Top pair weak kicker and a suited board - Now what?

[Hotrod0823]

Last night after the 2 table SnG with the 2+2 posters I played a 10+1 10 dollar SnG and had an interesting hand that came up and busted me out.

First off the table was loose and I really had to hold back to avoid playing too loose and tried to stick to my "normal" game without my normal "steal" raises from Middle or Late position. I was playing tight and hoping to see the table numbers dwindle.

Well Dwindle they did at the 50/100 level we were down to 5 players and I found myself in 3rd with about 2000 in chips. I had only played a few hands upto this point and was quietly gathering chips.

Now the hand in question:

On the button with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif2/images/graemlins/spade.gif (2000 in chips) Blinds 50/100: I raise to 500 and only the SB calls.

Flop: A/images/graemlins/club.gif 10/images/graemlins/club.gif Q/images/graemlins/club.gif

SB checks to me. /images/graemlins/confused.gif What did she have? She was calling a lot of hands but not being aggressive. I didn't fear a check raise all-in (she had me covered by about 300). I decided with 1100 in the pot I was going to bet. I didn't want to give a free shot if she was on a draw. A pot sized bet was 1100 so if I was going to bet the pot may as well push all 1500 in. If she has the flush so be it. My intention is to get a fold right here. She folded to one of my big bets on the flop earlier.

No such luck! She called with Q10x and takes me out when my pair of Aces doesn't improve.

1) Was my PF raise a mistake or a standard play in this situation or is it a mistake to try and steal against a loose caller with A2s?

2) Was my play for the pot a mistake post flop? If she had a flush would she bet it? Or check it hope for a blush from me? But if she was on a draw I have to bet my top pair-correct? Is the best play to check it and fold if she bets on the turn? Is a 1/2 pot bet more reasonable? It leaves me with chips and I can fold to a reraise.

3) How good was her call? (other than the fact she was ahead) With bottom 2 pair and this board she was calling 1500 into a 2600 pot.

Thanks

Hotrod

[ThaSaltCracka]

Well hotrod, I don't like the preflop raise at all, if you were going to raise atleast don't make it that big. With essentially a flush draw before the flop, and I say this because 2s is a weak kicker to be trying to play the ace with, you want to make a raise that would build the pot not drive everyone out. Personally I would have probably folded this hand preflop, but thats me.

as for her call I think it was warranted, you pushing all in right there would scream to me a flush draw, not a made flush. Her two pair is pretty strong especially against one opponent.

[CrisBrown]

Hiya Hotrod,

I like the pre-flop raise. I'd have made it 3xBB rather than 5xBB, but that's just a personal preference. I would certainly open-raise a suited Ace on the button on shallow money, and I'd be happy with the T150 in blinds. But that is my style: stealing small pots to stay alive while I wait for a shot at a big pot.

Once the you're called and that flop hits, well, you're in a tough spot. She might be check-raising a made flush, or AQ, or KT, or QT all have you in serious trouble, so your AA2 very vulnerable here. I'd tend to play it as a bluff-catcher rather than as a made hand.

By the same token, I think it'd be a mistake to give four clubs a free draw to a fifth. A bet of 400 would be enough to break the flush draw odds -- it'd only have been 200 on a 3xBB open-raise -- and if you're reraised, you can pretty much assume you're beaten and lay the hand down.

Remember that once the game gets tight, you bluff and semi-bluff more, but bet for value less, because your opponents generally won't call unless they have you beaten. You gave it a semi-bluff pre-flop, and gave yourself a shot, but you don't have a strong enough value hand for this aggressive a post-flop bet.

Cris

[Hotrod0823]

Thanks for the reply Cris. After discussing it with friends today we came to the same conclusion a bet of 400-500 is enough of a bet to give the flush draw something to think about and allow a fold if I get reraised.

Hotrod

[PrayingMantis]

Hi Hotrod,

I think Cris might be right, and that initially the T500 raise is a bit too much (or too little). My thinking is that if SB is a calling station, you don't really want her to call a raise when you have A2s, (as they say, that's not a hand you want to see a flop with...), because even if an ace falls, you are many times behind. so a bigger raise might be better option (all-in? that is maybe too much for A2s?), that will make her muck almost everything.

On the other hand, if you raise only 300 and she calls, it's not that you are pot-commited, and you can play cautiously. The problem with a T500, is that if she calls, like she did, you must assume she has something, and you are probably behind, AND the pot is too big to handle without an all-in.

The flop is ugly. If it's checked to me, I would have bet it anyway, but not sure about the all-in. It's a tough spot. If I know she could have called my PF raise with complete garbage (which isn't very reasonable) I'm pushing. Otherwise, maybe a T500 bet will do, and will leave you with T1000 if reraised.

I think her call was natural. She checked hoping you don't have the made-flush, and will bet big (with your pair of A) to scare her off.



PrayingMantis