AQ hand!

[Jakob]

How is my line?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Hero (t965)
CO (t1845)
Button (t630)
SB (t545)
BB (t760)
UTG (t1015)
UTG+1 (t555)
UTG+2 (t270)
MP1 (t715)
MP2 (t700)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t125</font>, CO calls t125, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>.

Flop: (t295) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t225</font>, CO calls t225.

Turn: (t745) 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO checks.

River: (t745) 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO checks.

Final Pot: t745

I personally don't like to raise 4xBB pre-flop with AQs in MP at this blind level. Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated. I usually limp or maybe mini-raise and then go from there. A re-raise pre-flop has me thinking of dropping the hand and I play the flop with caution.

[wildzer0]

Looks about right to me. I would say CO likely has overcards in which case your in good shape or 55-99,in which case you're not. If you think you can push CO off an overpair, or he's the sort of donk to call with overcards, i might push the turn. I think you're good more often than not here.

Edit: I say this assuming a low buy-in, but you don't mention what the buy-in is.

[Jakob]

sorry it is a 20+2

[playtitleist]

What is Villain afraid of here? If you are Villain, why are you checking the turn and river?

[GrekeHaus]

[ QUOTE ]
Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. At the lower limits people will call with anything. I had someone call my UTG raise with 76o the other night. Limping has its merits as well, but raising is certainly not awful.

The only thing I'd change is to scale down my flop bet a bit. There isn't much you need to protect your hand agaist (except other over cards). I think a continuation bet of about 125 is enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

[The Yugoslavian]

You are ramping up the pot way too quickly to play it well on later streets. Party's structure is tricky b/c the starting stacks are so shallow. Thus, unless the blinds are worth making a stand over (not yet...) raise as little as you can (but still get some value and allow others to start defining their hands) preflop but not so much that the pot starts to get way too big on the flop/turn.

Your flop bet is pretty bad I'd say as now the pot is ridiculously big and you have jack shizzy.

Even if you just bet t125 then t125 again the chips are starting to pile up quickly vs. a probable pp. Thankfully your opponent sucks donkeynutz (or thinks you *really* suck donkeynutz)...so you get to checkdown cheaply after making a really big pot.

Yugoslav

Here's my line....

Pre-flop limp or mini-raise. Sometimes I may stick in a raise to 90, but usually not.

If one caller on flop like this situation, I bet out the flop for half the pot. If he calls, I bet out again for the same amount (which is now 1/4 of the pot). I am absolutely amazed how many times villain folds the turn. Any re-raises and I am obviously out of here. If he calls the turn the river is tough. If you check he's invited to push you out of the pot, but you don't want to contribute more to this likely losing situation. Probably have to check and fold.

DISCLAIMER: I'm pretty much a newbie donk. Take it for what it's worth.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are right. Good catch. I should have said "may have you dominated." Still a significant concern.

[microbet]

Oft-times you don't need to play the later streets well because you win the hand on the flop. I like your friend Greke's thoghts here.

I'm with Yugo. My goal with AQs in this situation is to keep the pot small while still trying to figure out where I am at. If I bump to 60 pre-flop, that gets us a pot of 135 in this situation (assuming the mini-flop doesn't invite more action, which it might). Now my continuation bet only needs to be in the 60ish range. If he calls, bump out another 60. If he calls, check down the river. Total investment now only 180.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
Oft-times you don't need to play the later streets well because you win the hand on the flop. I like your friend Greke's thoghts here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.

I like Greke's line and will often use it myself. My main point is that the OP is doing everything he can to generate a big pot that will be difficult to play.

Still, I also like checking the flop and possibly calling/betting turn and other such things. There is much more room to maneveur if you give your betting impetus up while the pot is still somewhat small.

Yugoslav

[Jakob]

My idea behind the big preflop raise is to get heads up. When I hit the flop I will often get paid off, because people at this level has difficaulties letting go of a hand when they already have invested a great deal of chips. If I don't hit the flop I will lead out anyway, with a rather large bet, almost potsize, if they don't fold there it is check-fold mode the rest of the way. I think this approach is +EV on the lower limits, I don't know what you guys think of that?

