Heads-up, Aggressive Opponent

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Foxwoods Act II yesterday. Winner gets entry in $1,060 super satellite for World Poker Finals $10K NLHE. It's the 4th hand of heads-up play. I have T7,200, my opponent has T12,800.

Opponent: Has been easily the most aggressive person at the table since the start. I'd say that when folded to him on the button, he has open-raised 80% of the time. When he gets callers preflop, he bets strongly at the pot 80% of the time. He's gotten his chip lead through relentless pressure. The hand before this one he did something totally out of character - SB on the button, he folded.

On this hand I'm SBB, he's BB. Blinds are 400/800.

I'm dealt Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gifQ /images/graemlins/club.gif and raise to 2,000. He calls.

Flop: A /images/graemlins/heart.gif K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif T /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

He bets all-in. I get no tell from his voice or bet speed. Easy fold? Difficult call? Migraine?

Results and my thought process later.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Heck if I know.

You've told us how aggressive he is when he's the first to act, and has the initiative. But there's no clue from that how he plays when he's let YOU have the initiative. So, I have no idea if this bet means he has a big hand, or if he's just as likely to be bluffing as if HE had been the preflop raiser.

So, that makes it a very tough decision for me.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

My feeling exactly, Greg, a major migraine.

I finally decided that although he might not bluff half the time here, he'd bluff at least 1/3 of the time. Coupled with the fact that I really didn't relish the prospect of facing him when I only has 25% of the chips, I decided to call, figuring that if he had an A or K, I had 6 outs twice and perhaps a back-door flush draw. If I lay this down now, it's pretty much pure gambling from here on out.

Well, he flips over A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif and I'm left with only 3 outs and no flush hope.

Turn: T /images/graemlins/club.gif
River: A /images/graemlins/spade.gif

for the overkill ending. I console myself that he would have pounded me into submission unless I got very lucky, but it wasn't much of a consolation.