A9s 10-20 hand

[Brian]

Hi everyone,

This is my first hand post here in the Mid-High Stakes forum. I've been playing 3-6 and 5-10 regularly for the past 2 months or so, and decided to take a shot at 10-20. This is my first time to ever play higher than 5-10, and I set a 500 dollar stop-loss for myself. On to the hand.

I am dealt A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] UTG. The past few pots have been taken down uncontested before the Flop, and while there are certainly a few loosie goosies at the table who like to cold-call, since I hadn't played a hand in a few orbits (and had only played 2 since I sat down), I figured it was a fine time to raise. My default play is to raise ATs UTG, so I figured this wasn't too far off. I have a feeling most probably won't like this play.

So I raise. MP, a rather loose player who is nearing the end of his buy-in, cold-calls. Button, on whom I have no read, also cold-calls. SB, virtually a maniac, calls, and the BB, a decent player, calls. Hrm, maybe I should have limped. 5 to the Flop for 10sb.

Flop: J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Both of the blinds check to me and I bet. My hand is certainly worth a call if I check, and theres a decent chance I am ahead. MP and Button call, SB raises, and the rest of us call. 5 to the Turn for 20sb (10bb).

Turn: K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

SB bets, BB calls, I call. I think some might advocate a value raise here, but I didn't want to knock the others out, and I certainly didn't want the maniac 3 betting (unless of course, everyone else cold-called my raise). MP now raises, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds, and I call. 3 to the River for 17bb.

River: 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

SB checks, I check, MP bets with 1 BB remaining, SB folds, I raise, MP calls all-in. Results later.

-Brian

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
I am dealt A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] UTG.
...
I have a feeling most probably won't like this play.


[/ QUOTE ]

Is this a great default play? Probably not. But I've been seeing quite a few posts lately where people "mix it up" pre-flop w/ some real garbage (Hey Kenny, you reading this one? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]). If you're going to mix it up, do it with something like a reasonably sized suited Ace. All the time, no. Once in a while? Fine.



[ QUOTE ]
Both of the blinds check to me and I bet.

[/ QUOTE ]
Good. After two cold-calls, a raise, and two more calls, I assume you'll fold on the turn if you don't improve.

[ QUOTE ]
SB bets, BB calls, I call. I think some might advocate a value raise here

[/ QUOTE ]
No, no, no. Call. You have a nine. Still good.

[ QUOTE ]
I certainly didn't want the maniac 3 betting

[/ QUOTE ]
Exactly.

[ QUOTE ]
SB checks, I check, MP bets with 1 BB remaining, SB folds, I raise, MP calls all-in. Results later.

[/ QUOTE ]
Nicely done. I predict you won.

[samdash]

There is very little value to "mixing things up" in virtually any party poker game. People don't pay attention either because they're playing 3 tables or are just outright stupid. If you want to mix things up go bake a cake.

[cybertilt]

NO! NO! NO! NO!

"since I hadn't played a hand in a few orbits" is no valid criterian for playing a hand now. Play your A game or go home.

"my default is to raise ATs UTG" this is barely a good limp UTG. Maybe you need an A game.

[Ed Miller]

If the table is soft, raising A9s from UTG is almost certainly +EV. It may be slightly less +EV than limping is, but if it is, it would be only slightly.

It's not really a very good "variation" play, though, because most people would expect you to turn over a hand like A9s after raising UTG.

This is a close preflop decision all the way around... folding, calling, and raising are all reasonable options depending on specific game conditions. The fact that you think this is a terrible play suggests to me that you should revisit your preflop theory a little bit.

[Yeknom58]

I also think calling on the turn was best.

[WBueler]

what do you mean you "predict" he won, he has the nuts!

[Roy Hobbs]

Checking the river is silly.

RH

[Brian]

Hi Roy,

Why is checking the River silly? Not only was the MP player almost all-in, but since he raised the Turn, I had no reason to believe that he wouldn't bet/raise the River. If I bet out, and he raised all-in, then that would pretty much shut out the maniac SB in between us. I was hoping that the maniac SB would call one bet from the MP player, and then I could trap him for another.

-Brian

[Brian]

MP has Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] for the turned Straight.

I played 1 10/20 table for about 3 hours last night, and it was very soft. Maybe I just got lucky, but it was definitely softer than most 5/10 games in which I play. At the end I was down about 5 BB's despite winning this monster (to me) pot. I have a QQ hand from the other night that I think I might have misplayed which I will post on here later tonight. Darn those overpairs, get me into so much trouble [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

-Brian