Call it down or raise the roof?

[Shaibel]

Hi Everyone

Just wondering if my logic is sound …



Early in a tourney, perhaps the second level. Opponent raised pre-flop, I had AQ s and called, everyone else folded.


Flop fell x x Q, rainbow, pre-flop raiser bet on flop/turn/river (also rainbow, no three suits or pairs on board) and I just called it down ... thinking cautiously that he could possibly have held AA, KK, or QQ.


Turns out it was TT, so I won a reasonable pot ... but should I have re-raised instead of calling?

My thinking is, there were four reasons not to reraise (AA, KK, QQ, plus a re-raise could have been seen as saying "I have a Q" and he might have folded his tens), vs. one reason to re-raise (he might have held on to his tens until his death)

OK, I suppose it is five reasons to two, including the pre-flop raise for him, and top pair/top kicker for me.


“What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.” (The old WPIX-TV editorial tag line. Clearly I wasted too much time watching late night television in my youth, instead of reading HPFAP … but it was a long time ago, when computers were room-sized and dinosaurs walked the earth.)

[fnord_too]

I like calling it down for a few reasons, though raising on the flop is ok too. I would like to know stack sizes and bet ammounts, but I am assuming the bets never go huge. The reasons for calling it down are:

Your opponent probably won't call a raise unless he has you beaten.

If you are already ahead, there are very few cards that will let him catch up (in this case two, but knowing nothing about his hand, you are really only fearful of a king)

If you get reraised on the flop, you probably have to lay it down.

If you get called on the flop you probably have to slow down, and face a tricky decision if it goes check check on the turn and your opponent bets out big on the river.

If he folds on the flop, you probably had him dominated and missed a chance to let him throw some chips your way.

AQ is very tricky after the flop. You had position (which probably kept his bets reasonable), and made the right decision I think. I really hate playing big pots (except short handed) with AQ, well played in my oppinion.

[Shaibel]

Hi, thanks for the reply (and the kind words) ... my friend TimM also suggested that I include more info (levels, etc), and I see that I erred twice -- when I said the board did not pair (but there was no reason to fear a 3 in his pocket), and the SB didn't fold until after the flop. Mea Culpa.

Here is the whole hand:

My stack was approx. 1450, opponent's stack was 1550. Level is 50/100.


Paradise Poker (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: S is MP1 with Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif. SB posts a blind of 50.
<font color="CC3333">UTG raises 200 </font>, UTG+1 folds, S calls, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB (poster) calls, BB folds.

Flop: Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG bets 100 </font>, S calls, SB folds.

Turn: 3/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG bets 100 </font>, S calls.

River: 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG bets 100 </font>, S calls.

Final Pot:
<font color="#990066">Main Pot: </font> &gt; <font color="white">Pot won by S ().</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
UTG shows Th Td (two pair, tens and threes).
S shows Qh Ah (two pair, queens and threes).
Outcome: S wins . </font>



“What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.” (The old WPIX-TV editorial tag line. Clearly I wasted too much time watching late night television in my youth, instead of reading HPFAP … but it was a long time ago, when computers were room-sized and dinosaurs walked the earth.)