What's your default play

[davidross]

I have AQ offsuit 2 off the button and open-raise. The best player at the table (In my opinion anyway) calls cold. We are heads up.
The only hand I can imagine him doing this with that I beat is KQs. Other wise I think AK or a pair.

Flop is K 8 4 rainbow. What do you do here? Bet to represent the K, fold to a raise? Check/FOld. Check will induce a bet almost certainly. Check/raise?

Curious how you would play this by default

[Ed Miller]

Your hand doesn't look too hot here, does it?

[Bob T.]

Why isn't he three betting, here? I think that that is suspicious, and I am downgrading my opinion of him. I bet, I think that he might have some in between hand like AT or AJ suited. Or that he might have just failed the AQ test. I want to push him off of that hand, right now.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I always play cautiously when I raise with AQ and a king comes on the flop. I'd probably bet, but if you get called, check-fold the turn, and if you get raised on the flop, fold.

[davidross]

Bob,

I was a little suspicious too, but I've played with this guy a lot and he will do this with AK, and even with AA or KK, especially since he already has the button. I still thought I had to bet, and he raised me. I called, turn was a blank and I check-folded. I played it that way because that's how I would have played it with a made hand, only check-raising him on the turn. So when he bet again on the turn I thought I could fold.

Now I'm wondering against a good player with position if I can't just check-fold here.

[VeryTnA]

Let me take a stab at this one, only because I think the answer is obvious. Usually when I think that way someone here will correct me and I learn something. Anyway here goes.
You open raise with AQ. GOOD!
Only other solid player cold calls 2 bets. BAD!
Flop comes K 8 4. BAD!
Too many hands a good player would cold call with contain a King. He could also put you on the steal raise and call with almost any pair not to mention 88 or 44. I am really wondering what kind of read he has on you? The pot is small, its time to check and fold. You get to build some rock equity which may come in handy later in a better situation. Comments?

[SoBeDude]

Bob, both you and VeryTna made some interesting points about this hand. I see a couple of problems.

With the bet-checkraise-call on the flop without a reraise, you showed weakness. If this guy is good, is he capable of a check-raise bluff against a possible steal-raise? my guess is if he is good then yes.

Also now the check on the turn shows more weakness and anyone with anything should bet into you here.

now to the other problem with VeryTnA's comments.

If you raise preflop, then check-fold the flop, you're begging any observant player to check-raise you on the flop to push you out. It shows you'll lay down a raising-standards hand if the flop misses you. not the right kind of image to put forth.

I think a re-raise on the flop, and a bet on the turn would be much better overall. Now if he re-raised on either the flop or the turn get out.

Heads up is a very psychological game, like facing a lion in the wilderness. show weakness and you're lunch.

-Scott

[davidross]

I think in hindsight, that this approach is best for the given situation. I don’t like giving up that easily, but it just looks like a steal attempt gone bad. If it happens again I will have to be careful not to encourage everyone to take shots at me, but in isolation I think I’d rather fight another day.

[davidross]

So Be Dude,

I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure this is the right situation to be making a stand.
1) First of all the cold call worried me. I think he would 3-bet with 88-QQ or even AK. The cold call made me think he had AA or more likely KK.
2) I don’t believe I can move him off a hand here. I might get him into check-call mode, but as I said, he is a good player, would you fold in his position with any hands good enough to cold call. Your strategy is going to cost me 3 more big bets to get to a showdown. If I thought his starting standards were loose at all I would be more inclined to go to war as you described.

However, as you stated I don’t want everyone to think they can run me off a hand, so this can’t be a regular occurrence. Hopefully the next time it comes up I’ll be holding KK, then I
can pop back on the turn.

[Bob T.]

I think that this is the other default play here. But you still have to put him on a hand, and the question is what is he going to coldcall with in this situation. I think that most of the time, he coldcalled with a small pair, and that King has to look scary to him. I bet, and I hope that he believes that he will have to call 2 and 1/2 big bets to find out if I do have AK. If he raises, I am probably done with the hand now. If he calls, then I hope that I get some help on the turn. If an Ace or Queen comes on the turn, I probably bet again, otherwise, I probably check and fold. You could very well be an underdog here, but if you win about 1/3 of the hands, you will break even.

There are 5 small bets in the pot, and I think check fold is just too weak here. I am willing to invest at least one more small bet to see if he folds. They do sometimes. If I knew that he would slowplay AA, or KK, like this in a likely headsup situation, then I would consider check folding.