PS $11, an AK hand

[gumpzilla]

I've been paying less than maximal attention, so no read on the villain.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (6 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx (http://www.zerodivide.cx/converter)

CO (t3275)
Button (t2835)
SB (t1170)
Hero (t2270)
UTG (t1390)
MP (t2560)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, CO calls t30, Button calls t30, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t120) K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t75</font>, CO calls t75, Button folds, SB folds.

Turn: (t270) 6/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t140</font>, CO calls t140.

River: (t550) J/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero bets 250, CO raises to 500, Hero pushes

Thoughts?

[splashpot]

Raise preflop.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Raise preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Learn to give more interesting comments.

[splashpot]

What do you want me to say?? That is what's wrong with you hand. Other than that, it just smells like a bad beat post.

[mlagoo]

i dont mind the pf check... im sort of wishy washy on raising AK here. i probably raise like 60% of the time or something.

i'm unsure about the river push. i'll leave it to people better than me to comment. i think i normally make it, and i don't really know whether its more profitable than just calling.

[durron597]

I would bet more on the turn, I don't see many hands that call for 140 and fold for 240. River, meh, I'd just call in case he has a set, you've gotten plenty paid already.

Without reads on anyone, I raise every time. I don't think that really changes with reads but...that being said, flop bet seems about right, however I would bet the turn a little higher. I don't think there is any reason to put a half-pot bet in there. His river raise seems slightly weak. I would push as well, but gag when he turned up his set of 4's.

[Madd]

IMO, you played it fine. I don't mind if you raise with AK in the blinds or not. Both options are viable.
The river push is fine. You will be up against a weaker ace or two pair far more often than against 44 or some strange holding that sucked out (e.g. QT).

The most amazing thing about this hand is that you played it in the 11s. From the quality of your posts I suspected that you play higher limits.

[tigerite]

I'd have raised pf, and with your line, made it t200 on the turn, and possibly have just called the river after the reraise.

[Melchiades]

I raise preflop 75% of the time. Bet more on the turn and only call the river.

[gumpzilla]

He called with KJ.

While raising PF is certainly reasonable (and I'll do it often), I think not raising has its advantages as well. I can get away cheaply when I miss completely, which is nice when you're playing against multiple opponents who aren't likely to yield to a simple continuation bet if they caught the flop at all. People will also be somewhat less likely to give me credit for a good A, meaning that when I do get paid I stand a slightly better chance of getting paid well. (This makes some assumptions about the quality of play, of course, which leads me into my next point.) I think worse A's and worse K's are both likely hands and also hands that are likely to pay relatively well, but are likely to be intimidated by preflop tomfoolery.

The main reason I posted the hand was the river push. I think we can all agree that if I'm playing against a decent opponent the river should almost always be just a call, simply because pushing can only be called by hands that spank me. But against random donks in the 11s (and even competent players who think I'll do this with AQ on a regular basis) I can get paid by worse hands. As far as this specific hand goes, some analysis would be necessary to determine whether pushing or calling is better. It depends on the calling range. But I think we tend to assume too often that that range is going to be pretty much 44 here (if we think JJ or QT turns up on the end, I think we need to infer from this that his calling range is going to be pretty broad indeed.)

Anyway, I think it's easy to miss opportunities for profit because we give too much credit to our opponents. This is the same reason that I enjoy playing KQ or AJ (to give some more reputable examples) in a pretty wide range of situations in these games. It is my belief (on purely anecdotal data) that I tend to profit more from people who will pay me off with hands I beat in these circumstances than I will lose the times that I am outkicked.