calling down with AA

[crash]

loose 15-30 game. straddle is on.

UTG folds, UTG + 1 folds. Good player (GP) makes it 45. Folded to me on button, I have AA. I make it 60. BB calls. BB is ultra loose and could have almost anything. Straddler calls. GP caps it.

I haven't played with GP much, but I feel his likely capping hands here are AA, KK, QQ, AKs. Possibly JJ, AK, AQs, but I don't feel these are likely. GP thinks I'm super-tight.

Flop is Q9x rainbow. Checked to GP, he bets.

I call, planning to raise the turn. I feel my best chance to get BB and straddler out is to make it 60 on the turn. BB would call 30 on the flop with any pair or gutshot. He might fold these hands for 60 on the turn.

I call, BB folds, straddler folds.

Turn is a medium card--8, I think. Board Q9x8. GP bets, I call. My thinking: if he has AK, I want him to keep betting. If I raise trun, he'll fold AK, possibly even AQ. If I raise, he'll call with JJ or TT so my not raising won't cost me the pot. I don't feel he has these hands anyway.

River was... I can't remember! Another medium card, I think. I don't think it was a T or a J. He bets, I call. He shows AK.


1. Was this the right time to call on the flop? (planning to raise the turn and get BB and straddler out)

2. Was it weak of me to call the turn and river? As it turns out, it got me an extra 30. Given I thought he had AA, KK, QQ, or AKs, the only way I get an extra bet out of him by raising the turn is if he has KK.

[ZeeJustin]

[ QUOTE ]
I haven't played with GP much, but I feel his likely capping hands here are AA, KK, QQ, AKs. Possibly JJ, AK, AQs, but I don't feel these are likely. GP thinks I'm super-tight.

[/ QUOTE ]
He is not a very good player if he is playing this tight with a straddle.

[crash]

I probably wasn't clear. I meant that after he capped my raise, I thought that's what he had. (given how he saw me)

[elysium]

hi crash
when you aren't heads up crash, but particularly when in the blind, you need to get as many bets in as you can right away. stategical slow-playing from the button is rarely correct.

[Eric P]

It turns out the way you played it this time was 100% perfect (except raising the river hoping he calls, but he is good so he won't). However i still think that you should raise the flop and then proceed to call down unless you improve or you feel you can fold (i don't think you can fold unless the board doesn't something crazy and the guys behind you are sitll in.)

If you raise the turn and get three bet, you are probably losing and you likely should throw it away, but if this guy knows you can fold aces then he might three bet with kings and this pot is real big. I think if you raise the turn he will fold every hand that is losing except maybe kings and the other aces, he also may call down with AQs

But you 100% don't want to get 3-bet, you DO want him to keep bluffing with almost every other hand, but the flop you need to charge him still, raise the flop and follow through on the turn. If you call like you did i think you should call the whole way like you did.

[crash]

He thinks I'm tight preflop, but I don't think he thinks I'll throw away AA (or KK) for a three-bet on the turn with that board. Does this change anything?

My main goal was to try to raise the turn to get BB and straddler from sucking out on the river.

[crash]

"particularly when in the blind" do you mean 'on the button' here?

So you think it's more important to get money in on the flop than to try for the turn raise here to get BB and straddler out? (turns out it didn't matter here, b/c they folded the flop, but in general?)

[SoBeDude]

I think it's a mistake to not raise the turn once heads up.

He might have a Q, as you said AQs was a possibility the way he played it. He might also have KK. Both of which you're clearly way ahead and he will pay you off handsomely.

He might also decide to pay you off with JJ, or he might even peel one more with AK hoping to hit.

Given all these possibilities, I think *on average* you make the least with your line of play.

-Scott