1 showed pocket kings. AMHWG.

Tommy

[twowords]

[ QUOTE ]

The turn card was the jack of hearts. I checked. UTG+1 bet. UTG+2 called. I called.


[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Tommy,

Why so turn passive? Surely, UTG+2 didn't need a monster to try to isolate UTG+1. As for UTG+1, you say yourself that he could have anything. Are you trying to keep UTG+2 in the hand?

Seems like a good spot to get some bets in on the turn, especially since UTG+2 may take your aggression as your attempt to isolate UTG+1 for yourself, and pay you off with TT,QQ,KK. Plus you have outs when behind.

Then again, I play on the internet.

[Phat Mack]

...that I don't put enough thinking into this type of hand.

[Rick Nebiolo]

Tommy,

Fun & good post as usual but my simple mind (if my mind was in your head) would say to itself "I've played it soft on the flop and turn so I better not let myself get blown off the hand so easily on the river". That's why I'd call but then again I'd play it a little harder somewhere on the flop or turn.

~ Rick

[kurosh]

I think I must be the only person on these boards who hates your posts.

[Bartholow]

You're not the only one, search the archives. But saying that you hate them is pretty much a waste of time. Perhaps you'd like to critique strategy or otherwise contribute, or just not read Tommy's threads?

[BarronVangorToth]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I must be the only person on these boards who hates your posts.

[/ QUOTE ]


2+2 has a lot of great posters and I can't imagine anyone making a list of their favorite ten posters and that list not containing Tommy...

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com (http://www.BarronVangorToth.com)

[kurosh]

It would help if he didn't include so much extraneous information to make it seem like an epic battle instead of a poker hand.

I 3-bet the flop. I could also see CRing the turn as a feasible play.

[BarronVangorToth]

[ QUOTE ]
It would help if he didn't include so much extraneous information to make it seem like an epic battle instead of a poker hand.

[/ QUOTE ]


This is what makes the posts great. EVERYONE posts via the converter - and it's quite dull many times.

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com (http://www.BarronVangorToth.com)

[Turning Stone Pro]

Nice post.

With the preflop action, I would have put your opponents on either big pairs or AK/AQ.

For this reason, I would 3 bet the flop and kept firing. Depending on how bad UTG+2 is, I would consider calling the flop raise and donkbetting the turn when the heart hit, to avoid it getting checked around and a free card given. If a non-heart on the turn, i go for the check-raise.

TSP

[Barry]

[ QUOTE ]
It would help if he didn't include so much extraneous information

[/ QUOTE ]

If you think that all of the non Joe Friday "Just the facts" stuff is extraneous, you have much to learn about the game, if you want to do anything else besides play 2/4 online.

[rory]

Owned.

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Did this hand occur today after I left?

/images/graemlins/heart.gif

[pdavester]

Nice post Tommy. As you know, I was UTG+2 in this hand.

Some extra thoughts on UTG+1: He is a 20-40 regular who plays a strange game at times. He will call you down when you take the lead from him with as little as 22 on a very strong board.

Given this knowledge I thought there was a good chance that I had him beat on the river. I knew however that there was no chance that I had you beat when you overcalled the turn, unless you had the unlikely holding of A /images/graemlins/heart.gifKx/AxK /images/graemlins/heart.gif.

So when he bet the river, I had two choices, 1) fold and let you win, or 2) raise and try to get you to fold the winner.

Nice call on the river btw, and it was fun to take a few flops with you.

[Ian J]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I must be the only person on these boards who hates your posts.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're missing the boat here man. Especially this one, wonderful. Nh Tommy.

[kurosh]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It would help if he didn't include so much extraneous information

[/ QUOTE ]

If you think that all of the non Joe Friday "Just the facts" stuff is extraneous, you have much to learn about the game, if you want to do anything else besides play 2/4 online.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, I'll tell you once I move up from 2/4.

[SoBeDude]

First, I saw no extraneous information in Tommy's post.

Second, there are few people that can post something like a hand from a limit poker game and make it a fun read. Tommy is one of those so enjoy.

Third, there are times I adamantly disagree with tommy's play. but I never dismiss it. And even when I disagree, I don't hate the post. And I always use them as an opportunity to think about the game and try to improve.

IMO, hating tommy's posts is akin to hating working on your poker game. The choice is of course, yours.

Oh and I think Tommy got the most out of his opponents. One or the other would have folded at some point if Tommy had shown more strength.

-Scott

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think I must be the only person on these boards who hates your posts.

[/ QUOTE ]


2+2 has a lot of great posters and I can't imagine anyone making a list of their favorite ten posters and that list not containing Tommy...

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com (http://www.BarronVangorToth.com)

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think Tommy would make my top 100. The endless posts hating Tommy are just as annoying as the endless ones talking about how great he is.

[Turning Stone Pro]

Curious, who are your favorite 10?

TSP

[goofball]

[ QUOTE ]
Full $20-40 game at The Mirage. UTG+1 openraised. UTG+2 reraised. Two players called.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like a game I need to visit more often.

[andyfox]

You must hate Roy Cooke's articles too. Tommy and Roy are the two finest poker hand writers because they tell us what they're thinking and why and what they think their opponents are thinking, and why. And they're good writers too.

[andyfox]

"Plus you have outs when behind."

J-9-7-5 with 3 hearts and Tommy has A-A with no hearts.

[Lawrence Ng]

[ QUOTE ]
This hand had a lot of he thinks I think he thinks I think he thinks in it between me and UTG+2

[/ QUOTE ]

I laughed so hard when I read this... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Lawrence

[mike l.]

"The flop was 9-7-5 with two hearts. I bet. UTG+1 raised. UTG+2 called. The next two players folded. I called."

why?

i tried that river raise on a guy the other night when i had him on QQ, KK, or AA and i had JJ against a player i was pretty sure i didnt have beat. he spent exactly zero seconds thinking before he called two cold.