None of this felt right. AJo
 

I felt dirty the second I cold-called the preflop raise and basically from there in. Is this a preflop muck? That seems too tight. Is it a raise? If so, how come it is a raise?

Reads are non-existant, first orbit at the table haven't seen anything from CO.

PokerStars 0.05/0.10 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, MP2 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, Hero calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, BB calls, MP2 calls.

Flop: (8.40 SB) 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
BB checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, Hero calls, BB folds, MP2 folds.

Turn: (5.20 BB) J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, CO calls.

River: (9.20 BB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
CO checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, CO calls.

Final Pot: 11.20 BB

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

I don't cold call AJ. Too many times you're dominated.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

I don't like the cold call.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

It is a definite preflop muck, even AQo against normal players would be a preflop muck. Flop call is bad, bettor is right before you and you could face a raise behind and you don't have odds to draw (discount your overcard outs).

Turn and river played fine since you hit the J and got lucky.

Remember to generally fold AJo to a raise (except in BB of course). If its sooted AJs then you can cold call if there are cold callers already/others will cold call behind you as it is a much better hand multiway.

Only 3 bet AJo against maniacs to isolate.

Hope this helps

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

Fold pre-flop. If it were suited, I'd call against an unknown. Here, an unknown raises after someone has limped... I'd put him on your typical raising hands. AK-AQ, TT-AA, and MAYBE KQ if you're lucky. You really only want him to turn over TT and KQ. Don't worry about being too tight when other's raise. You should be playing extremely tight when there's a raise before you!

Flop: Call was "okay". You barely had the odds to continue with overcards and BDSD, and that's only when you factor in implied odds. You also might have high reverse implied odds here if an ace hits the turn. Folding probably would be better.

Turn-River: Good.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

Fold preflop, fold the flop. You're a dog against the pfr's range of hands.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

I'm def folding this pf. Cold calling with off suited cards is never a good idea, especially when you have no idea of the raising standards of the CO.

Think the flop call is fine because of the size of the pot. Turn raise fine and river not a scare card so fine betting out.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

This is a muck preflop except against a very aggressive player. (maybe &gt;15% PFR) In that case, you 3-bet to isolate. Cold-calling is a big no-no.

Everything looks fine after that, but I think you lost to an overpair that was scared by the J98 on the board.

You usually fold in these cases because the primary pre-flop raising hands are AA-JJ and AK-AQ. All of these have you in bad shape.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

After the cold-call I htink its OK. May even raise the flop. However, Im riasing or folding this preflop read-dependant. Probably usually folding at full table.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

raise or fold when first to act on a CC, i vote fold in this case.

I'd like to raise the flop as well if i'm playing it, to clean up your J outs. But that won't change that your ace outs aren't too clean either.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
Fold preflop, fold the flop. You're a dog against the pfr's range of hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I would think a CO raise could be quite a few hands. Now if it were UTG raising, yeah.

I'm leaning more towards 3 betting preflop, than folding. Might get EP to fold and see a 4 card flop.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm leaning more towards 3 betting preflop, than folding. Might get EP to fold and see a 4 card flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

and you say you can't play 6-max. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

OP: preflop is read-based. but it is definitely a raise/fold situation. hand changes from there.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm leaning more towards 3 betting preflop, than folding. Might get EP to fold and see a 4 card flop.

[/ QUOTE ]OP: preflop is read-based. but it is definitely a raise/fold situation. hand changes from there.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hero having the button inclines me to three bet.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Fold preflop, fold the flop. You're a dog against the pfr's range of hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I would think a CO raise could be quite a few hands. Now if it were UTG raising, yeah.

I'm leaning more towards 3 betting preflop, than folding. Might get EP to fold and see a 4 card flop.

[/ QUOTE ]


Against a good, agressive player, this may be true, but against an unknown at these limits, I think its a clear fold. The typical opponent is loose but passive, and not particularly position-aware. Therefore I think AJo does play very poorly against the likely range of hands of the raiser.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

Even on the button, cold-calling a raiser and a limper with AJo is just asking for trouble unless they're both loosey-gooseys or maniacs, and even in that rare case I'd reraise rather than call and take control. As a few others have said, against people who have some idea what they're doing you're dominated too often for the cold-call to be +EV. Muck it preflop and don't feel bad about it.

--Scott

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

Raise preflop.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
Really? I would think a CO raise could be quite a few hands. Now if it were UTG raising, yeah.

I'm leaning more towards 3 betting preflop, than folding. Might get EP to fold and see a 4 card flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

That may be true if CO were open raising (folded to him). However, MP2 already limped before him, making a steal less likely. Clear fold preflop (unless its a 6 max table)

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

Without a read I fold this preflop. The only thing that might possibly keep me in here is the fact that it is a .05/.10 cent game on Stars...but imo the threat of domination is just too good without a read.

On the flop, you have your overcard outs, but there is redraw potential and with the PF raise you can't be totally comfortable with your A outs (or even your J outs for fear of an overpair). The only thing is that the pot is pretty good size here. If (and this is a big if) I am going to stay in here then I am going to raise...if I get re-raised I am done...if I don't and it gets checked to me on a UI turn I am probably going to take a free card to try and improve. All-in-all though I think you are better off dropping this.

I'm not sure how wise this advice is, but if I can recall my .05/.10 any type of aggression will usually freeze the table up for at least one betting round.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
That may be true if CO were open raising (folded to him). However, MP2 already limped before him, making a steal less likely. Clear fold preflop (unless its a 6 max table)

[/ QUOTE ]

MP2 limped in meaning MP2 has a weak hand if it's not strong enough to raise there. CO raises after 1 limper to shut out the blinds. I'd raise A2s/A7o in CO's position. Granted we don't know much about CO, but there are a TON of hands that could be raising in that spot that don't dominate us. We also have position postflop.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

CO, if a complicated ML player could be raising a merely decent hand if he/she feels MP2 is weak and wants to isolate. That's pretty advanced thinking typically for this limit and the players you'll normally run up against. (cept some 2+2ers [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img])

All other cases, fold PF.

Rest of the hand looks good.

T

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd raise A2s/A7o

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I'm not sure if I'm good enough post flop to make those raises. If I know MP2 to be extra loose, I might just to isolate. Nice point though.

Re: None of this felt right. AJo
 

[ QUOTE ]
Raise preflop.


[/ QUOTE ]

against an unknown?

I have been getting killed doing this lately. I generally reraise a mp or lp raiser w/ AJo +. But I have been seeing AK+ more than I'd like. I think we should at least have an idea of what he would raise with in this situation, even if we have 1 note that he opened w/ 77 or KJo, that would be enough to try and isolate.

Also in the op we have an open limp before the raise, so that may mean a bigger hand, if CO opened then I would 3 bet him.

Thoughts? suggestions?