Strong move or back down?

[AJo Go All In]

5-handed loose/aggressive home game, NLHE $.50/$1 blinds.
I am very familiar with all of the players at the table and have fairly reliable reads on their play.

I have $87 on the button and pick up
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UTG folds, cutoff limps, I decide to play it aggressively and raise to $4 (often I limp in and either hit a set or fold with this kind of hand). Blinds fold, and cutoff calls. Heads up to the flop, $9.50 in the pot. Cutoff has me covered with about $150 in front of him.

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He checks to me. I decide not to dog it, and make a near pot-sized bet ($8). He thinks for about a second and then check-raises to $22.

Now I start thinking. I am pretty confident that this raise means that he has a mediocre jack (he would have raised preflop with AJ and probably even KJ and QJ), but I think he respects my preflop raise enough not to be in there with something completely trashy like J7 or J5. He would usually bet out with a draw. I have pretty much been betting the flop 100% of the time when checked to following a pre-flop raise. I think he puts me on overcards trying to steal. This player is capable of laying down a hand, and I think if i came over the top he would need AJ at the very least to call (and probably more, since my play is very consistent with AA, KK, or QQ).
With any two pair or set he would probably call immediately.

Obviously my choices are to fold to the raise, or push the rest of my stack in (it would be a reraise of $61). Do I just give in here, or make a move?

Results to follow.

[thebroker]

Would he play 77 or 55 this way? If you are better than most of the other players then you should fold. This is a marginal situation at best. Put your chips in at a better time.

[ohkanada]

Seems to me when he check-raises all he is telling you that he has AK beat. He likely has a Jack although something like TT is even possible. Would he wait for the turn with a set, or do you often bet out on the flop after a raise and then check the turn?

I agree the decision is raise or fold. I think a lot depends on your past history with this player. Have you been caught in this type of play before? Against someone who would muck AJ and who would only call with overpairs or 2 pairs/sets, you probably have a reasonable shot to re-raise all-in. Would he call with a flush draw?

I would fold but in a 5 handed game the history of the 2 players is very important.

Ken Poklitar

[gaylord focker]

I dont like the raise preflop, or the bet on the flop. I also think you should muck your hand on the turn. If you are going to push all in with what you know is not the best hand, you should have more than two outs.

[AJo Go All In]

Good news, bad news. My read was right-- he had JTo. The problem was that he called. No miracle cards for me, and he took it down.

Most people were pretty surprised that he called me down with that hand, as was I. I am probably one of the trickiest at the table, but I was sure that my opponent could not put me on a bluff-reraise. Maybe he thought I had a flush draw? He said after that while I was thinking about what to do, he had resigned himself to calling me down no matter what. Does that mean I should have acted with less hesitation?

[Matt Flynn]

I've made that play enough times that I never do it anymore. You got a little spunky preflop and made a good stab at the pot. No problem with that, although your flop decisions would've been easier if you hadn't raised preflop. When you get check-raised, you are done. You must lay down. That $3 preflop raise ended up costing you your stack not because of the cards but because you got tied to your bluff.

Don't worry about taking time. As long as you don't give away your hand via tells, for all they know you're thinking about how much to bet or are sandbagging them.

[AJo Go All In]

You're right. Of all the mistakes I make, probably the biggest one I make consistently is trying to bluff a generally loose opponent. Egos are fairly high in the game, and the temptation is very high (at least for me) to go for a ridiculous bluff and then proudly flip your cards face up when they fold. This tends to cost me a lot of money in the long run.

[Matt Flynn]

That's the trick. The gambling ego beast likes no limit. I fed him thousands before he shut up.