How NOT to play AQ in L1...

[The Don]

I was really disgusted by how I played this hand... I just thought I would post it and berate myself for your entertainment (and education possibly).

NL Texas Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5 Entry Fee Trny:15534378 Level:1 Blinds(10/15) - Wednesday, September 07, 18:12:51 EDT 2005
Table Table 18977 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: E04V22A05N ( $970 )
Seat 2: HERO( $1020 )
Seat 3: maz30 ( $860 )
Seat 4: bozeke ( $1165 )
Seat 5: KidAA ( $1000 )
Seat 6: rexalot ( $955 )
Seat 7: phillyblunt0 ( $985 )
Seat 8: steve000000 ( $1530 )
Seat 9: BigRiKL ( $835 )
Seat 10: Winsman ( $680 )
Trny:15534378 Level:1
Blinds(10/15)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to HERO [ Qc As ]
KidAA calls [15].
rexalot folds.
phillyblunt0 folds.
steve000000 folds.
BigRiKL calls [15].
Winsman folds.
E04V22A05N calls [15].
HERO raises [75].
maz30 folds.
>You have options at Table 15635 Table!.
bozeke folds.
KidAA calls [60].
BigRiKL calls [60].
E04V22A05N calls [60].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4s, 6c, 3d ]
KidAA checks.
BigRiKL checks.
E04V22A05N checks.
HERO bets [150].
KidAA folds.
BigRiKL folds.
E04V22A05N calls [150].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 9s ]
E04V22A05N checks.
HERO bets [350].
E04V22A05N is all-In [745]
HERO folds.
E04V22A05N does not show cards.
E04V22A05N wins 1720 chips


Preflop: A 5x raise on the button with 3 limpers was ok but probably should have been 6x. Other options are folding (terrible) and calling which is also pretty bad because AQo does nothing in an unraised pot with 3 limpers. I wanted to get heads up postflop but I didn't want to make a stupidly huge raise with a vulnerable hand. Wasn't expecting all 3 to make such loose calls.

Commentary: Pretty standard... I raised 2 hands before though so I probably should have taken that into consideration and raise to 100 or something.

Flop: Checked around to me... I choose to make a continuation bet (~1/2 the pot) into 3 players on the flop. I am trying to represent a big pair... The CO calls.

Commentary: A continuation bet into 4 players on that flop? Wow, I must be some kind of moran... This is PP! Even at a 55 you can't represent big pairs most of the time... especially to people who are limp calling 5x preflop. Small pairs are thinking they are gold here on a flop like this.

Turn: A nine comes... I put him on a non-set (55, 77, 88) small pair and try to buy it with the ~3/4 pot turn bet. Somehow I think he may fold. He moves in... I fold (best move I made all hand as I did come back to win this particular SnG).

Commentary: One of the worst plays of my life. First, his call on the flop is screaming "I have a set, please continue betting on the turn." Second, as previously mentioned, nobody who is check calling 5x preflop is folding a small (non-set) pair here. At least I folded to salvage 455 chips.

This is just one of those errors which costs you a ton of EV when you don't think things through. I always try to make an effort to think in depth on every hand but it gets difficult when I am 8 tabling.