A9o in the SB 3 handed

[Evan]

Villain is 60/34/1.5 after 320 hands (note: it's likely that most of those hands are HU and 3 handed). We had been playing heads up for a bit before the third player joined and he was playing pretty weakly (folding a lot of turns and not playing as many hands as I'd expect).

Party Poker 15/30 Hold'em (6 max, 3 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx (http://www.zerodivide.cx/converter)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">Button raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button caps</font>, Hero calls.

Flop: (9 SB) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Button bets</font>, Hero calls.

Turn: (5.50 BB) 5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Button bets</font>, Hero calls.

River: (7.50 BB) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks

I'm pretty sure this is horrible. I'm posting just for a check up, commence telling me I suck.

[imported_ncray]

If he is aggressive enough to bet every street no matter if he hit or not, you have to be right roughly 1/4 times to call down. You'd like a showdown here, and calling down seems to be the cheapest way to get it, while encouraging him to keep bluffing/semibluffing. I'd check/call the river too because I couldn't bet/fold to a raise against an aggressive opponent.

being oop sure does blow. with what happened i call the river.

p.s. if he is still in heads up mode i check-raise the flop

[jgorham]

I think you need to checkraise this flop. Either way I think you are committed to showdown, and if he threebets you on the flop you can go passive from there. But I think you are letting AQ and the like get off too easy (he is likely to check the river).

Playing this as a stop and go isn't bad either, I just think you need to take the initiative somewhere, as he will likely pay you off with A high on that board.

[TStoneMBD]

nah you played it perfectly. in hands like this you want to make the long turn deliberation as if youre considering folding so that way he value bets a weaker hand on the river.

[Danenania]

I think generally more worse hands bet than call this river, so I like the river check. Though if he isn't bluffing much then I could see a bet. I could go either way on the flop. There are merits to both checkraising (more value, get called down by A-high, PP &lt;9, and worse) and check/calling (save when behind, let him keep betting 0-3 outers that cring might lose). Those things said, I think checkraise would probably be my default, but playing HU or 3-handed I'd want to mix it up close to 50/50.

I think I usually check call the flop and turn, and that's probably too weaksause. sometimes I will checkcall the flop and donk the turn, but I usually reserve that for A high boards. what do people think of that line?

[tongni]

So you're going to checkraise the river for value, right? I like it.

On another note, posting PT stats in a game that's mostly HU or 3 handed is pretty useless.

[beachbum]

I donk the river and call a raise. He probably calls down Ace high here, and probably doesn't raise a lot of hands that beat you.

IMO, his preflop cap is pretty meaningless as it's a good strategy on his part to invest one more small bet preflop to take the lead back in the hand with position. His hand range here is probably pretty broad.

[Danenania]

[ QUOTE ]
On another note, posting PT stats in a game that's mostly HU or 3 handed is pretty useless.

[/ QUOTE ]

No it's not.

[TStoneMBD]

theres no reason to donk the river and call a raise. theres no reason to checkraise the river either. do a pokerstove hand range of what hands you think he would cap preflop and call a donk/checkraise and i doubt youre going to find youre ahead 51% of the time or that 55% number that the kids are throwing around these days. also with a river donk you need to be ahead way more than 55% of the time because you need to call a raise so its closer to 66% of the time but less than that because some hands that beat you wont raise like TT-QQ perhaps.

[Danenania]

I think donking the river (and calling a raise) is good if you've caught this guy bluffing a bunch of times already and cowed him into a state of straightforwardness. Otherwise I agree with you. It should also be noted that an aggressive villain will probably be betting this river when checked to with pretty much any pair expecting hero to call with A-high, because that's exactly what it looks like he has.

[bobbyi]

I think this is fine.

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]
in hands like this you want to make the long turn deliberation as if youre considering folding so that way he value bets a weaker hand on the river.

[/ QUOTE ]
I did, mostly because I was.

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]
It should also be noted that an aggressive villain will probably be betting this river when checked to with pretty much any pair expecting hero to call with A-high, because that's exactly what it looks like he has.

[/ QUOTE ]
That was my thinking during the hand. Glad to hear you agree.

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]

So you're going to checkraise the river for value, right?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not a chance. Can you please explain why you like this line? Do you really think I'm in that much of a lead with second pair on a king high board after he caps preflop and that he'll pay me off with hands worse than that?

[ QUOTE ]
On another note, posting PT stats in a game that's mostly HU or 3 handed is pretty useless.

[/ QUOTE ]
I completely disagree. I think it's more important to have as much info on your opponents as possible in a short game than in a full game.

[baronzeus]

[ QUOTE ]
I did, mostly because I was.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you're saying you're considering folding, that is the worst part of this hand IMO.

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I did, mostly because I was.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you're saying you're considering folding, that is the worst part of this hand IMO.

[/ QUOTE ]

I should rephrase that. I paused for a while on the turn because I was doing math and thinking. I wasn't close to folding, but the play of the hand wasn't automatic for me (and I don't think it should be).