AK hand against a calling station

[FeelGoodAboutHood]

Pokerroom .25/.50 5-max

UTG + 1:($109.15)
BUTTON:($78)
HERO:($39.10)
BB:($17.95)
UTG:($48)


Preflop: Hero is in small blind with A /images/graemlins/club.gif, K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, UTG calls, UTG + 1 calls, Button calls, Hero raises to $4 , BB folds, UTG folds, UTG + 1 calls, Button folds.

Out of position with AK isn't my favorite, and with this raise I don't mind taking it down right there, and if I can get it heads up, I don't mind a call. UTG + 1 will call if he catches, which makes me think his stack came from catching a couple bluffs with third pair.

Flop: A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif.

Hero bets $6, UTG + 1 calls $6.

Not a big fan of that Jack on the board, but I think that even this kid would raise if he flopped top two, and even if he did push that I might pay him off, because I could be ahead, and I'm not to worried about being able to get it back. His flat call means he's either on a flush draw or has a worse ace, which, as of now, I like.

Turn: 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
Hero bets $9, UTG + 1 calls $9.

Too small here?????

River: 8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif.
Hero bets $15, UTG + 1 calls $15.

Results in white below:
<font color="white"> Hero shows Ac, Kd (Two pair, Aces and Eights)

UTG + 1 shows Ad, 3c (Two pair, Aces and Eights)
Hero wins $67.50.
</font>

I was pretty passive the whole way, but I felt like this was the way to go about it. I didn't push on the river because I felt at the time that any definite show of strength might scare him away, even though he calls $5 extra with any type of hand. Any thoughts on any aspect of this hand will be appreciated.

[TStoneMBD]

It's fine.

[Unvme]

I dont think its fine. Your bets were all too small. You bet $6 into $10+, basically half the pot. Then you bet $9 into $22+, less than half the pot. You are begging him to catch up on a draw or hit his 2nd pair. This is how people get hit out on, and why you hear so many bad beat stories. They are rarely bad beats, rather bad plays. Bet stronger next time. If you keep this betting style up, you will lose to crap over and over

[FeelGoodAboutHood]

I agree with the not fine, which is why I posted it, but I do want him to call, with whatever he has, I don't want to push him out on the turn, which is why I bet $9, even though, looking back on it, I think he calls a bigger bet there. Against a more aggressive player I push there, but against this guy, I want him to call me down all day. Right?

[Leo Bello]

Today I let this happen also. I flopped two pair (AQ) and betted around half the pot on flop and 0.75 the pot on the turn. Well, a guy with 76 diamonds called and hit the flush on the river. Totally my bad, cause I let him follow.

[cornell2005]

if hes a true calling station, then the bet on the river is obviously good. if hes an unknown or possibly not horrible, a check/call isnt bad. youll induce a bluff from a busted draw and save money when your beat. (if hes a calling station, the odds he has Ax are greater, and since betting is better if you know he has Ax, betting out vs a calling station is consequently better.)

[t_petrosian]

I think you should be betting closer to the pot size. A previous poster suggested that bad beats happen becuase of hands like this - he is exactly right. When he flopped top pair (granted with a crap kicker), he was going to call your wimpy flop bet. When the turn came and it appeared to be a blank (as far as he's concerned), your wimpy bet says to him you're just making a post-oak stab at the ever-growing pot to try to get him to fold. At this point, I may have held on for the ride, too. After all, perhaps he put you on KK or QQ from the get go.

In the end, you won a nice pot. However, if a 3 hit on the river, you would likely be here posting a bad-beat story about how some idiot called a big raise with A3offsuit and delivered a bad-beat on you on the river.

[Ionphore]

I just wanted to point out the board paired 8's...
There for if a 3 hit like the previous poster mentions - it does not effect the hand...