two aces on the flop i hold AK

Recent Hollywood park loose semi-agrressive game. I am in middle position with the AKs. I raise pre-flop 5 calers. flop comes AA4. I think wow what a great flop. loose player bets i raise loose button re-raises I call. Turn is a 5. Same betting action. (BTW we are now three handed). I remember thinking at some point during this raising war is it possible he was playing A4? At what point should I have laid this hand down? My only real out was a K. In a game where players play any A should I just call after he has already raised over the top of me?

Since you were playing in california, I certainly wouldn't be looking for reasons to fold this hand. I would three bet the flop with an ace, even with a smaller kicker than a king, and no full house, and so would MANY california players. Therefore you can't necessarily conclude you are beat on the flop. The turn is a bit sketchier, now you should be worried about A4 or A5. In my opinion though, especially given the third player in the hand, you can't fold, but you might want to back off the throttle at some point in the hand. You can't ALL have an ace in your hand, but pocket 44 is a possibility you might want to consider. Check-call the river, fold if it's more than one bet to you and you don't spike a king.


Dave in Cali

Thanks dave,

as it turns out pocket i was in between pocket fives ans A4o. I play a minimum 24 hours a week mostly at commerce. My only real mistake was calling on the river when I knew I was beat. This hand reminds me of a similar hand that illstrates your advice not to fold this flop. I held AKo and the flop was AArag. Im raising and reraising in all my glory and at the river its heads up with me and typical commerce nutjob with 4 racks of confience beside him. River is a ten we cap and he turns over pocket tens. While I lost (and overplayed my hand), he callled and reraised over the top of me with a pair of tens.