Was I wrong to slow play this?

[Gandor]

Party $10 NL SNG 5 players left. Level 4

UTG T4230
MP T520
Button T1210
SB T945
Hero T1095

I'm dealt A /images/graemlins/club.gif 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
SB completes and I check.

Flop: 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
SB bets T100, I call.

Turn: J /images/graemlins/heart.gif
check, check

River: 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I had been playing 2 tournaments, so my reads weren't the greatest, but the chip leader on my immediate left was very aggressive, having came over the top of me twice already and was quite willing to use his stack to push everyone around. Although winning the pot on the turn would have moved me into 2nd place, I wanted more of a cushion with the big stack aggressive player following me. My feeling was that with the turn check, I would probably get SB to bet the river.

Needless to say, SB held A /images/graemlins/heart.gif 4 /images/graemlins/club.gif and I called his all-in. Do you go ahead and raise the flop and try to take this down then, lead out the turn, or gamble and try to take this guy for everything you can? What's the chances of this guy laying down on the turn?

Thanks.
Gandor

[HajiShirazu]

I think you should make some sort of bet on the turn here. I think the guy is going to call anyway. Most people can't throw away top pair in this situation, and honestly they never should.

[William Wilson]

It's rarely good to slowplay two pair, IMO especially when it's not the top two. I'm sure there are cases for such strategy short-handed, but I'm almost afraid when I flop two pair because it's so vulnerable yet so hard to get away from.

I say raise big on the flop to protect it. If he calls you down and you lose, which would have probably happened here anyway, so be it.

Just a learner here, but that's my take.

[dm34]

Why check behind on the turn? You are apparently hoping that he picks up something that helps him, but there is a good chance that anything that helps him beats you . . .

[faughtandone]

here is a general rule for party poker....NEVER SLOWPLAY. occasionally when you flop the stone cold nuts that cannot be outdrawn you can check the flop to let someone catch up but in general even if you flop the A high flush go ahead and play it.
there are two reasons for this that relate directly to party poker
1) on party poker people view any bet as a sign of weakness and refuse to believe you could possibly have a hand.
due to this i can't tell you how many times i have raised on the flop w/ a monster and gotten called in multiple places.
2)if anybody has ANYTHING remotely worth a call ie: backdoor gutshot straight draw (lmao) they will most likely call you. of course this depends on what limit and how many players but in general party players go way to far with their hands and make some terrible calls.

SO GO AHEAD AND BET!

[stripsqueez]

i hate it - i like raising the flop enough to cripple him - say $300 or more - if he calls and the turn isnt a 7 i push

perhaps a good way to think about it in addition to the other replies is that you have to give him a chance to make a mistake - your opponent made no mistakes on this hand and thats probably because you didnt give him any choices

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[D.H.]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you should make some sort of bet on the turn here. I think the guy is going to call anyway. Most people can't throw away top pair in this situation, and honestly they never should.

[/ QUOTE ]

They shouldn't? I would, for example, easily lay down my A4 against an all-in bet on the turn.

[wm r the rake]

i have to agree with faughtandone....in a situation like that slow playing causes problems...especially with the different draws available

[MercTec]

This is why i don't like playing Ax especially not suited. With such a weak kicker, even if you flop two pair, anyone else with Ax (a better kicker than the 2) can get lucky and catch his card or the turn or river. You need to protect that hand as much as you can on the flop and turn. I would bet 3 or 4 BB on the flop and see if he raises/calls. If he calls, I put it all in on the turn. If he has AJ, I would think he would raise on the flop. The call signifies that he's afraid of his kicker in my opinion.

[Copenhaver]

I think, given that there were five players left, you play the hand cautiously. If you raise pre-flop, even an all-in, he's probably going to call you. And as the short stack, rightfully so. To contend with the chip leader, the short stack has to get wild and crazy.

I've never played on Party Poker, but from what I've heard, it's pretty ridiculous with the poor level of play. But based on what you knew about the guy, do you think an all-in bet would have gotten him to fold?

Once the A was flopped, it was a done deal for him. Even with a crappy kicker, he's probably got to take his chances there. The best move, even though it wouldn't have worked, would have been to shove it all-in on the flop. But most people responding seem to think that the guy would have called you anyway. And then all you've done is set yourself up for a classic river bust.

[NajdorfDefense]

Pair of Aces, worst bottom pair? Yeah, I think you were wrong to slowplay. If he's only going to call when he's beaten anyway, you gotta make him pay upfront or fold.

Do not slowplay on PP without the pure nuts. Half the time, not even then.

Recently in SnG, I got 99. Flop J99. I got re-raised all the way to the river. Nuff ced. Nobody is paying attention to _your_ hand. Just you.

Besides, in your hand, AK, AQ are not going to check, are they?

best, /images/graemlins/cool.gif
Naj

[Beavis68]

I would probably re-raise him all-in on the flop. If not the flop, definitely the turn. Don't get tricky at this point in the game. Wait until you are in the money, or have a stronger hand.

[jn110]

I actually like the flat call on the flop, particularly against an aggressive opponent who may take a shot at the pot here with middle pair or less. This gives him an opportunity to take a second shot at it on the turn. If I knew he had an ace, I would agree with other posters that flop aggression is correct (because he will often call my raise), but I think the small blind bets often enough without an ace here that I want to give him a chance to do it again.

You've got to get aggressive on the turn, especially when checked to. I would have made a pot sized turn bet expecting to pick up the pot, but not minding if I was called and certainly calling (expecting to be ahead) if he pushed. I would also call if my turn bet was called and he pushed on the river.

[Prickly Pete]

Slowplaying seems to be a 4-letter word in this forum. I'm with jn here. Flat call on the flop is fine and I'd probably bet the pot on the turn.

Even checking the turn for some deception isn't awful since it's not a very draw-laden board. Often this turn check will get a lot more out of him on the river (since he does have top pair). Unfortunately he hit his 3-outer here.