Bellagio 15/30, AK hand heads-up

[SinCityGuy]

I played at the Bellagio for the first time in several weeks in a not-so-good 15/30 late afternoon game. There were only a couple of soft spots in the game, and there were two local professionals along with four other solid players. I was going to leave on the next hand when my big blind came around.

I am dealt A/images/graemlins/club.gif K/images/graemlins/heart.gif UTG and raise. Folded around to the SB, who calls. He is one of the aforementioned professional players – very tight aggressive, mixes up his play from time to time, but you don’t see any FPS from him. Big blind folds, so it’s heads up.

Flop: K/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/club.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

He checks, I bet, he calls.

Turn: 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif

He checks, I check.

River: 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif

He bets, I call.

Comments?

[Steve Giufre]

I dont mind the turn check one bit. If he is capable of making good folds, he is going to let go a lot of hands on the turn here if he respects you. If you are ahead, and I think you are, a free card doesnt look to dangerous. True, you give him a chance to get there with something like QJ, but I think its worth the risk. By checking the turn, you save a bet when you ahead, and you also encuorage him to lead into you on river with nothing. He also may check the river and pay off when you bet with some hands that he would have otherwise folded on the turn.

Also, you let him, and the other players at the table know that just because you check the turn sometimes, in spots where you raised preflop and bet the flop, it doesnt mean they can just bet the river and take the pot. By playing your hand like this once in a while, it allows you check behind on the turn more often when you have missed, and not have to worry as much about players taking a shot at you on the river with no pair because of your betting pattern.

Your river play in this hand is routine. You cant raise for value here, I dont think he calls with a losing hand. Nice hand.

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are ahead, and I think you are, a free card doesnt look to dangerous. True, you give him a chance to get there with something like QJ, but I think its worth the risk.

[/ QUOTE ]

Steve,

I've played against this guy quite a bit in the past, and I'm almost 100% sure he wouldn't call my flop bet with QJ. As a matter of fact, he probably wouldn't have even called my pre-flop raise with QJ. You're right, giving him a free card here has very little risk.

[elysium]

hi sin
fantastic. very well played. i know that on the surface it doesn't look like such great play. hopefully, you understand why it nevertheless is a stellar example of exactly how to handle exactly this one type opponent with this one type hand. anyone who criticizes you for dragging this opponent down onto your home river turf with that excellent check-down on the turn, can't be blamed sin. it's not such an easy thing to see which is why reviewing posts here at 2+2 is important because often these cutting edge situations arise disguised as a value play or fold for that matter. often, an entirely different action is required than we think or the books cover (same thing). i know that you must check down the turn here. it's something i picked up on the 2+2 street. there will still be many dissenters and hopefully sin, you will be able to answer the hoots and hollers with expert judgment. you do understand why you palyed it fantastically sin, don't you? i hope so. i hate giving out A+'s for a lucky guess.

A+.

[slavic]

Hmm the TA players around here don't have AQ or AJ in the SB. So what calls 1 bet here on the flop doesn't get aggressive, doesn't reraise preflop and then value bets on the river.

Sounds like a lower medium pair. Or AA.

so fives full of 9's beat ya?

[Mikey]

I agree with this. I think this is a good play. Also making a play like this while it is viewed by the entire table increases your bluffing opportunities in other situations for example when a pair flops and you are in the BB such as a 449 flop. By often betting out here you can pick up the pot as some of them will view you now as a probable weak tight.

[SinCityGuy]

He had A/images/graemlins/spade.gif 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif and won with flopped trips.

As far as how I played the hand, here were my thoughts.

A very tough opponent checked and called the flop. There is no draw on the board. I don't have to worry about protecting my hand from overcards. By checking behind on the turn, I avoid being checkraised by a better hand (saving two bets). If I'm ahead, my tough opponent doesn't fold his worse hand, and I encourage him to bluff the river (gaining a bet).

[amerksmann22]

I wouldnt call someone who calls a raise from UTG and no others in the SB with A9s tight. Does anyone agree with me?

This is a bad call by the TAP, if he routinely makes this play he is not a TAP.

-Stoney

[James282]

I would have raised the river. He'll be skeptical and will call down with a PP or crappier king. If he three-bets and isn't particularly aggressive and tricky you can fold easily.
-James

[elysium]

hi amerk
this is exactly what the SB wants you to think, which is the very reason that, from the SB, he made this call. sometimes this same tight will call one bet from the SB with QJo.

[amerksmann22]

That is why I added that if he "routinely" makes this play.

I certainly understand using it once in a while for deception purposes. But good response...I wanted to get some others thoughts. I will trust he is TAP since this is the only hand I know of his and the poster has played many hands him him.

Thanks for repsonse,
-Stoney

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt call someone who calls a raise from UTG and no others in the SB with A9s tight. Does anyone agree with me?

This is a bad call by the TAP, if he routinely makes this play he is not a TAP.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's probably borderline, but this is a 2/3 blind structure, so he's getting 3.7 to 1 on his call even if the big blind doesn't call.

[amerksmann22]

Good Point...I never factor that when I think of the 15/30 game. Obviously, I am not a regular in that game, lol.

[nykenny]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt call someone who calls a raise from UTG and no others in the SB with A9s tight. Does anyone agree with me?

This is a bad call by the TAP, if he routinely makes this play he is not a TAP.

-Stoney

[/ QUOTE ]

the TAP described in the hand is not tight by 2+2 standard.

[nykenny]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I wouldnt call someone who calls a raise from UTG and no others in the SB with A9s tight. Does anyone agree with me?

This is a bad call by the TAP, if he routinely makes this play he is not a TAP.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's probably borderline, but this is a 2/3 blind structure, so he's getting 3.7 to 1 on his call even if the big blind doesn't call.

[/ QUOTE ]

3.7 to 1 would be $74:$20. there is only $55 in pot, he is getting about 2.75:1 on the call if BB doesn't come along. all calculations are done without considering the rake.

[SinCityGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
3.7 to 1 would be $74:$20. there is only $55 in pot, he is getting about 2.75:1 on the call if BB doesn't come along. all calculations are done without considering the rake.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're absolutely right, it's a typo on my part. As I stated, it's probably a borderline call by the SB in a 2/3 blind structure.

[amerksmann22]

[ QUOTE ]
the TAP described in the hand is not tight by 2+2 standard.


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, was hoping someone would agree with me.

-Stoney

[SoBeDude]

What would you have done if he had bet in to you on the turn?

-Scott