First hand of tourney - should I have pushed on this?

[John J]

Okay, I get in and this is the very first hand I'm dealt. I wouldn't have played AQ from early position, but I was in late position so I limped.

Here's the play-by-play:
*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #522175969: Tournament #1981733, Hold'em No Limit - Level I
(10/20) - 2004/07/03 - 16:40:33 (ET)
Table '1981733 2' Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: milburnpro (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: Garamore (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: mantipants (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: Got-the-Sock (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: Honzie (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: chris9327 (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: sluggesan (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: violet pilot (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: mineryc (1500 in chips)
Garamore: posts small blind 10
mantipants: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to sluggesan [Qh Ac]
Got-the-Sock: folds
Honzie: folds
chris9327: folds
sluggesan: calls 20
violet pilot: folds
mineryc: folds
milburnpro: folds
Garamore: calls 10
mantipants: checks
*** FLOP *** [Jc As 3c]
Garamore: bets 40
mantipants: folds
sluggesan: raises 60 to 100
Garamore: calls 60
*** TURN *** [Jc As 3c] [6c]
Garamore: checks
sluggesan: bets 260
Garamore: calls 260
*** RIVER *** [Jc As 3c 6c] [5s]
Garamore: checks
sluggesan: bets 300
Garamore: raises 400 to 700
sluggesan: folds
Garamore collected 1380 from pot
Garamore: doesn't show hand

I'm thinking I should have pushed on the river, not bet only 300. Although, he could have been smooth calling with AK and taken me out, I think it would have been the right play.

What do you all think?

[NotMitch]

First of all us a hand converter most people wont read hand histories.. http://www.offlikeaprom.com/hh.html Secondly not raising first in with AQ is horrid, and you need to raise more on that flop. Not sure on the river, I think I fold looks a lot like a flush.

[Peter Harris]

1) use bison's hand converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi) to garner more responses. This format is more intelligible than text histories.

2) raise AQo! here, it's a clear 3xBB raise! i can't believe you [ QUOTE ]
wouldn't have played AQ from early position

[/ QUOTE ] This is far too weak.

3) decide what you want to do on the flop; if the person looks like they are on a flush draw, you can release on the turn. The flop reraise was too low.

4) river - you opened yourself up to a horrific reraise with TPGK. This is terrible, you should check the river down and expect to lose a fair bit of the time. Betting here is not good value, in my book.

In all, the PF raise is compulsory, the flop play needs looking into and the river play makes me nauseous.

Comments are always welcome, especially given my somewhat controversial opinions.

Regards,
Pete Harris

[ilya]

I do think you should raise preflop. You may well have the best hand, and many players will call you with a dominated hand like AJ. Also, raising may allow you to buy the button, or close to it. Since you'll often have nothing but overcards on the flop, having bought the button will increase your chances of taking down the pot with a semi-bluff if the flop misses the players in front of you. Also, if you raise, you'll be more likely to actually have the best hand if the flop is rags, since you will have forced the low cards to fold.

On the flop, I think you definitely should make a bigger raise to push out a flush draw. I would raise at least 100, probably 150. If your opponent already has you beat with something like AJ, forcing him to call a strong raise may also give you enough information to save yourself from a doomed all-in.

Once the third flush card comes on the turn, I would crawl into Check Cave. It sure looks like your opponent has made his draw. Even if he hasn't, you can't be at all sure, and betting is likely to be a no-win situation: if he doesn't have the flush, he probably won't call (since you didn't raise preflop, and made only a small raise on the flop, it could easily look to him like you were drawing at the flush) with a hand you can beat. If he has two pair or trips, he might not be able to get away from his hand even though a flush is possible, but then he has you beat anyway. And if he actually has the flush, then he raises and you lose lots of chips.

My take, recap: Raise preflop. Make a stronger raise on the flop. Slow down, in fact stop, on the turn.

I'm confident about my preflop and flop advice. As for the turn advice, maybe I could be convinced that it's weak.

[Peter Harris]

i think it can be advocated either way; a turn check will encourage a river bluff though, which will be hard to call.

A smaller turn bet will do the same (100-150) and checking the river is a must, the river bet is what made me throw up.

PH

[John J]

Maybe I'm wrong, but does it seem like we are giving him too much credit for having the flush? Its not like there was a four flush on the board.. am I missing something?

[ilya]

It's not just the possibility that he has the flush that you have to be think about. You also have to think about the fact that, if he does not have the flush, the board looks very scary to him. So scary that he's not going to call you unless he can at least beat top pair.

[Peter Harris]

i'm not scared about the flush. I'm scared about 2 pair Ace-Rag. either way, the river bet is atrocious, when checking the river gives you a free showdown.

A flush is an outside worry, but there's a multitude of hands that beat you.

PH

[mikey checks]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

Button (t1500)
<font color="C00000">SB (t1500)</font>
BB (t1500)
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
<font color="C00000">Hero (t1500)</font>
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="666666">3 folds</font>, Hero calls t20, <font color="666666">3 folds</font>, SB completes, BB checks,

Flop: (t60) J/images/graemlins/club.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets t40</font>, BB folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t100</font>, SB calls t60.

Turn: (t260) 6/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets t260</font>, SB calls t260.

River: (t780) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t780
<font color="green">Main Pot: t780 (t780), between SB and Hero.</font> &gt; <font color="white">Pot won by Hero (t780).</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
SB doesn't show.
Hero shows Qh Ac (one pair, aces).
Outcome: Hero wins t780. </font>