An odd way I played Big Slick tonight...comments?

[zuluking]

4-8, loose passive with 7-9 seeing the flop and virtually no pre-flop raising....unless it was me. Player who is 4th from the button is "Mr. Predictable". I've played hundreds of hours with him. He plays every hand, will call with any pair, and bet out with top pair or 2 pair. He will also call all the way to the showdown with any top or 2 pair.

I'm 6th from the button with AK offsuit. I had been raising with premium hands all night, and I wanted to change my play on this hand by not raising.

7 of us see the flop. 3-3-8 rainbow. Checks to me, I bet, 5 callers, including Mr. "P".

Turn is 7. Mr. "P" bets out. I instantly know, from the hundreds of hours of previous play with him, that he has a 7 in his hand, giving him 2 pair.

I raise. Here is my thinking at that moment. I've got 6 outs with the 3 A's and K's. If any one of them hit, I take a nice size pot. My raise will also cause Mr. "P" to check on the river, fearing what I might have. If the A or K doesn't hit, we'll both check, I'll turn over my AK, and the other players will think I'm some kinda weirdo, raising without at least a pair to work with. This will help my table image later on. Plus, I might get a few callers, thus making it an even juicer pot.

Sadly, the rest fold, but Mr. "P" calls.

River is Q.

Mr. "P" checks, chips in hand, ready to call a bet as always. I check and turn over AK. He takes it with 7 2 offsuit. Sure enough, I hear some other players grumbling about how I raised without even a pair! This did "loosen" my image as 3 hands later, I raised with AA, got many callers, and won a nice pot in the end with 4 players still with me.

So that's how I played AK tonight. Comments? Many thanks!

[Bob T.]

It was odd, and I think you gave up a lot here. Big unsuited cards usually play better with a small field. If I understand 6th from the button, you are in early position on this hand also. I would much rather play AK off, against three players for two bets each, instead of 6 opponents for 1 bet each. Your potential profit on both hands is the same, but your chances of winning have greatly increased when there are only three opponents. Additionally, with fewer callers behind you, you will have better positon on the hand, instead of acting before the entire field.

On the flop, you whiff, and now you bet? If there would be any reason for not raising preflop with your hand, it would be so that you could get away from it cheaply on the flop if you didn't like it.

On the turn, you invest two big bets, when you could have invested one. It got you a free showdown, but you already knew that you were behind. You could have called twice, and invested the same amount, but you might have saved a bet, if your opponent didn't bet the river with his pair of sevens. I think you cost yourself a bet here on the turn.

I think checking behind on the river when you were behind was a good idea.

In summary, you probably got less of your opponents money invested preflop when you were a money favorite, and you also let more players in behind you to worsen your position.

On the flop, you invested a bet, when you could have probably folded, and then on the turn, you invested two instead of one, when you knew you were behind, and only likely to win about 12% of the time. I think you cost yourself money on every street but the river.

[kiddo]

When you only called the flop, was this a conscious plan thinking: "Lets try to change my table image by playing this hand a bit weird"? If it was, and if the turnraise was you holding to that plan, then I think it was very nice.

When an unknown player that seems ok does a move like this at my table, I will give it a lot of weight (I play 1/2 and 2/4 online, most players never raise turn without at least 2 pair... only a few semi-bluff raise). I think its also very good - for your table image - to do this move against Mr Predictable. When an aggressive player dont understand that aggressivness aint working against a guy like Mr Predictable, that is something you remember. If I was at your table I probably would have been one of those misplaying against your AA later, paying you of much more than those 1 or 2 Big Bets you lost "misplaying" this hand.

[uclaguy]

Maybe the play you made would be profitable if the flop/turn offered you some more outs (gutshot straight or runner flush) but with 7 people seeing the flop, those paired 3's may have hit one of the other players besides "Mr. P". The fact that someone (MR.P included) bet on the turn may not mean that he likes that 7, but rather, he was slowplaying trips or a boat. Furthermore, your play assumes that MR. P only had one pair of 7's to match the 3's, but he may have also made a 2-pair above the 3's. All-in-all, I think you put yourself into a position where you where a heavy underdog paying top price for the sometimes value-less low-stakes table image. Afterall, most 4-8 players tend to just play there own cards and your "image" will only influence them in the most questionable, tough descisions they make (which is rare), so table image is not worth the trun bet (especially since the river could brign another card that would make you fold and your "stupidity" will never be exposed for its value)

[zuluking]

Now that I've slept on it, I'm kinda kicking myself in the a$$. But, its what I decided to do at that moment, and I can't cry over spilled milk....er chips.