Aggressive play or dumb? AKs

[PraetorianAZ]

I'm experimenting with being more aggressive. When do I slow down?

Party 1/2
Preflop:
UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, I raise A /images/graemlins/club.gifK /images/graemlins/club.gif in LP1, BB 3-bets, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls, I cap, BB & MP1 call.

3 to flop: J /images/graemlins/spade.gif8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
BB bets, MP1 calls, I raise, both call

turn: A /images/graemlins/spade.gif
Checked to me, I bet, BB raises, MP1 folds, I 3-bet, BB caps

river: 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
BB bets, I call

[SpaceAce]

I think the three-bet on the turn was a bit much. Unless the big blind is a maniac, I think the absolute best you can hope for here is a split. I suspect you are way behind on the turn, probably drawing dead. You capped pre-flop [incidentally: why?] and you raised a flop bet from the guy who three-bet you pre-flop yet he check-raises you on the turn. What hand can you possibly put him on here that you're beating? Why three-bet and open yourself up to the almost certain four-bet?

SpaceAce

[JSD]

Assuming BB is somewhat reasonable, I think his turn check-raise says he's either got red aces or jacks. Having said that, I call down, because he may be getting tricky with KK or QQ or you maybe splitting with another AK. You might even be ahead of AQ. When he caps the turn, you gotta think you're hosed. If you had just called his turn check-raise you could have gone to showdown for half the price it ended up costing you.

Against reasonable opponents, I usually interpret a turn raise (and especially a turn check-raise) as saying "I can beat TPTK". Occassionally against tricky aggressive opponents, its just TPTK or a semi-bluff (maybe KsQs in this case, but then his PF 3-bet doesn't make sense).

[PraetorianAZ]

I always 4-bet AKs PF; it's my second biggest winner. Is this not good to do?

The rest of the hand was purely experimental trying to feel out aggression levels. Swung the pendulum too far though.

[blackaces13]

The problem is your turn 3-bet not the PF cap. I think people get this feeling of invincibilty when they play AK and the board has an A or K. If BB didn't beat you on this hand I'd be shocked. You should have looked for a cheap showdown.

[PraetorianAZ]

I agree my turn raise was too much. I had him on AQ for some reason. (hoping)

But would you raise the flop for a free card here?

[PraetorianAZ]

BB had A /images/graemlins/heart.gifJ /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree my turn raise was too much. I had him on AQ for some reason. (hoping)

But would you raise the flop for a free card here?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I always like to put my opponents on unlikely holdings which I dominate. But then again, I'm still hoping that my hair will grow back.

[chesspain]

Preflop: I would probably just call the reraise, since a three-bet from a non-maniacal BB usually means a big hand. Indeed, I would already not be feeling great about this hand.

Flop: I don't like this flop raise, since neither opponent is folding, you likely remain behind the BB, and your only potential draw other than to TP/TK is to a runner-runner str8.

Turn: Once I'm raised by the BB, I'ld be tempted to let this one go, since he would have to have huge gonads to make a play here with a weaker hand, and there is no logical semi-bluffing hand he could have here with which he would have three-bet preflop. However, given that AK is a much more likely holding than AA or JJ, you may be able to chop this. Consequently, if you insist on seeing this to showdown, at least don't three-bet and expose yourself to a cap, especially since MP had already folded by the time it came back to you.

River: I guess you can still hope for AQ or an AK split here.

[bernie]

I like it up to the turn. Here youve capped preflop, raised the flop, then got c/r'd. What are you reasonably putting him on that cant beat top pair at this point?

Unless he has a big history of being maniacal here, im only calling. Against some players you could even lay it down, but you better have a very good read to do this.

b