Positional Quandry

[PokerPrince]

Ho-hum 8-way 50-100 game. Mostly regulars who are reasonable, not the best game, which is why I didn't stay long. Anyways, here is a hand that had me thinking a bit after, and I didn't even get to the flop.

Player utg opens with a raise. I don't have a solid read on this guy though I think he has a decent variety of opening hands here. Weak player in MP coldcalls and a LP player 3-bets. She is the kind of player who would reraise a player with anything that she would initially raise herself(99,AQ,KQs,AJs and the like). Folded to me in SB and I look down to see AKo. I ponder for a few seconds and decide I really don't like my hand in this spot and muck it. After the hands completion I wondered what I would do had I been acting on the button or at least after the 3-bettor. I decided that I very may well have capped the betting myself.

Is being in last position so much greater than being first to act that it can turn a muck into a rereraise? I think it very well may be just that great of an advantage in the game of holdem. Just an interesting, yet relatively common situation that made me think a bit. What do you guys think?

F.Y.I.- preflop 3-bettor held 88 to make a set on a Jackhigh board.

PokerPrince

[Dov]

I don't play high limit poker yet, but I have heard it said that the money on a holdem table moves clockwise around the table if you watch for a long time. The only thing that can cause this is the positional advantage. (That I know of /images/graemlins/smile.gif)

[rigoletto]

AKo is +EV from any position and one of the strongest hands in Hold'em. I would rather have it on the button than in the SB, but I think mucking it was a mistake. I also make me question your confidence in your own postflop play. Seems to me that you would only muck that hand if you where scared to loose a lot of money with it!

[PokerPrince]

I would make this same fold in a 5-10 game with the same type of opponents. Made 3 bets to me my reasonable raisers, I'm severely out of position holding a GOOD hand, not a great one. This should not be THAT difficult of a muck and if you can't make it, perhaps you should scan over your game for leaks. We all have different strategies postflop, mine is a very tight one with no raises before me, and an extremely tight one with raises before me. I would also muck TT in this spot.

PokerPrince

[Diplomat]

[ QUOTE ]
AKo is +EV from any position and one of the strongest hands in Hold'em.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree that it is +EV from any position. Given the action and Prince's position, it is a drawing hand at best.

[ QUOTE ]
I also make me question your confidence in your own postflop play. Seems to me that you would only muck that hand if you where scared to loose a lot of money with it!

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I think it's the opposite. I think being able to lay this hand down when you are almost sure you are quite far behind, muck it like it's just another drawing hand out of position, shows strength. I think the compulsion to play this hand is more of a sign of weakness than folding it.

That, I'd probably have called. But I would not have been happy about it, and I probably would regret it.

The fold is fine.

-Diplomat

[PokerPrince]

I to have heard something about how chips seem to move clockwise after extended periods of time. Don't know how true it is but it sure is interesting.

PokerPrince