Straightforward AQ hand?

10/20 half kill game at Mohegan. Game is very loose and somewhat passive with mutliple people going to the showdown regularly and most pots killed to 15/30 (kill is at 145).


Three limpers to me in the small blind, none of them particularly tough, and I limp with AQo, BB checks. Good limp? What would you consider in deciding whether to limp or raise here?


Flop comes 27Qr. A brief look around the table shows no one is particularly excited by this flop, but my physical reading skill are suboptimal at best. I bet out and get two callers. What sort of things to you consider in this spot? Under what conditions do you check-raise? Is waiting until the turn an option? Is it an easy 3-bet if raised?


Turn is an offsuit 6; I bet and one guy calls. Any reason to get fancy here?


River is a king; my lone opponent didn't seem particuarly interested in this card. Bet and fold to a raise? Check-call? Check-raise??? Thanks in advance.


Alex

I generally go for a check raise on the flop because i have a tight image and people will bet worse hands and now i can pop them. Its safe check raise because the only danger card on the turn would be a king, for the most part at least, if it got checked around. But nothing wrong with betting out on the flop. I would mix it up. Yes,if it got raise on the flop you should 3 bet it. Turn don't get fancy. You don't want to give free cards. Just bet out. River is always different. Depends on the opponent. If he generally pays off with bad hands i bet. I usually won't get a bet out of himunles your beat i would check.


By the way i forgot to mention your preflop check is good. With 3 limpers there are hand out there that may be better than yours and if not thye still have position on you, not to mention your building a bigger pot for them to chase. If you were suited then i think its worth building a bigger pot because it plays better mulkti way than offsuit. And by not riasing preflop it gives you more deception when you hit the ace or the queen.

"Three limpers to me in the small blind, none of them particularly tough, and I limp with AQo,... Good limp?"


I think so. I don't think the deceptive element is significant because lots of players shun raising from the blinds with AQ and AK these days. My fav way to play these hands from the blinds is limp, miss, and fold.


"Flop comes 27Qr. ... I bet out and get two callers. What sort of things do you consider in this spot?"


Nothing. Until I meet resistance and have a reason to think, I bet every street with blinders on.


"River is a king; Bet ..."


For sure.


"... and fold to a raise?"


Maybe.


Would he call the turn with K-x (no pair) and then raise after hitting a king? Not many players would do BOTH of those things. The types who would call the turn with nothing typically are passive and would just call the river happy that they hit.


He might have K-x with a flopped pair and then raise after hitting two pair on the river. And some guy might wait til the river to make a move with a lesser queen than yours. My decision would be extremely player-dependant.


Tommy

"Would he call the turn with K-x (no pair) and then raise after hitting a king? Not many players would do BOTH of those things. The types who would call the turn with nothing typically are passive and would just call the river happy that they hit."


Good. Very good.


Hey Tommy, thanks for all your superb posts....keep 'em coming.

"Good limp? What would you consider in deciding whether to limp or raise here?"


I would be more likely to raise if the big blind was tight and I felt I could get him out. I am more inclined to raise from he small blind with A-Q and A-K than from the big blind because I can then be first in with a bet on the flop.


"What sort of things to you consider in this spot? Under what conditions do you check-raise? Is waiting until the turn an option? Is it an easy 3-bet if raised?"


Not much to consider here. You flopped top pair with top kicker. The board is non-threatening. Bet. 3-bet if raised and fire again on the turn. Beat 'em over the head with a big club until someone shows strength more than once.


"Turn is an offsuit 6; I bet and one guy calls. Any reason to get fancy here?"


None that I can see.


"River is a king; my lone opponent didn't seem particuarly interested in this card. Bet and fold to a raise? Check-call? Check-raise???"


Very unlikely you're going to get raised by this type of player even if the king made him two pair. Bet for value. It looks more like he's got a weak Queen, or perhaps A-7. I can see why you might want to check-call, but not check-raise.

Betting is probably best on the flop- pot is not large enough to make check-raising necessary.


If raised on the flop, it is not a free card purchase. So I would check-raise the turn or river, instead of 3 betting the flop. One exception: if opponent will lay down to a big bet raise, but not a small one, reraise the flop. If opponent would not raise without a very big hand, call and check and call to the end.


Given the situation, it is almost impossible the K hit him - wouldn't a QK raise you somewhere here? Seems like an automatic bet.


Fold if raised? Opponent dependent.

Alex,


Sound thoughts by all of the above posts. Only thing I have to add, and it's almost redundant is: I bet out hoping for callers and/or a raise from a weaker Q so that I CAN three-bet. Pot's not big enough and flop's not coordinated enough to worry about eliminating draws but dead money's always a good thing (that is if there are any calls before getting raised by a weaker Q). I don't raise preflop either for the exact reasons mentioned above (sorry, I can't remember which post, though there aren't many yet).


Mike