Hand Play

I'm playing in a very passive 6-12 game. I am in middle position against a lot of calling stations. UTG calls, next player raises, there's a fold, and it's called to me. I have AKo and decide to just call the bet. I know I should raise, but I'm thinking the 2 players after me might fold, definately if it costs $18, and I'm not sure if the blinds will call 3 bets, although I think they will call two. The two players after me do fold and the button and the blinds call as well as UTG -- The pot is 6 handed for $69. The flop comes 2 9 5 rainbow. Play is checked to the initial raiser who bets. I call, the button calls, everyone else folds -- The pot is now $87. The turn comes with an 8. The raiser bets, I call, the button folds. The pot is $111. I put the other player on an A,face, maybe AQ, AJ, or over-pair, maybe 10's or J's, and I figure that I have him outkicked or 6 outs to win the hand if he has an overpair. His play has been a little mixed, but I think he has something, although his lack of a check-raise makes me think it's not much. The River comes with a K for 2, 9, 5, 8, K. The player checks, I bet, he calls and mucks his pocket Q's when sees my pair of Kings and says, "I can't believe you stayed to the River!"


What do you think of my play? There was no flush on the board and I wasn't really worried about a straight. I was either way ahead or slightly behind. A check raise might have made me alter my play, but since he let me stay in for relatively cheap, I called, figuring I had decent pot odds. His check on the River told me he was afraid of the King, so I wasn't worried then that he had pocket K's or A's, or that he had made trips with a low pair.


I thought about his comment after I had left the game, and I think I played it well. If it had been a more agressive game, I would have 3-bet pre-flop and raised again after the flop, trying to isolate him, but that happend on the Turn anyway, so I don't feel I played badly. This is a standard play for me, and since I didn't win too many hands after this, I'm wondering if I have a bit of a hole in my game. All criticism is welcome.


Thanks

What I found odd was this sentence.


"I know I should raise, but I'm thinking the 2 players after me might fold, definately if it costs $18, and I'm not sure if the blinds will call 3 bets, although I think they will call two."


You want the two players after you to fold, that's exactly why you raise. If you are sure they're coming along anyway and you can't reduce the field with a raise than a call would be correct.


Big slick doesn't play very well six-handed. Too many oddball two-pairs show up to win with top pair top kicker when too many are in the pot.


On the turn you're getting a little better than 8:1 to hit your 6 outer and the rest is history.


Well-played after the flop.

Sammy,


You bring up a good point. I'd been getting nickel and dimed up to that point and wanted to take down a good sized pot. I should have raised and been happy to get it heads up, especially since I didn't have the nut hand.

Ok, I can see you maybe wanting callers if you have AKs. You would be hoping for a strong flush draw here. In most cases though, and especially with your unsuited AK you want to knock people out. Isolate it so you are heads up with the first guy. So with AK unsuited I would re-raise before the flop.

That's a pretty ragged flop there. When he fires a bet you need to raise. If he re-raises you can be pretty sure he has a high pair, remotely 99 for the set (depending on his raising standards.) If he just calls then he could still have a large pair and fears a bigger pair, or more likely he's got A-big in which case you may have the better hand.

The turn play will depend on whether he 3-bet the flop after your raise. If he leads into you again, you might as well dump this hand as you didn't improve. If he didn't 3-bet the flop he'll likely check to you on the turn. Go ahead and take the free card he just handed you.

Now when the river brings the K you may or may not get a bet out of him since he's probably got you figured for AK or maybe AQ. At a low limit game like this though he'll probably check and then call your bet.

At this point he can't really be mad at you for staying until the river because you're not calling all the way like a fish.