Tough AA river decision.

[Acesover8s]

Pretty good .50-$1 NLHE game. A couple limpers to me with black aces and I ($240) make it $7 to go. Cutoff ($200) cold calls, all others fear my power and get out of the way.

Flop is Ad Jh 9d. I bet $20 and he calls.

Turn is Qh. I bet $30 and he calls.

River is the 4d (Qh Ad Jh 9d). I check, and he bets $140 all in.

Call or fold? And how much would you have bet on the turn?

[sam h]

I wouldn't like it, but I'd probably call here unless my player notes on the CO gave me some special reason not to. The key here, I think, is that sometimes he won't be necessarily bluffing, but you'll win - he'll have a strangely played two pair and think he's good. I've seen much, much stranger in these last few weeks online.

I gotta be honest here, Aces. I hate that turn bet. You've got to be thinking somewhere between pot size and all-in. To bet any less than the pot is making it way too easy for the many draws out there. I think all-in might be best. A lot of people will still call you with two pair or a pair/open-ender or pair/flush draw combo. Heck, I've seen players online who will call you there with a medium ace.

So yeah...tough river decision, but all in all you're in a hole of your own digging there.

[Acesover8s]

Yes, obviously the big mistake was the turn bet, but my thinking at the time was that there was so much left to bet that if I went all in there the only hand that would call me would be the one I was drawing against. Perhaps that is faulty thinking. It seems to me now that the best sized bet would be the largest one that I think he would call with a drawing hand that would still commit me to the pot?

Or is there a better way of thinking about it?

[crockpot]

as you would expect a traditional ultra-cautious man like crocksucker to do, i bet all in on the turn. if he just hit a straight, congrats, but i have outs. if he is on a draw, i do not want him to have any chance to get the correct implied odds on me. and if he has a lower set or two pair, he will probably be happy to get his money in drawing virtually dead.

i think that not having to potentially face this decision when any red card, king or ten hits is more important than the EV from a $30 bet here.

[sdplayerb]

I bet pot or close to pot on the turn. Probably around $50.
You've been playing him, do you really think he would call for $6 more with KQd?
The ace being out there for the suited makes me fear him less.
I think I call unless I think he plays crazy hands.

[Acesover8s]

Well, SD mentioned "unless he plays crazy hands". Well the gentleman called my preflop raise with Kh9h. Flopped bottom pair, and called a pot-bet. On the turn he picked up his flush draw, and caught the perfect bluffing card on the river. But fortunately 3 Aces still beats a pair of nines.

I appreciate the comments about the turn play. So many times in the past I've made a big bet here and don't get called and feel like I've wasted my big hand.

[Ignatius]

> Flop is Ad Jh 9d. I bet $20 and he calls.
.
With this highly coordinated flop, an overbet seems in order. I'd make it $40 and would have no problem to take it down right here.
.
> Turn is Qh. I bet $30 and he calls.
.
Shove it in. You cannot give a free card and any meaningful bet will commit you to the pot, so deny draws any implied odds.
.
> I check, and he bets $140 all in.
.
Checking here only makes sense if you intend to call (i.e. to induce a bluff). I think you're pretty much committed at this spot so check-call is probably the best play, but sure you would like your hand much better had you bet bigger on the flop and esp. on turn.
.
If he is a unimaginative straightforward player, you might make it $40 and fold if he moves in on you. However, even if he's not intending to bluff raise, he might still overplay a smaller set or top twopair and make you lay down the best hand.

[Jon Matthews]

I haven't read the other answers yet, but what about checking the turn?

Depending on the size of his bet (if he bets) then a check raise all in or check fold would be the plays i'd consider.

On the river, fold. You've shown a drawing pattern of betting and overall strength, for him to bet all in after that, he's gotta be holding the nuts, KdQd?


Jon

[Copernicus]

[ QUOTE ]
if he is on a draw, i do not want him to have any chance to get the correct implied odds on me.


[/ QUOTE ]

Why not?

I cant see him folding or calling based on pot odds at this point. He is way too deep into this pot to fold on a marginal odds decision. Unless you think he's already made a hand (in which case you would be checking) he is either drawing to the nuts, odds or not, drawing dead, or folding recognizing he may be drawing dead and doesnt want to invest anymore. All three cry for a big bet. Odds are irrelevant here.