A9s

I limp on the button with Ac9c. 7 way action including the blinds. 10/20 game. All of my opponents are weak to average except the fellow to my right who plays pretty well.


Flop: 5c6dJc


Everyone checks to me. I bet. 3 players call. The player to my right checkraises. We all call.


5 players. $170 pot.


Turn: Js


The player to my right bets. I raise. He calls after the other three players folded.


Heads-up. $250 pot.


River: 8d


He checks. I bet.


Comments welcome.

Preflop: Easy call.


Flop: Seems like a routine bet with a flush draw. Easy call of the raise, since you want to create a volume pot.


Turn: The flop checkraiser would have probably led on the flop with a Jack, so I like the turn raise semibluff (that is my favorite play). When he calls, it shows that he probably has outs to trip Jacks -- probably a straight or flush draw.


River: It would be tough for two pair to call here, and since there is a decent chance the other player had a hand like 7-8, I like the bet.

skp-


I would absolutely play the hand the same way. I think this is a good example of why betting the flop (as opposed to taking the free card) with your nut draw, can be correct. Not only do you get value for your draw, it can open up another door which leads to a win.


It's hard to put anyone on a jack. Would a good player check/raise a jack? More likely his hand has drawing potential.


When he bets the turn, I think it's worth the chance that he didn't flop a set. With 9.5 bets in the pot I think it's worth it to give up the implied odds from the other players and use your read to win this pot, knowing that it's probably gonna take another bet on the river to do it.


I'm almost certain you won this hand. Hope I'm right. Then again, would you be posting this if it were routine?

A friend who I discussed the hand with questioned the river bet given that I had a hand (Ace high) to show down.


I told him that I had to bet in case the river card paired his flush or straight draw. He hummed and hawwed and said if the river card paired him, the other chap would make a crying call.


If the river card had been a card higher than a Ten and it gave my opponent a pair, I believe that the bet is much less likely to succeed as a bluff (although I probably still make it based solely on pot odds). It's a funny observation on my part really given that it really should make no difference if the other guy hits a pair of queens or a pair of 8's on the end as he should know that I have either got trips/boat or nothing at all. But psychologically, it seems to me that guys simply can't fold the paired Queen (or any other overcard that pairs) at the end while they might more readily fold the paired eight (or any other undercard that pairs).


Perhaps you can comment on my observation.

The flop call of the raise is somewhat debatable i.e. it might pay to 3 bet now and knock out the opposition, collect some dead money and maintain the initiative on the turn in a heads-up situation against an opponent who likely has to make a pair to win (of course, he will be focussing on hitting his draw rather than pairing and this hopeful misfocus on his part will play to your advantage).


BTW, I make an observation on the river bet under Kevin's post. You might want to comment.

Interesting hand SKP... I would have raised preflop on the button with A9s because your hand wins more than its fair share, and also because if you flop a big draw you tie people to the pot (also you probably have the biggest ace). I might raise in this spot with any suited ace as well.


Besides the preflop play I like the way you played the hand, because you said the checkraiser played well, indicating that there was a decent chance he was checkraising the flop with a draw. I'm curious what you would do if you got threebet on the turn by the good player, do you fold right there because of the high likelyhood that you are drawing dead? (I think this is correct even though you could be up against a hand like AJ). Even though I like your play of the hand, I don't think it is nearly as "correct" as some of the posters believe, because your play looks somewhat like a bluff because any powerful hand that you would have raised the turn with you most likely would have threebet with on the flop to try and kill the field behind you, making your raise on the turn look rather suspect to a great player. However I think this bluff is likely to work against your typical good but not expert player, who is holding a hand like 78.


Also keep in mind that the chance that your opponent has a draw is lowered by the fact that you have clubs, and that he might not raise in that spot with an openended straight draw (except 78s) because he fears he is against a flush draw and drawing to six outs.


Shawn

If he had 3 bet, I was a goner but only because I am quite sure that this chap would not 3 bet without a full house (in fact, the question of him 3 betting on the turn with AJ would not arise in the first place as he would have bet AJ on the flop).


I had a very similar type of hand once in the Planet Poker 20-40 game. I can't quite recall the specifics of that hand but not only did I call the 3 bet on the turn but I also called the river with my missed Ace high flush draw. The bummer part was that the other guy was also on a flush draw (as I suspected) but had paired on the river. His bluff turned out to be a value bet...damn....hate it when that happens [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]

I haven't read the other posts, but I think the play shows excellent hand reading, since the check-raiser is clearly raising a hand for value...........I would assume a lower flush perhaps with a straight draw. He might play a set the same way, but since he didn't reraise the turn, it looks like you'll pick up this pot no matter what happens.

Hmmm...Player to your right almost has to have a draw. Little else makes sense - he should bet any made hand - a free card is too dangerous.


I would have 3 bet the flop to isolate this player with the likely best hand.


I think assuming he does not have a jack is correct.


The river 8 is very bad. Is is extremely likely he has a 78, possibly of clubs. However, you have the 9 of clubs, which means he can't have the 89 of clubs - another likely hand. He may also have a smal pair and a 4 flush - 6c7c, 6c8c.


Even so, he might have trouble calling you with an 8. Then again, you may have "screwed the pooch" by not 3 betting the flop - this play would have been almost automatic if you had a jack, regardless of your kicker.


So, I am not a big fan of letting the others in past the flop. Given that you did not 3 bet, your turn and river are justifiable. However, the fact that he should discount you having a jack (if he reads that well) might make a river check the better play.


Dan Z.

skp,


A top player could very well be on a straight or flush draw with his checkraise to build a pot on the flop. A player holding most other made hands (even sets) would bet this flop when most of the field checks to him in the cutoff.


On the turn when the board paired the jack he is correct to bet with either a draw or a made hand, especially since he knows you don't need a jack to make the previous round's bet on the flop and will lay down second pair. So I like your raise here with a big draw. When he just calls I think a draw is the most likely hand. One of those hands could be the 87.


When the river comes an eight your bet should make an 87 lay down. If he held this hand he was drawing to the straight, not the pair, and he has little reason to believe you don't have a big made hand.


Regards,


Rick