[ QUOTE ]
My idea behind the big preflop raise is to get heads up. When I hit the flop I will often get paid off, because people at this level has difficaulties letting go of a hand when they already have invested a great deal of chips. If I don't hit the flop I will lead out anyway, with a rather large bet, almost potsize, if they don't fold there it is check-fold mode the rest of the way. I think this approach is +EV on the lower limits, I don't know what you guys think of that?

[/ QUOTE ]

At the lower limits the tourney is not won or lost at this point. I find your line overly aggressive and unnecessary.

[bennies]

Hej

Byd lidt mindre preflop (4 gange bb er i overkanten når stacks er så små). Byd lidt mindre på floppet - om det er 60 eller 80% af potten gør ikke det store, hvis villain folder så gør han det, hvis ikke så har du smidt 20% væk.

Velkommen iøvrigt til foraet - pm (personal message) mig hvis du har brug for tips, fx med hensyn til hvilke skribenter det er værd at lytte til...

[McMelchior]

That sure killed that thread.

Maybe you could offer the users of this forum the courtesy of using PM if you wish to communicate in a tongue different from English - which happens to be the official language of twoplustwo.

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

[yabastid]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. At the lower limits people will call with anything. I had someone call my UTG raise with 76o the other night. Limping has its merits as well, but raising is certainly not awful.

The only thing I'd change is to scale down my flop bet a bit. There isn't much you need to protect your hand agaist (except other over cards). I think a continuation bet of about 125 is enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. And as for miniraising- it does nothing. At these blind levels it's horrible especially from MP. Almost no one is gonna fold b/c of a miniraise. 125 is fine, 60 is inviting speculative hands to take a shot. I HATE miniraising at lower levels except in very specific situations. If your gonna raise, RAISE!

[Pete H]

Another vote for raising and betting too much.

I raise 85-90 preflop and bet half pottish against one caller.

NP: Lamb Of God - Break You

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. At the lower limits people will call with anything. I had someone call my UTG raise with 76o the other night. Limping has its merits as well, but raising is certainly not awful.

The only thing I'd change is to scale down my flop bet a bit. There isn't much you need to protect your hand agaist (except other over cards). I think a continuation bet of about 125 is enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. And as for miniraising- it does nothing. At these blind levels it's horrible especially from MP. Almost no one is gonna fold b/c of a miniraise. 125 is fine, 60 is inviting speculative hands to take a shot. I HATE miniraising at lower levels except in very specific situations. If your gonna raise, RAISE!

[/ QUOTE ]

It may be that calling is better than a mini-raise, but I think building the pot with a huge raise with this hand at this point in the tournament is an even more terrible line. If you steal, whoopie! If you get called, you have to navigate the flop with care and, if you miss, have to place an expensive continuation bet.

In this spot I prefer to put as little chips at risk as possible. Too much to lose and very little to gain. If you flop an ace or better yet TPTK with the Q, then you can start to move.

[mlagoo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Blinds aren't worth stealing, and callers probably have you dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. At the lower limits people will call with anything. I had someone call my UTG raise with 76o the other night. Limping has its merits as well, but raising is certainly not awful.

The only thing I'd change is to scale down my flop bet a bit. There isn't much you need to protect your hand agaist (except other over cards). I think a continuation bet of about 125 is enough to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. And as for miniraising- it does nothing. At these blind levels it's horrible especially from MP. Almost no one is gonna fold b/c of a miniraise. 125 is fine, 60 is inviting speculative hands to take a shot. I HATE miniraising at lower levels except in very specific situations. If your gonna raise, RAISE!

[/ QUOTE ]

It may be that calling is better than a mini-raise, but I think building the pot with a huge raise with this hand at this point in the tournament is an even more terrible line.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a middle ground between a minraise and a huge raise. One of them thar false dichotomies.

My line would be to raise to 90-100 PF, bet the flop for about 120, which still leaves you with something like 700 going to the turn, room to fire a reasonable bet on the turn and still get away from a reraise.

So assuming he smoothcalls my flop bet, I bet something like 200 on the turn. If he calls there, I'm check/folding the river.

I think there's a difference between controlling the size of the pot and failing to isolate with a top pair hand. Case in point: I'm folding 22-88 (maybe 99-TT) to a real raise preflop here. I'm not folding any of them to a minraise. All of those hands now have you beat.

Maybe my tight/weak play in situations like this early on is why I am getting to the bubble so often in pretty bad shape (i.e., t600ish). My results show a high number of 3rd and 4ths. Something for me to think about.