NL - flopped 2 pair, scary board

[davidross]

No Limit PS freeroll WSOP Qualifier. 4th level blinds are 50/100, I have 2875 which is 3rd at this table(Distant 3rd, leader is over 7500). I am in the SB and there is one limper (2540) to me. I have As 8h and I complete. BB folds (sitting out I think, I didn’t notice this before I called). Should this have been raised?

*** FLOP *** [7c 8s Ac]

I checked, Limper bet 400, and I pushed all-in?

Is this too big a bet? The board scared me with the flush /straight possibilities so I wanted to close him out now. Should I have played this a little slower?

[Mike Gallo]

Is this too big a bet? The board scared me with the flush /straight possibilities so I wanted to close him out now. Should I have played this a little slower?

I think I would have made the same play. You have top two and you have outs to improve. You want to make someone with a bigger ace pay to catch it, if the person has a big ace. You want someone to pay to draw to a straight or the flush. Put your opponent to the test. Make him make a decision for all your chips.

I like the play, then again....thats me. /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

[ohkanada]

That play certainly forces any draws to pay the max to out-draw you. The question one needs to ask is would someone with a draw or a big ace call, or would you only get called by a set or two pair? It is possible if the limper has AT/AJ he might feel that you are trying to steal the pot on a draw.

Ken Poklitar

[Greg (FossilMan)]

I would bet less. At the time you raised, there is about 1100 in the pot, and the opponent has 2100 in their stack. Since your all-in won't get a hand that is beating you to fold, but will almost certainly chase away many second-best hands that might call for less, I'd raise less. Maybe make it 1200 or so to go, a raise of 800 more. Although this makes the situation look favorable to flush and straight draws, it also keeps AK and the like in there.

The hard part of this play is what you do if they call, and card hits that could make the straight or flush, and they bet the rest of their 1300 into you. They might be bluffing with AK or worse; or they might be trying to make you fold your potential draw+pair hand, now that the board has gotten so scary (i.e., they have AK, think it's the best hand, but now want you to fold since the board is getting scary). In such a spot, it's pretty tough to read them accurately, because they honestly think they have the best hand. And you can easily misread this body language as them holding the made drawing hand.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[davidross]

My opponent folded. I thought the big overbet might get him to make an incorrect call, and it removed all responsibility for a difficult turn decision from me. But I guess if I want to play this game properly I will have to face those kind of decisions eventually.