Possibly Interesting AK Hand

[Piiop]

Party 10 handed.

I have A /images/graemlins/club.gif K /images/graemlins/spade.gif.

Folded to the button who raises, I 3-bet from the SB, the BB cold-calls with the "call any" button on, button calls. 3 to the flop.

Button is a super aggressive, very loose maniac. He has 3-bet As3s from the SB and bet/3bet a QxQs2s flop with it. He's actually not *that* crazily aggressive postflop. He'll bet any hand or draw when it's checked to him, but he won't always bet out into a big field. If he has the lead in the hand, he'll keep firing unless someone plays back AND he doesn't have much. He will usually see the river if he has any draw. Also, after preflop action he had slightly less than 2.5 BB's.

BB is very loose, too aggressive. I have no specific reads on his play.

Flop (~9 SB) - J /images/graemlins/spade.gif T /images/graemlins/heart.gif 4 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

I check (Anyone want to bet here? I would usually autobet after 3-betting out of the blinds in a 3way or headsup pot, however I didn't this time. I'm not too happy with this flop but it could be worse, I'd like to get it headsup with the maniac and I think check-raising would be the best shot of that. However, it may not work, and I will probably be able to see the turn for 1 bet and evaluate what I want to do then, depending on the card.), anyway the BB bets, button calls, and I call.

The BB betting didn't make me very happy. But, since I checked after 3-betting preflop, I think he (being a too aggressive player) will be betting AK/AQ, flush draw, any J, and T, possibly 99/88/77, or KQ/98/Q9 here. Since the button just called, he doesn't have a J, a T, or an overpair (he would've capped a big pair PF anyway). He could still have a fairly wide range of weak draws here like A8o, 97o, possibly an underpair. So basically, I'm not in a great spot. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

Turn (6 BBs): T /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I check, BB bets, button calls, I call.

Ok well that didn't change a lot. Since we both just called the flop, I would think the BB would continue to bet with most of his possible holding.

River (9 BBs): 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif

I check, BB checks, Button bets all in for just under 1 BB, I...?

Who wants to bet the flop?

More importantly, knowing that the button is a maniac and is all-in, how good is a raise on the river?

Thanks for your comments.

[ArturiusX]

I like a flop bet, because the maniac BB will raise with anything, and hopefully knock out the button. The hand should play itself from there.

[Nick C]

Ugh!

I guess I'd probably auto-bet the flop, but I can see why you didn't.

After I check-called instead, I would play the turn like you did.

On the river, I think a checkraise may be worth a shot. Possibly BB will fold a better hand (and worse ones), and his check did show weakness. Button may have us beat anyway, but if so, that's how it goes.

I'd be worried about the plausibility of the river checkraise, a little bit, but I guess we could have, for instance, KQ/99, and in addition to that maybe BB will worry we've been trapping and fold his 88/77/Q9/98 or whatever here.

Plus, he may worry that Button has him beat, even if he suspects we're making a play.

[Piiop]

[ QUOTE ]
I like a flop bet, because the maniac BB will raise with anything, and hopefully knock out the button. The hand should play itself from there.

[/ QUOTE ]

The button is the maniac. The BB is also too aggressive, but not near maniac status.

The best way to get headsup with the maniac on the flop would've been to checkraise the button, I think. However, that didn't work out since the BB bet.

[Piiop]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be worried about the plausibility of the river checkraise, a little bit, but I guess we could have, for instance, KQ/99, and maybe BB will worry we've been trapping and fold his 88/77/Q9/98 or whatever here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good points. There isn't a lot I can be representing here to get the BB to fold a better hand. However, he may not even be thinking about what I have. His river check definitely shows weakness and smells like a busted draw or weak pair. The button's final bet was more than 1/2 a BB so if I wanted to raise, it would be to a full 2 BB's, which is definitely not easy to call on the river with a weak hand.

I'm not that concerned with the button - if it were headsup I would check-call this river every time and expect it to be a clearly +EV play. This also means if the BB folds, I won't be losing any more than I normally would. So, all I have to worry about is the BB.

I guess it just boils down a math problem of how often I have the button beat and how often the BB will fold a better hand to a raise when he would've called 1 bet.

Edit: Also, I hadn't been at this table for very long so the BB shouldn't be wary of me isolating this maniac. He actually might not of even been paying attention or known the other player was a maniac too. Most of the hands I played against the maniac were from a couple hours earlier at a different table.

[Nick C]

One interesting aspect of this is that if BB suspects a play, he can call, figuring that even if Button has him beat, he still comes out ahead (on the river call, anyway) by picking off our bluff-raise.

I wouldn't really expect him to be thinking things through that thoroughly, though. In fact, I didn't think of this angle myself, initially.