Need help with Aces!

[faman]

How is my play with Aces in these two hands? Am I pushing them too hard or are these lines reasonable? I never know how to respond to a turn check-raise, and most of the time I end up calling the person down (which is probably incorrect).


Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, MP3 calls, CO folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, SB calls, BB calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, MP3 calls.

Flop: (12 SB) T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(6 players) </font>
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, <font color="CC3333">MP2 bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, SB folds, BB calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls.

Turn: (11 BB) 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
BB checks, MP3 checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, BB calls, <font color="CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, Hero calls, BB calls.

River: (17 BB) J/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">MP3 bets</font>, Hero calls, BB folds.

Final Pot: 19 BB
<font color="#990066">Main Pot: 19 BB, between MP3 and Hero.</font>


Hows' the flop 3-bet? I wanted to make any flush draws pay and figured there was a good chance that I had the best hand at the moment.

The turn check-raise caught me a little off guard and put me in check/call mode. Is this line reasonable?



Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (7 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG calls, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, MP2 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls.

Flop: (5 SB) K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(5 players) </font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, CO folds, SB folds, BB calls, UTG folds.

Turn: (3 BB) 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">BB raises</font>, Hero calls.

River: (5 BB) 5/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
<font color="CC3333">BB bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 6 BB
<font color="#990066">Main Pot: 6 BB, between BB and Hero.</font>


Was betting out on the turn okay here? Looked like a slowplayed 4 but I felt like I had to call it down anyway (I have a really hard time laying down rockets!). Also considered that he may have been overplaying a flush draw, but that may have just been me trying to convince myself to stay in the hand /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Is it possible to fold to the checkraise here since the pot is relatively small? I know it'll cost me 2 BB (call the turn check-raise and check-call the river) for a chance to win 6 BB. Safe to assume that I'm beaten more than 2/3 of the time?

[Bill Smith]

Hand 1: The check raise on the turn by MP3, unless he's a complete maniac, would definitely put me into check-call mode. He called the raise PF and your 3-bet on the flop, so he's almost certainly got KK, TT... if you're lucky, AK.

Hand 2: I think your play is fine, except I might have 3-bet the river on the assumption he overplayed a flush draw or thought his kings were good. Kinda curious if others feels that's a +EV play or not.

[faman]

You'd really 3-bet the river on the 2nd hand? I guess I'm to weak to make plays like that /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Turns out that in Hand #1 the opponent had K 10 for a flopped top 2 pair that held up. In Hand #2 he had K 4 for a flopped boat!!

[ECondreras]

Let them keep calling pre-flop raises with KT and K4. You'll get your money back soon enough.

-Ed-

[Brain]

#1-I'd probably also call down here and put this guy on KT or a set of 7s or maybe Ts. I also consider myself weak-tight and good at seeing monsters, but with a flop raise and a turn CR, I don't see any harm in calling down.

#2-I'd take this line as well. I have a hard time playing paired boards against the blinds. I never want to believe that they have what they're representing, but I guess I should start believing since people aren't likely to bluf like that at low limits.

[MaxPower]

You don't need help. You played both fine.

One thing you should look at is the size of the pot. In hand 1, it is just too big to fold. In hand 2 the pot is smaller, but still probably worth calling - you will be shown a better hand very often, but that is OK.

I keep saying it, but folding Aces is not the road to riches.