AA vs. a preflop capper

[bdk3clash]

No real read on CO in this hand, as I had just sat down.

Comments on each street?

Party Poker 2/4 (8 handed)
bdk3clash has A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and is BB

CO raises, Button folds, SB folds, bdk3clash 3-bets, CO caps, bdk3clash calls

Flop(8 1/2 SB): 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

bdk3clash bets, CO raises, bdk3clash 3-bets, CO caps, bdk3clash calls

Turn(8 1/4 BB): 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

bdk3clash bets, CO raises, bdk3clash 3-bets, CO calls

River(14 1/4 BB): 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

bdk3clash bets, CO calls

[sfer]

Looks good. There's no point slowing down to a preflop capper with Aces and that board. Did he show kings?

[DonWaade]

With betting capped pre-fop, there is no way CO is on a straight draw. IMO you played perfectly. I guess that he had KK.

[bdk3clash]

Though I'm pretty happy with my play, CO had 77 for 7s full.

[dirty_dan]

Was nice of him to slow down at the end and save you a couple bets.

[Alobar]

wow, he played that crappy then....did you thank him? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[bdk3clash]

If you put yourself in his shoes, his play makes perfect sense. If you're the type of person that caps with 77, wouldn't you suspect other people of 3-betting with 99, 88, 97, or 95? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[dirty_dan]

Not only doesn't he consider what you might have, but he's not even thinking about what he has. I guarantee when that turn came he thought "crap, now someone with a 9 beats my three sevens".

[tripdad]

good point!

i assume you took him for lots of scratch throughout the course of the session. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

cheers!

[MRBAA]

Okay, I"m going to say you didn't play this so great. Here's where the next level of play comes in, hand-reading. There are LOTS of party 2-4 players who will cap with 77, 88, 99, 10Js and all kinds of other stuff. I think Hellmuth overvalues pairs in his book, which some of these folks have read, but also if you're head up, they may be hoping you have AK. Or they may just be gambling, long-term losing players. But your edge doesn't just come from playing better cards preflop. To really win, you've got to play well after the flop, too. On that flop, once he raises you have to wonder what he has. Sure it could be KK or QQ. But there's plenty of hands you can put him on that are bad news (like what he had). Now you can either three bet the flop or just call and bet the turn. Either way, if he caps the flop (as happened) or raises your turn bet, it's reasonable to think you may be beat. You certainly don't have enough edge to keep pumping in the bets. I'd likely have played the preflop and flop as you did, but then check/called the turn and river. You don't want to be one of the "good players" who act as if hand values are static and because "I have aces" they should still be winning after the flop, even when their opponent is telling them pretty clearly that they aren't and there are many plausible hands that could have top pair crushed. Anyway, I'm sure you know most of this. You're not going to fold with this board, but you can save some bets, I think.