How would you play Aces in this hand? [Archive]

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bkm

07-30-2005, 06:45 PM

My opponent slowplayed her Aces and allowed me to make a straight flush. So, how would you play them?

$10+1Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (4 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Hero (t1695)
UTG (t3065)
Button (t1740)
SB (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is BB with J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif SB has A/images/graemlins/spade.gif A /images/graemlins/heart.gif
2 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Do you push your AA here and hope I have a smaller pair or Ax and call? Min raise figuring I'm going to call with any decent hand since I'd still have t1095 left if the flop misses me? Or, limp as she did?

I think limping was a poor choice, but I'm not sure which other choice is best. I'm leaning towards the min raise. If she min raises and I have a pair or a strong A, I'd push and she'd have me where she wanted me. With a decent hand I call and then she could push the flop and win a t1200 pot. Of course, there's always a chance a scary flop would appear then you have a decision to make.

Flop: (t600) 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 6/images/graemlins/club.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

There's really nothing in the flop that's scary to AA. So, do you check and hope I have a K and bet or do you just bet.

Turn: (t600) Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)
SB bets t300, Hero calls t300.

The board is starting to look a little scary for the AA. So, do you check, bet, or push? How much of a bet do you call if you're the Hero and have 12 outs?

River: (t1200) T/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2 players)
SB bets t300, Hero raises to t1095 (All-In), SB calls t600 (All-In).

So, now SB is really in trouble. If I have 87 or Jx, I have a straight, 2 spades and I have a flush, or I could've had something like T6 and have 2 pair. So, as SB, do you check and fold, bet as she did, or push and hope your Aces hold up.

I don't like her bet here. If I didn't have anything, I'm certainly not going to call and I'm not going to bluff as there are just too many possibilities on the board. I'd just fold and still have t1095 left.

I think her call of my All-In was poor. I don't know what she put me on. Possibly she put me on a T8 or T7 and thought I missed my gutshot and was trying to bluff a pair of 10s.

I think it would've been better for her to fold and try to double up her t600 in the next hand.

So, do you agree or disagree with my views or did I miss anything?
Final Pot: t3195

Hero has Js 8s (straight flush, queen high).
SB has As Ah (one pair, aces).
Outcome: Hero wins t3195.

mike28

07-30-2005, 06:49 PM

Is this a really complex "Hay I busted AA with a straight flush roxx0r" post?

I push my AA preflop. I push that flop. I start checking to see if my mouse is plugged in by the turn.

bkm

07-31-2005, 07:01 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Is this a really complex "Hay I busted AA with a straight flush roxx0r" post?

I push my AA preflop. I push that flop. I start checking to see if my mouse is plugged in by the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, this is one of those "Hey, I want to learn how to play poker better posts." If I wanted to brag about something I would've made a post about the 2 Royals I got in a 3-day span back in April. I did post about the second one, but only because I only made a t45 profit on it.

But, back to the learning. Why do you think pushing is better here than min raising?

If you push, the BB probably only calls with a pair or decent Ace. Otherwise, you just win his blind.

If you min raise, BB will probably push any pair, any Ace, and, if BB views the min raise as a simple steal attempt he might push with any 2 high cards.

If the BB simply calls your min raise, there's t1200 in the pot and you can push the flop. If the BB paired up one of his cards or got a draw he may still call your push and you'd be a favorite to win his stack and eliminate him. Of course, there's always a chance he'd flop a monster, but that chance also exists if he calls your preflop push.

It seems in the long run you'd earn more chips and money by min raising and pushing the flop. Or are you more interested in playing it safe on the bubble and simply winning his blind.

xLukex

07-31-2005, 07:07 PM

Give free cards much?

Push preflop. If you don't do that, bet the flop. Push the turn.

Push SOMEWHERE before the river PLEASE.

bkm

07-31-2005, 07:53 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Give free cards much?

Push preflop. If you don't do that, bet the flop. Push the turn.

Push SOMEWHERE before the river PLEASE.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you read the hand history correctly? I didn't have AA, I had J8s. I guess pushing my J8s preflop might be a good play after the SB just completed. But, I can't see how pushing after the flop would be a good idea.

Assuming you're talking about the SB pushing her AA, I agree it is a lot better than limping but is it the best play. It seems that a lot of people think "pooooosh" is the correct answer for every question. It may be the safest play, but is it the most profitable?

Suppose I had A3o in the BB and the SB pushed. Unless she's been doing that a lot, I'd give her the benefit of a doubt and give her credit for a good Ace or a pair and I'd fold. If she min raised, I'd assume that she had a marginal hand and I'd push.

AA is a 92% favorite over A3o.
If she pushes her AA preflop and I fold my A3o, she wins my t300 blind 100% of the time.
If she min raises her AA and I sense weakness and push my A3o. She doubles up to t3000 and almost is guaranteed to finish ITM 92% of the time and bust out 8%.

So, it would seem that pushing is the safest play, but not the most profitable.

mike28

07-31-2005, 08:03 PM

Pushing is get's you a call more often than not in my opinion.

First and foremost though, there's t450 in the pot, that's 1/3 my stack. I don't care if you call me or not.

Secondly, pushing after she min-raises with a weak hand does not make sense to me. She's not (well who knows she butchered this hand) going to raise then fold 1/2 her stack.

You might however call with a weak ace or PP if she open pushes, she could be pushing with any 2.

edit: minraising with a stack like that just screams "Oh please god give me chips"

lastchance

07-31-2005, 08:48 PM

Depending on Villain, the complete might be ok. I'm shoving here a lot preflop as BB instead of checking and trying to steal this pot.

If Villain decides to complete AA, I think you should check the flop too, to show a bit more weakness. Again, Villain's check might be good against me, though this board may be a bit too scary to do that.

Once you hit the turn, there's t600 in the pot and you've got t1200 behind with tons of draws. Push here.