Can you name my opponent's hole cards?

[Robk]

Here's a hand I played a while ago, 3-6 at paradise. It's not that spectacular, but I thought it was kind of interesting because you can pretty much nail my opponent's hand after the turn action. Here it is:

Bad Loose limps UTG. Tight Competent limps next. Folded to me in the CO and I limp. SB folds and BL2 checks in the BB.

Four to the flop:
http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/vehn23/as.jpg http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/vehn23/8c.jpg http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/vehn23/2h.jpg

Checked to TC who bets and I call. BL1 calls.

Three to the turn:
http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/vehn23/7h.jpg

Checked to me and I bet. Only TC calls.

Heads up to the river:
http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/vehn23/9d.jpg

TC checks. What is his hand? *Bonus Question* What is my hand?

[Rockfish]

OK I'll take a stab at it since I bothered to stare at those graphics for a while.

TC has AQo and you have something like A9h.

Rockfish

[Mangatang]

I put TC on AXs. You have 98 or 87?

[Zag]

He has AJ or AT. With AQ he would have raised preflop. With A9, A8, A7 he would have bet or raised with his 2 pair, and a tight player would not play A6 or worse out of position.

You have either Ax of hearts and you're outkicked, or you have A7s and your two pair is good.

[rigoletto]

Why would AJ or AT check the turn? I TC has an A it has to be A3, A4, A5 or A6.

[Homer]

I'll guess that TC most likely has Axs, with a small possibility of 99.

I'll guess that you either have 99 and thus know that he has Axs and are trying to push him off of it, or have Axs/AJo/ATo. If you bet the river you have AJo/ATo, and if you checked it through you have Axs.

-- Homer

[Louie Landale]

He has AT, you have A8.

- Louie

[MtSmalls]

You had A7s and he had AJ or AT

[Mano]

I'm guessing that TC player would not limp in early position with a crappy ace, and would raise to try and isolate BL with a good ace, so he probably doesn't have an ace. A reasonable hand he might limp with here might be something like medium suited connector. I think he hit the 8 on the flop, takes a stab at it and unfortunately for him you call.

The turn brings the 7h, he checks, you bet he calls. I would think he would be done with the hand if all he had was middle pair, and would bet or check-raise if he made two pair - so for him to call, I am guessing that he also picked up a flush draw. So I am guessing that TC had 98h.

As for your hand, you could have a wide range of hands and play as you did, but I am guessing that you probably wouldn't bet the turn with nothing because BL player could easily have paired one of the rags, and would probably call you all the way down, so I'll put you on AJo .

[D. Andrew]

opponent - 8s9s
you - 8h9h or 8d7d

[Clarkmeister]

TC: AxJx
You: Set of 2's.

[anatta]

I don't understand why he would check a good ace on the turn, but if so, AJs or ATs. If he is concerned about his kicker and looser than me, he can have AXs in EP. Clarkmeister is right, you have 22. You would have raised a good ace before the flop, and folded (maybe raised) a weak ace on the flop, folded second pair in this small pot, there are no draws, 88 isn't as fun, so I think "pocket duece never loooose.".

[Rube]

Opponent has AJ
You have 98

[Schmed]

oppenent Axs and x is probably something like a 3.

You have 7,8s

[Graham]

My swing at this is...

He: AhTh
You: 22

[Porcupine]

I need a lot of work at this, but will give it a shot.

TC: 10.10 or JJ.

You: A10 or AJ.

[Joe Tall]

You: 22
TC: Axs w/x < 7

Or for some reason he got tricky wierd and limped w/77 turned his set and check-raised the river? I dunno, stab in the dark...

[Mangatang]

Come on Robk. Don't leave us hangin. Give us the 411.

[Robk]

Sorry about the lack of results. I wasn't going to go Sklansky on you, I was just really busy yesterday.

My opponent

Preflop: This limp means a hand that plays well in a multiway pot. It could be any pair, any suited connector, and Axs is definitely a possibility, it can't be ruled out by preflop action alone. Not much to go on here, although I think that good but not great big unsuited cards would fold (ie ATo) (and would raise if they were going to play).

