AQ off hand

It's a 9 handed 6-12 game at H.G., tight agressive game w/ only 2 worse player than me. I took the seat because it was the only one open at this level, after a round of folding, I pick up AQ off in the BB.


Most of the table except one to my immediate left and two to my right are generally tight, won't raise if not a next to nut hand, a 3 bet confirms nuts by then. To my right is a dealer who is currently playing, I've played w/ him before and I know when he raises, it's nothing worse than AK suited.


There are 6 callers when it reaches the button [the dealer who plays tight] and he raises, everyone calls.


Flop: A 9 4 rainbow.


What's your play here?


Thanks for your help.

Preflop, when six players limp in and a tight player raises even on the button, the tight player will have a premium hand. Assuming your evaluation of him is correct then his hand is AA, KK, QQ, or AK suited. You need to understand that you are almost certainly dominated and that playing on is incredibly dangerous. The only rationale for calling is the fantastic pot odds you are getting which figure to be better than 15-to-1 assuming that all the limpers call.


On the flop, given an ace on the table and you having ace-queen, there is 1 way for AA, 6 ways for KK, 3 ways for QQ, and 2 ways for AK suited. Of the 12 possible hands, you can beat 9 of them. Your choice is to check, perhaps with the intention of check-raising the button if he bets, or to bet your hand. The problem with checking is that a tight player may not lead into a crowd of six other players having KK or QQ on an ace-high flop especially since he is the last to act and taking a free card would have great utility for him. However, one of the other players may bet allowing you to raise but your raise may not thin the field depending upon where the initial bet comes from.


I would bet and hope to get raised by someone other than the preflop raiser. I cannot stand to have it checked around.

"I would bet and hope to get raised by someone other than the preflop raiser. I cannot stand to have it checked around. "


And that is exactly why i have looked through all the archives of ur past articles in cardplayer b/c you know what ur writing about instead of writing about stories like other authors...


the flop was checked around. :(


turn card came: 10 [still rainbow]


i bet, two tight players in middle called, the guy 2 to my right called, and the button folded.


river: J


i checked and the guy 2 to my right bet, i called, and there was an overcall.


the river better had A8 and the overcaller had 10J for the winning hand, two pair.


My questions are: the overcaller is a very tight player, and would have definately folded on the flop, and during a conversation i had w/ him after playing, he said he would have folded on the river had i raised.


Notwithstanding the results, how many would raise the river given a read that the guy 2 to my right was a loose player?


Is this the type of hand since, regardless of the limit [it was a tight game], the pot is pretty big already, u want to win as fast as possible?


The dealer later told me he had pocket QQ.


Thank you for replying Mr. Brier, and to others who take the time to answer our questions.


[i later left this game and sat at the adjacent 6-12 table that had more action, and the dealer [to my right] told me that that was my best play to make...] i've been playing for a year and have made considerably progress because of this forum, thank u to everyone.

With a pot this large, I really think it would be a mistake to bet out. You need to force some players out, and I think a check-raise is really the best play. The chances of the button betting are good, and the chances of nobody betting are slim. the worst case senario is that an early-position player bets. In that case, the best play would probably be to just call (if there's no raise, maybe fold if there is), and then possibly bet out on the turn.


-MD

Oh yeah, since your pair is aces, you needent be so scared of a free card, since you may be beat already, but there aren't a lot of cards that could give a second place hand a better hand than yours. Also, I read the results, and I think I would have t

Oh yeah, since your pair is aces, you needent be so scared of a free card, since you may be beat already, but there aren't a lot of cards that could give a second place hand a better hand than yours. Also, I read the results, and I think I would have tried again for the check-raise on the turn.


-MD

"Assuming your evaluation of him is correct..."


I think this is crucial here, since a good player can raise many more hands in late position after six limpers (good drawing hands for instance).


Regards

Provided your button read is accurate, which I'm a little skeptical of (He wouldn't raise anything worse than AKs on the button? ) I like betting out, planning to fold on the turn if the button raises, but willing to mix it up if you get action earlier.


zooey

Definately check-raise the flop. If he checks it then he'll fold to a turn bet and just hope no one made two pair by the free card. A weak ace will be it for you and he probably has JJ-KK. If he has AA-AK then you'll feel it by a 3-bet if you checkraise him or him raising another better.. This is when you can release your hand, if not then its your pot. SK

I don't want to sound rude, but you should have moved to a 3/6 or 4/8 game. This game does not sound like a TAG game to me.


Be that as it may be, you are in a real trap here. First, AQ is crap against an opponent who will raise with AKs or better. Fold pre-flop would have been a better option.


You have two options, first if you lead bet, you give the field 17-1 odds to draw out. This is too much to yield with a one pair hand. Plus, the button could have AA or AK. The second choice is to check raise the button to isolate the other players. This is the option I would select. I am betting the button does NOT have AA or AK. If it gets bet early, then the button pops it, you can fold AQ.

1. I think you made a good turn bet here. Since you


did not get raised, your AQ is looking good.


2. You should note that "extremely tight players"


don't relish JT in early positions.


3. A check-raise on the river is a good idea.


But, I get the sense you did not feel comfortable


with the hand when someone bet into you. (a very poor bet by the way). Next time your in this spot, you can try it. It probably would have been correct since no one raised the turn bet.


4. You do want to win ASAP. But you are not sure if


your AQ is good on the flop. The check-raise is a


better option because if the bet comes late, you


have a chance to thin the field, or at least force


an incorrect call.

Why did you bet on the turn (10) but check on the river (j)? I am interested how you planned to win the hand by check calling on the river. I see that there is a possibility of a str8 draw but it was inside with KQ. I feel like perhaps you should have been more aggresive on the river. As it turns out you didn't have the winning cards, however had you bet instead of checked, i doubt very much if the player with 10,J would have raised with the Ace on the board, hence you may have caused a fold.


This is purely speculative and i am just curious about the opinions of others?