$55: Can I still play AK this way?

[Isura]

The preflop reraiser is pretty laggy. He's called a big preflop raise (ie 10x bb type raisers) and folded the flop, and also raised big with suited connectors (after limpers) once. I'm still not sure if that's enough info to push here though. The other caller seems typical. Thoughts?

#Game No : 2559405480
***** Hand History for Game 2559405480 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5 Entry Fee Trny:14965257 Level:2 Blinds(15/30) - Friday, August 19, 00:28:41 EDT 2005
Table Table 14535 (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: PartyOVER4U ( $2405 )
Seat 2: braveheartnc ( $1220 )
Seat 4: Taftie ( $1250 )
Seat 5: neutron999 ( $910 )
Seat 6: sadielouie ( $900 )
Seat 7: N0Crying ( $250 )
Seat 8: testbatsmen1 ( $1155 )
Seat 9: Joey_Greco ( $775 )
Seat 10: breezyzane ( $1135 )
Trny:14965257 Level:2
Blinds(15/30)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to testbatsmen1 [ Ks Ad ]
testbatsmen1 raises [100].
Joey_Greco folds.
PartyOVER4U: whew....never thought my deuces would hold up there
breezyzane calls [100].
PartyOVER4U folds.
braveheartnc raises [300].
Taftie folds.
neutron999 folds.
sadielouie folds.
N0Crying folds.
testbatsmen1 is all-In [1055]

I'd call and be prepared to fold on the flop. At the 55's, someone reraising an UTG raise will most of the time have something pretty strong. You're getting a little more than 2 to 1 on the call, I think that makes the decision easy.

[Myst]

If he's laggy, whats the problem?

[psyduck]

This line is absolutely fine given the read.

What's the problem?

Edit: [censored] hell, I said "what's the problem" as well. I need to stop reading previous posts before I post my response because I sound like a parrot.

I will sometimes fold this at the $55's, becasue i really hate racing a poket. If you have no reads I lean twords calling if you really want to play the hand, but since u say he is agressive, re-raise for sure.
Calling and seeing a flop isnt all that bad. if you completly wiff you still have 800ish chips, and will be able to comeback without too much trouble.

[bennies]

what's the p...

hehe.

I like it. Personally I just call 30 utg but I usually come over the top too when raised, I hate playing AK oop.

[flyingmoose]

Playing AK OOP on a missed flop Suxorz teh big111!!!1one!

There's a grip of chips out there already and he's laggy. What's the problem?

[tech]

It really depends on the player I guess, but most of the time (at this level) a reraise this size indicates super strength.

To all those saying push: isn't this the type of player to call with any PP, if he's calling 10x BB bets? Maybe I just don't know the 55s. If he is that kind of player I say call and see a flop or call and stop and go (I'm a little stop and go obsessed today cause i made some nice ones /images/graemlins/smile.gif ).

[Myst]

[ QUOTE ]
I will sometimes fold this at the $55's, becasue i really hate racing a poket. If you have no reads I lean twords calling if you really want to play the hand, but since u say he is agressive, re-raise for sure.
Calling and seeing a flop isnt all that bad. if you completly wiff you still have 800ish chips, and will be able to comeback without too much trouble.

[/ QUOTE ]

Calling off 1/5 of your stack for a 33% chance to hit an Ace or King is bad poker, IMHO.

[jedinite]

[ QUOTE ]
If he is that kind of player I say call and see a flop or call and stop and go

[/ QUOTE ]
I think thats the worst possible play. AK's strength is in making top pair, and you need to run all five cards to maximize that strenth. If he's playing a pocket pair or suited connectors you're giving him a free shot to draw on you with the best hand: as a LAG he's going to call insta-call your push on the flop if he hitsa solid draw (or a set, obviously), and you're giving him the opportunity to correctly fold if an Ace or King flops.

This play is read-dependant IMO: If he's LAGgy, the push is the right play but even so you're likely racing a small pocket pair as a slight dog. But its early enough that I like to make this push and if I can't crack the PP then I'll just start another game.

Obviously, if your read is that the PF raiser is really solid and/or you really don't want to coinflip here, then fold.

Calling is very bad. Stop and Go isn't as bad, but I'd just push preflop this early.

[BadMongo]

Much of the value of going all-in with AK preflop comes from the FE you get by doing so. Against a LAG who has reraised an UTG raise and an EP cold caller, it's probably safe to assume he's not folding, so your FE goes down the crapper here. Therefore this hand is going to showdown, hopefully against only the LAG. If we assume the cold caller will fold (best case scenario), the only real question is if you are a big enough favourite against his range to justify risking all your chips. I don't see how you can be. Even though he's LAG, it's tough to put him on anything but a mid/large pair or AK. He would have to be truely terrible to raise only 200 more with AQ or less in this spot, so I don't see how you can be ahead of his range, much less a favourite.

So that leaves folding or calling. You are getting good odds the see a flop, but the problem with calling is that you're not closing the action. It would be disasterous if you called, then the EP cold caller pushed. You lose 300 chips immediately. Even if this doesn't happen, you lose 300 chips 2/3 time on the flop since you pretty much have to check/fold if you miss.

I think the best play here is a fold. If you were closing the action preflop, a call would probably be correct, but you're in a tough spot here. Pushing is bad, and calling leaves you in a too vulnerable of a position. It's still early, so just fold it and move on.

[ QUOTE ]
I think the best play here is a fold. If you were closing the action preflop, a call would probably be correct, but you're in a tough spot here. Pushing is bad, and calling leaves you in a too vulnerable of a position. It's still early, so just fold it and move on.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like this play. If your opponent thinks of you as a gambler, doesn't a raise of only 3x cry out for a call?
You need to see an A or a K on the flop and 300 is just too much to pay for a draw out here. The raise certainly looks as if it is coming from a big pair or at least a pair of some sort. Assuming the closer doesn't call, hitting an A or a K on the flop will prob win you a decent pot, but QQ on down for your opponent can get away from you. Sets will also break you in this situation, and being the Loose one at the table, this is a perfect trap to set for you, and I really don't think you can get away from hitting an A or a K on the flop.
The siituation goes even worse if you call or push and the closer either calls or pushes as well.
Given the raiser's position and his chip count and the rather small size of the blinds, I think you can fold this hand and continue to play on.
I do admit tho that folding here will hurt your image somewhat, and people might begin to do this move on you more at the table, but being so early on, I'd say the raise was a solid one.

[Isura]

Well, I was getting about 1.32:1 (assuming the caller folds) by pushing (risking 1055 to win 1400). Even so, my equity was probably only barely enough call based on that. I would think that PPs would be more likely than AQ or some other random junk, so it seems close. But I find it hard to turn down a probable race getting these odds.

BTW, my read was somewhat okay this time. He had 77 and called, and I flopped an ace on the flop.