Axs hand

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

Dealt A /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif in the CO. EP limps, MP1 limps, MP2 limps, I limp, button limps, SP completes, BB checks. 7 to the flop for 3.5BB.

Flop: 8 /images/graemlins/club.gifA /images/graemlins/diamond.gif5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Checked to MP1 who bets. MP2 folds, I raise, button folds, blinds fold, EP calls, MP1 calls.

Turn: 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif

Checked to me, I bet, EP folds, MP1 calls.

River: J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

MP1 checks, I bet.

Comments?

Results in white: <font color="white"> MP1 shows Ac9s and takes it down. </font>

[BugsBunny]

Looks fine except that I probably would have checked the river. Too many any A players in the microlimit games and you have a very weak kicker. If it was an A9 (maybe A8) or better then I would have bet the river.

[Gildersneeze]

I actually like the flop raise, though I'll wager many people will practically blast your (and my) head off for liking it.

Looks to me like on the flop, he bet, effectively saying "I have an ace, or I'm not worried about an ace." You raised to say "yeah? Me either. Just how 'not worried' are you?" He said "Uhhh, well, not THAT 'not worried,'" and called.

I'm reasonably certain your raise almost put him off his hand. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If he had re-raised, I would have tossed it. You raised to get information, and you got it, it just pretty much as helpful as it needed to be.

You needed to find out if this was coming down to low kickers, and sure enough, it was. He went into check-call mode (meaning to me that he most likely didn't hit his kicker on the turn and river) and you just got out-kickered.

All in all, I'd say a fair play. Sometimes, you make the right moves and get beat. I think the only thing I may have done was checked the turn for the free river, and then acting like I scored by betting out for a semi-bluff, or simply checking behind to show down the Aces-Baby Kicker for as cheap as I could, considering you should be almost positive by your flop raise getting called that either EP or MP1 has an ace.

[Brian]

Hi Gravy,

I think your play in this hand largely depends on your read on MP1. Is he the type who would bet the Flop without an Ace into a large field with 3 players left to act? Straight draws are unlikely and there are no Flush draws, so unless he is betting middle pair/2nd pair (JJ-99), he probably has the Ace.

If I decided that MP1 could be betting many hands other than an Ace here, then I would definitely raise. I think that calling would be your worst option. Part of the difficulty of playing a hand like Axs is knowing when to let go of it when you flop an Ace. If you are consistently playing your Axs hands this strongly when an Ace flops, then you have a major leak in your game.

Once you decide to raise on the Flop, then your Turn play is good. I would have checked behind on the River, however. Once he's still in it after the Turn, I am fearing a bigger Ace.

-Brian

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

Thanks for the responses. Looking back, I think that beting the turn and then checking the river would be correct. I wasn't ready to give him credit for the A on the flop, but when he called my flop and turn bets, I should have slowed down...if I haven't pushed him off his Ace by the turn, he's not folding the river. And yes, mucking to a 3-bet was a definite on the flop.

[Joe Tall]

Raising the flop and betting the turn is fine.

However, when you get called on the turn, checking through the river would have been a better option as there are no draws out there to call with on the turn.

Peace,
Joe Tall