Blasted by a limper with AA

[Yeknom58]

Early in a multi-table 20 NLHE tournament. Blinds 10-15.

I limp in LP with As-5s. I think 5 see flop.

Flop: 2s 2h Js

I think the BB made a 30 dollar bet, 3 callers, I raised to to around 100 only 1 person calls.

Turn: Qc

Caller checks, I checked with the hopes of inducing a bluff on the end if I hit my flush.

River: Ac
This card killed me. I was assuming he'd bet into me after the turn check but what does he have? If he had AJ, JJ, or a 2 I figured he would have made a move on the flop or the turn. I'm thinking he would have raised pre-flop with AQ, AA, KK, QQ, or AK. I don't think he would have called 100 with K10. If he wanted me to call this last bet I figured he wouldn't make it too big so-as to not scare me off. I read the all-in on the end as a bet that didn't want to get called. I put him on either a J or some weak A so this is a chop or I win. Boy was I wrong he limped with AA and it paid off I called and was left with 50 chips.

I think my check on the turn caused me to loose all my chips. I figured he was going to check-all in me on the turn or I might be giving him too much credit.

How do you play this one?

[trillig]

I'd have folded A5 suited with that many folks in...

I like to observe several hands first, unless I have to get in.

-t

[J.R.]

[ QUOTE ]
Caller checks, I checked with the hopes of inducing a bluff on the end if I hit my flush.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are not going to induce a bluff on a flush card by checking behind on the turn and announcing your flush draw to your opponent.

I would not have raised the flop with my call closing the action because that would have opened me up to the possibility of a re-raise. I would have checked the turn to in your situation for the same reason.

[J.R.]

This is an easy call so early in the tournament with a suited A.

[Copernicus]

Your play was fine, although I disagree with the "induce a bluff" reason, I would check it to not commit any more to the pot without a hand, period.

How could your check on the turn cost you all your chips? He's almost certainly calling with AA...when you slow play a hand and are bet into its an automatic call (barring clear problems with the board)...if you feign weakness you have to expect to be bet into..why slowplay in the first place if you dont?

Next time the opponent limps and gives you a free card on the turn with AA the 5th spade should come!

[PlayerA]

I think that the more folks in an unraised pot with that hand, the better. It's a drawing hand and if you hit nut flush, you want as many customers as possible. You're not playing the hand because of the value of the a, you're playing because of the drawing potential. If hit an a only, then you have a trouble hand no matter how many/few people are in the pot.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Regardless of what he had, you had a crappy kicker, and I can't see how you could have called an all-in that was MUCH larger than the pot. All-in bluffs on the river, after they called a flop raise, are not very common. In addition, there was a pair on board, plus three clubs. Fold. But I guess you figured that out, didn't ya...

al

[Yeknom58]

What I meant by that was the fact that if he were to raise me pretty big on the turn I might have laid down my Ace on the end..maybe not though...I probably would have still called..eh.

[Yeknom58]

There was no flush showing.

I didn't think it was a a total bluff. I put him on a J and I think AK, AQ, AJ, 2X would have played differently...I was totally wrong with my read but hey I went with a read and stuck with it.
Could you please comment on my read as that's where my failure in this hand occured. I would like more advise as to how I make this call or fold and why.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

The real key was that he stayed in on the flop. I must have misread the hand, I thought there was runner-runner clubs, but if not, all the more reason to realize he was not bluffing. There are extremely few who would call your flop raise for runner-runner combinations, so you can really eliminate his flush or str8 possibilities. But if you thought he had an ace, bingo, there you go... you have a five kicker. If his kicker was random, it's still better than a five most of the time. I also think you might have missed the possibility that he had a deuce... he limped, then cold-called a raise, then checked... players often try to trap when they have trips.

I realize you had a tough decision, so don't think that every single "good" player in the world would automatically fold, but I think you had to at least consider that you might be beat on the end there.

al

[Yeknom58]

Good point on the "induced bluff", I'll keep that in mind. I still think a check on the turn could indicate all kinds of weakness not necessarily a flush draw. I see many people taking a stab at the pot on the flop with middle pair.

I like betting out on the flop with my 4-flush. Many times this can win the pot or it lets me see the river card for free if I don't feel like semi-bluffing the turn.

[J.R.]

[ QUOTE ]
If his kicker was random, it's still better than a five most of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not this time, since the pair on the board and the Q mean that they chop unless his opponent has a K, Q, J or 2 kicker.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

You are right, I stand corrected.

But I still smell fish...

al

[fnurt]

I think the raise on the flop is a classic bad play that comes up under a wide variety of circumstances. With a bettor and 3 callers you are unlikely to have the best hand with your naked ace. So you have a good multi-way hand (nut flush draw), you have multi-way action, why would you raise and drive people out?

What happens most often after a raise like this is that everyone will fold except the one player who is ahead of you, and that's exactly what happened here.

On top of that, you reopened the action. Now someone with a 2 might put in a huge re-raise which you can't call.

At this stage of the tournament, you want to see the flop cheaply, and when you flop a draw in a multi-way pot you want to draw cheaply.

[SoCalPat]

Raising this flop is a great move in a ring game.

Raising this flop in a tournament is a horrible move (small consolation ... it's not nearly as horrible as the BB not raising or putting five limpers all-in). You're not moving good hands out, and you're on a draw that appreciates multiple players.

The dynamics of ring games vs. NLHE tournaments are so different that one small mistake can cripple you. Call the flop bet, call a reasonable turn bet, perk your ears up at the river and don't commit yourself to anything when the flush doesn't hit.

[pokerlover]

I'd have folded A5 suited with that many folks in...

With limpers in front of you and 5 seeing the flop I think this is a clear limp in to see the flop.