Preflop Decision

[Ed Miller]

Good 10-20 game at Muckleshoot. UTG plays tightly preflop and starts the hand with $25. He raises. I'm next to act with the A /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif Q /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif. What is my play?

[Howard Burroughs]

If it's the kind of game where you think a lot of people are going to cold-call two bets with their regular calling hands (these games do exist), I would cold-call trying to get the schooling effect going.


If it's the kind of game where a three bet from me is going to get it heads up AND he's the kind of player who will fold to a raise on the turn heads-up after betting and getting called on the flop; I would three bet here.

If I can't expect cold-callers behind me and if I don't feel I have control over UTG, I would probably muck it pre-flop.

YMMV.

Best

Howard

[Tyler Durden]

He's only got $25 in front of him? So after this he's got $5? I say three-bet and it's not close. Def not folding here.

[Howard Burroughs]

I need to take reading comprehension 101. I thought the $25 was the raise plus some sort of "missed blinds been in the bathroom to long" money. If he only has $5 left in front of him, I'm with Tyler.

PS, What's with people who only like having $25 bucks in front of them to start a 10-20 hand. I feel naked if I have less then a rack ($500) in front of me.

Best

Howard

[Inthacup]

I think the decision is between cold calling and 3-betting, not 3-betting and folding.

Kong, if the other players are the kind to recognize that UTG is almost all-in, and you may 3-bet w/ less than AA or KK, I'd 3-bet.

Do you think UTG is still as selective w/ $25 left being UTG and $15 in blinds to look forward too? I think you're ahead here. Unless you REALLY think you're behind, and want to make sure you start a decent side pot, 3-betting seems to be the best choice.

[Ed Miller]

Do you think UTG is still as selective w/ $25 left being UTG and $15 in blinds to look forward too?

I asked myself this exact question at the table. I didn't know the answer. This was the first time I'd played with this guy. Though he seemed to play tight for sure... and probably more weak-tight than anything else (though he didn't play much, being tight and all). He was running bad (blinded off?) and, hence, only had $25 to start the hand.

[elysium]

hi major
he sounds like a AA or KK kinda guy. but usually they do the samr thing with JJ and 10,10. you also have straight and flush potetial. while you might muck the JJ here, unless he will play AKo the same, and they usually do; the AQs is very playable with your experience behind the cards. and if an A flops, you gotta feel like you're at least in the race at aworthy level. like some back-door here, but shoot major, you of everyone in here knows how to play it and when to release. if someone with less experience where asking, i can see mucking then, perhaps. but not you major.

[Ed Miller]

the AQs is very playable with your experience behind the cards

I only have eight months of poker playing experience, elysium. I doubt there are many on the forum who have less.

[Inthacup]

you of everyone in here knows how to play it and when to release.

Do you realize that UTG only has $25? If he calls the raise, and it's heads up, he's pot stuck not matter what the flop looks like. But you're right, he may want to release on the turn if UTG is all-in, and things aren't looking good on the turn. I guess I'm unexperienced, but I often have a hard time releasing my hand when my opponent is all in. Hopefully I can have your level of experience one day kong.

[Ed Miller]

So I figured that AQs was too good a hand not to play against a basically allin UTG raiser, even a tight one. Then the question is whether to cold-call or 3-bet. I thought that building a sidepot would be crucial to making this hand profitable, so I 3-bet. I got an allin for $18 caller behind me (can I say how much I hate it every time I hear the damn word "allin") and the BB called as well for a whopping $10 sidepot. The board completely missed me and I checked it down with BB (because I felt that UTG likely had me beat). UTG had unimproved AKo and took the main pot, and I took the sidepot with my unimproved AQ.

[Tyler Durden]

You've racked up a hell of a lot of posts on this site for someone who has only been playing for 8 months! I've been playing for 9 months myself.

[Ed Miller]

You've racked up a hell of a lot of posts on this site for someone who has only been playing for 8 months!

Hehe... but they only started counting in September, two months after I started... mwhahaha... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

[Howard Burroughs]

"The board completely missed me and I checked it down with BB (because I felt that UTG likely had me beat)."


I don't understand this at all. You checked it down with BB because a pre-flop player (UTG) is all in! WTF???


What happened to building the sidepot?

Heads-up with the BB for the sidepot, just because an ace or queen did not come, I don't think the board missed you.
Do you agree?


BTW, just questions; don't be hatin' :-)


Best of Luck

Howard

[Ed Miller]

What happened to building the sidepot?

Heads-up with the BB for the sidepot, just because an ace or queen did not come, I don't think the board missed you.
Do you agree?

This is certainly a reasonable question. On that flop (which was a complete airball... none of my suit and no backdoor straight draw or anything) I felt that I would only get action from the BB if behind. Now that's not normally a reason to avoid betting before all the cards are out, but in a tiny sidepot like this where I now fear that UTG likely has a large edge over me (so I don't have much equity in the main pot anymore) I just don't see the value of betting. I have little to protect... and I'm not likely to build a sidepot unless my opponent has the best of it. What do you guys think?