Hyper Aggressive AQ

[DeezNuts]

6 handed 25-50 game.

I sit down and post behind the button and get AQo.

Older MP with a lot of chips who I have never played with, open-raises, I 3-bet, all fold, MP calls.

Flop:

5d5c4d

He checks, I bet, he calls.

Turn:

5d5c4d(6c)

He checks, I bet, he check-raises, I call.

River:

5d5c4d(6c)(8s)

He bets, I raise.

Comments appreciated. Results to follow.

DN

[bad beetz]

another maneuver would be to check the turn through and call a river bet.

[mike l.]

dont bother with this sort of play. ever. they dont fold.

[rtrombone]

I'd very much like to know your thought process in this hand. Here's how I see it.

When he checkraises you at the turn, I don't think he's representing a 5 so much as he's saying, "I don't believe you have a pocket pair, and I do." Another possibility is that he picked up some kind of draw, but it seems like nobody believes checkraise semi-bluffs anymore, at least not in California, so I'm more inclined to believe he has two pair at this point.

The important part of this hand is the river, though. What were you trying to accomplish with your raise? If he has two pair he is not going to fold here, because he didn't think you had a pocket pair before, and he is surely not going to put you on a 7. If he is indeed following through on a semi-bluff, either he made his straight or has a busted flush draw, which you can usually snap off with your AQ (I believe he would have checked and called with AcKc here.)

The river raise baffles me. If I'm missing something, please enlighten me.

[FishyWhale]

Ugh! Older player? Lots of chips?? Turn check-raise??? River raise???? Sounds like you wasted at least 3bb on this hand.

[Pot-A]

This kind of play is gonna cost you, big time. Just check behind on the turn and call the river. He's gonna have a pair 99% of the time.

[Kevin J]

There's 7.5 bets in the pot after being check/raised. Even if you assume all 6 of your outs are live, it's barely worth continuing. I'd have to think there's some chance AQ could be the best hand in order to call. Against unkown players, I tend to give them credit in lieu of chips (until I know there play a little better).

Whether you won this hand or not, I think you're gonna come out behind more times than not here against an unkown. IMO-

[DeezNuts]

Ok, pre-flop and flop play are pretty much not debatable. Standard stuff. As for the turn, I felt that he would play his pckt pair much faster on the flop, unless he held AA, but I just felt that this player would have capped it pre-flop had he held that. Plus, I had an ace in my hand, reducing the chances of that. I felt with the two-toned board on the turn, that any turn raise would be a semi-bluff that he had with 2 clubs(and an outside chance of 2 diamonds) and that he had two big suited cards.

The river may have been misplayed. My thinking here was he would continue with a semi-bluff with something like AcKc(or AcQc) on the river, and a call would not suffice to break off his semi-bluff. As it was, I misread his kicker and he called after some thought and showed Ac8c for a rivered pair of 8s. The frequency at which this player would bet his busted hand is of paramount important here. I had no idea what it was, so I opted away from passivity.

Although I played it hyper aggressively, I had what I felt to be solid reasoning behind each of my plays. Keep in mind that the game was 5-handed before I sat down, so most people were in short-handed mode, something I realized before I posted my blind. As the number of players dealt in decreases, the justification for playing hands aggressively increases.

Any additional comments appreciated. Thanks for the replies.

DN

[Pot-A]

Although I played it hyper aggressively, I had what I felt to be solid reasoning behind each of my plays. Keep in mind that the game was 5-handed before I sat down, so most people were in short-handed mode, something I realized before I posted my blind. As the number of players dealt in decreases, the justification for playing hands aggressively increases

Nonsense. People will play more agressively pre-flop, that is true. However, post-flop play is similar to play when a late position player raises. If you get check-raised on the turn you're most likely in trouble. If you really believe he's on a semi-bluff, go ahead and reraise the turn - that way you get an extra bet if his clubs don't come and you can fold if he bets into you on the river.

Don't go about assuming your opponent doesn't have a hand because the game is short. That way lies financial ruin.

[Ulysses]

I felt with the two-toned board on the turn, that any turn raise would be a semi-bluff that he had with 2 clubs(and an outside chance of 2 diamonds) and that he had two big suited cards.

Why not 3-bet him on the turn then?

In general, I agree w/ mike l.'s post above.

[rkiray]

You stated :

My thinking here was he would continue with a semi-bluff with something like AcKc(or AcQc) on the river, and a call would not suffice to break off his semi-bluff.

Technically you can't semi-bluff on the river. For a play to be a semi-bluff you need more cards to be coming. I realize this is picky. Sorry

[rtrombone]

His extra bet should have come at the turn, not the river is all. At least he didn't fold at the turn as many people recommended. He would have been laying down the best hand.

Given the game conditions, DeezNuts' play was reasonable. In a shorthanded game in LA you really have to stick to your guns.

His only real big mistake was raising the river. His opponent has to have exactly AQs or AKs for this play to be correct, and it's rare the player who can put his opponent on two cards so precisely.

But maybe DeezNuts has made these kinds of reads before.

[DeezNuts]

I am not assuming that he had no hand just because the game was short. I already outlined the reason that I felt that he didn't have a hand, and I feel that I had an ok read on him. Even if he had an overpair, I felt that I had enough outs to outdraw him, as I did not put him on AA-QQ.

In hindsight, the river raise is the only part I think I truly botched. As for the turn, I rarely have enough of a read on anyone to 3-bet them with no pair on a coordinated board vs. a check-raise. But my read was strong enough to call him with a hand and in a situation that I fold probably 95% of the time.

Thanks for the comments. Truly appreciated.

DN

[mike l.]

deez, your river raise looks really really fishy to your opponent. the only hands you can have are full houses, quads, or a 7. none of them seem patricularly likely. so your raise looks more like what it is: a move, a last ditch bluff raise. it definitely doesnt look like AA or KK making a value bet.

friend, you are young and you are of east asian descent. surely you noticed this recently. they dont believe you. they will call you down. your old man opponent could have 22 and he would call you down.

that said, a turn reraise has meta-hand strength. when he checks to you and you showdown and he takes it with his 8 or he misses and you take it w/ AQ all at the table see this and remembers it. you 3 bet the turn w/ A high and a read. they fear you, but they also tend now to 4 bet their trips on the turn when you have a full house. before they wouldve given you credit for a boat and just called you down after you 3 bet. huge. reraise the turn is the play here if youre commiting to your read (and good for you for doing that, i kind of ignored the turn and just looked at the river raise and thought yuck in my initial post).

[DeezNuts]

As usual, eloquently put, I actually laughed out loud from your post. I did chicken out of my read on the turn. I think I have a constant battle of my reads vs. my weak-tight nature, and sometimes I take a compromise(usually the worst path to take). The river play was quite garbage, as I've admitted to. And lastly, I only just last week realized that I am what you say I am. I need to buy a mirror.

DN