Flop: With two BL players in the pot my opponent has to have a decent hand to bet here. He's not trying to pick up the pot with something flaky like JTs or 33. So his hand looks like Axs, an 8, 99-JJ, 88 or 22. Note the only 8 he could have is 89 or 78.

Turn: My opponent check calls. This means he does not have 78, 88, or 22, as these would have bet or checkraised. He also does not have 99-JJ or 98 as these would have checkfolded (or possibly bet again) in this small pot. Where my analysis differs from almost all reponses is in the play of AXs on the turn. If my opponent had this hand he would almost certainly have bet (or checkraised, or even checkfolded.) Checkcalling makes no sense. If he were planning on showing the hand down and paying 2 more BB he would certainly have bet the turn. A raise from me lets him know his hand is no good, and the money goes in if I have a weaker hand that I won't bet but will call with. If I call on an (A 8 2) r flop, I certainly have enough hand to bet the turn when last to act and checked to so there's no way he's getting to showdown any cheaper. The only exception that I could think of is that my opponent may have a strong hand that he wants shown down, but thinks that I will raise him out of the pot with a worse one. The only hands that I can think of that fit this description are ATo and AJo, and I don't think these are likely given the preflop action. (It seems somewhat paradoxical to me that I am using the strength of the hand as an argument for checking, because the strength of the hand is obviously an argument for betting.) But I concluded that my opponent did not have such an ace based on his preflop action, and thus that he didn't have an ace at all. So it seems that I have eliminated every possible hand! Except if my opponent had 98... and also picks up a flush draw on the turn. Note how the check call is much more logical with this hand than with an ace- my opponent fears (rightfully so) a raise after the flop action, and has a hand that he doesn't want to put in two bets with. This is what he showed after I checked behind on the river.

My hand: The most natural answer for my hand I think is 22 or A8s. But there's really no way to rule out AJo/ATo/Axs (unless you know I checked the river!) It turns out that I had ATo. Note that you can rule out 98/78/pp for me based on my flop play-- I surely would have raised or folded with these hands (probably folded).

[Robk]

Hey Rock, I think this opponent would have raised with AQo coming in.

[Robk]

Hey Mangatang, I feel that my opponent would have bet again in this spot with AXs (unless it was Ah xh in which case he might have checkraised).

With 98 or 87 I would have folded (or raised) on the flop.

[Robk]

Hey Zag, I think that my opponent would definitely play Axs in EP, but I doubt he would play AJo or ATo. But I don't think that he would check it on the turn.

I could easily have either hand you suggested.

[Robk]

Hey Rigoletto, I think how my opponent would play Ax on the turn is the key to this hand. I tend to agree with you that my opponent would bet AJ or AT, but I think he would bet Ax as well.

[Robk]

Homer, I don't think that my opponent would check Axs on the turn. But everyone seems to disagree with me /forums/images/icons/wink.gif Would
you bet again or check if you were in my opponent's shoes?

I would have raised the flop with 99. Your other guesses for my hand are right on.

[Robk]

Although I disagree with your analysis on one minor point... My opponent could easily limp with Axs here. I ruled it out for a different reason. Nice job though Mano!

[Robk]

Clarkmeister, I didn't consider AJs at the time. During the hand I was just thinking that he would raise coming in with a better ace than mine. The possibility of AJs or ATs didn't occur to me until after the hand. I'm still not sure if he would raise or limp with these hands, or if he would bet or check them on the turn. Although I want to say that he would bet them.

[Robk]

Hey Porcupine, I think that my opponent would either bet or check fold with those pairs on the turn. Nice job on my hand!

[Rockfish]

Maybe.

Interesting hand. Thanks for posting it.

Rockfish

[rigoletto]

Well, I actually didn't put your opponent on Ax. I just cowardly - without providing an opinion of my own - pointed out that if he had an A it had to be with a smaller kicker than 7.

[Porcupine]

Thanks for the exercise and comments.

I just didn't think a tight opponent would limp with 89 from UTG+1, but in hindsight I can see it.