Pot Manipulation vs. Screw it, I have the best hand.

[Huh]

Loose 3-6 game that was aggressive pre-flop and selectively aggressive post-flop. I am in the SB with

AQo

There are five limpers to me, and considering the field, I am almost definately ahead....Maybe someone has a small pocket pair. I raise, get a call, than limp-reraised by a build-the-pot type of player. There is no way this guy has Aces, Kings, or Ace-King...Much more likely a suited connector or a small pocket pair, it gets back to me and I cap it. We lose some people and 4 of us see the flop.

Q1)Okay, I'm walking a fine line here. Raising pre-flop with AQ out of position can get you in trouble right? You are making peeopel more correct to suck out on your big cards. OTOH, I am pretty sure I have the best hand, and I think I want to punish the people in this game who love suited cards, and especially the people with off-suit trash.

So the flop comes Q 7 6 rainbow. And I decide to bet out. All three call.

Q2)Should I have waited until the turn on this one??? Tried to check-raise the flop? I don't cap pre-flop often, so I'm sure that people put me on AA, KK, QQ, or AK(at the least). I was very worried about giving away a free card, and figured this was a good value raise, as people are sure to call with their back door flushes and such.

Turn is a King. I feel obligated to bet. I get one call.

River is a 9. I check, it's checked behind and my hand is good.

Comments on all streets greatly appreciated.

-Huh

[Homer]

I don't think I like the preflop cap.

Why didn't you bet the river?

-- Homer

[Bob T.]

I don't think I like the preflop cap.

Why didn't you bet the river?


That's what I was thinking.

[GrinningBuddha]

If you only cap preflop with two hands, you're going to become very readable. I like the cap, I like the flop bet, I like the turn bet, and I would have preferred a river bet as well. When you build a pot like this, you're going to be able to value bet more on the river as you'll get called down with middle and bottom pair more often.

Now, if you had missed the flop, it would have been much harder given your position, but by capping preflop, it makes it a lot easier to represent Aces.

[The Bear]

[ QUOTE ]
If you only cap preflop with two hands, you're going to become very readable.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is completely irrelevant in low limit poker; your opponents are not nearly good enough to pick up on the fact that you only cap w/ a few hands. You gain no strategic advantage over them by capping w/ marginal hands. Keep this weapon in your arsenal for bigger and tougher games, but don't use it at 3/6.

I don't like the cap. I say don't cap preflop and check-raise the flop. Then fire at the turn and the river. Buddha is right that you will be called by many worse hands on the river here.

[kiddo]

Do you really think all 3 players, paying 4 bets preflop, would check? I would check, hoping they put me on AK, and checkraise if someone bet.

You have one of the overcards so you must like an A coming on turn. Then we have the K. If at least 1 of them got an K, then there is only 3 Ks left to hurt you. So, if this gets checked through on flop, the chance is only 3/47 (6,4%) that the K will come.

What more is there to be afraid of, giving a free card? Smaller pocketpair (7 and 6 is to small to pair someone at this table?). A pocketpair will get a set on turn 2/47 or 4,2%.

If they got a medium pair they will probably call your flopbet, preflop pot was 16 small bets. But a checkraise will maybe make some of them fold, giving you a bigger chance to win, or at least giving them wrong odds to call, making you a long term winner.

[Nottom]

I like the cap. He doesn't think the 3-better has anything so hes capping for the same reason he raised to begin with ... because he has the best hand.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
I like the cap. He doesn't think the 3-better has anything so hes capping for the same reason he raised to begin with ... because he has the best hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is right. AQo is rarely a hand worth capping (or 4-betting) with. But, with all poker situations, the value of your hand is relative. It depends on what your opponents are holding. In this situation, he had a clear read that AQ was pre-flop. So, the best play is to 4-bet.

Just bet the river. Nobody is going to have the guts to raise you even if they have you beat. They're too afraid of KK or QQ.

[baggins]

"Just bet the river. Nobody is going to have the guts to raise you even if they have you beat. They're too afraid of KK or QQ. "

right on. besides, you've already gone all this way. you want to value bet here. the only reason NOT to bet here is if you think your opponent will only call if you are beat. there were no draws on this board. there are plenty of reasons that he will call your bet with a losing hand. and plenty of losing hands he would call with. so bet here. don't be shy.

[Huh]

I didn't think people would like the cap, that's why I put up the first question. I was near certain that I had the best hand....I think that's a good reason to cap. On the other hand, I am not sure how exactly position plays into it. I am also not sure if I should be doing anything to manipulate the pot size to try and win the pot.

The game is a 3-6 home game. So most of the players know each other and most are putting people on hands. When I capped, everyone gave me Aces or Kings or Queens, maybe AK. I thought this was a good reason to bet out rather than check-raise.

Checking on the River was probably a mistake, but I'm still not sure. This particular player is capable of playing any two cards, but plays well post-flop. I think the possibility of him calling when beat was slim. In addition, he is capable of check-raising the end.

-Huh

[Stu Pidasso]

[ QUOTE ]
This is completely irrelevant in low limit poker; your opponents are not nearly good enough to pick up on the fact that you only cap w/ a few hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your making a mistake if you think just because you are playing low limits, the foolish opponets do not have eyes. Its a big misconception that you do not have to worry about varying your play at all. These players do know who is a rock and who is a maniac. They just don't know how(or care) to use that information optimally. On some level though, that information effects the way they play.

In a tougher mid limit game with some decent opponents, you might choose to occasionally raise with a hand like 98s in early position. You give something up on one particular hand to keep your opponents from stealing from you in future hands when your in the same spot and rags flop. If your playing in a fish bowl this play is not recommended. Your not going to influence the way the fish play future hands against you enough to make up for what you gave up.

In a fish bowl, capping with AQo if you truely think it is the best hand is a very good way to vary your play becuase you are not giving up any EV(in fact your adding some EV). The down side is its going to increase your swings because it turns the rest of the hand into a crap shoot.

Stu