AKs...how do I play it?
 

Full ring .5/1

The Villian is an unknown, he's only played a few hands so far.

Hero is UTG+2 with A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

PRE -
2 folds, Hero raises, folds to Villian in SB who 3-bets, Hero caps.

FLOP - 3 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
Villian bets, Hero raises, Villian 3-bets, Hero calls.

TURN - 3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Villian bets, Hero calls

River - Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Villian bets, Hero calls.


Is this line totally weak/tight? I'm a chicken. I figured we were chopping at best. Am I way off here?

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Hi Coolidge i am gonna put in at least one more raise somewhere.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

i would cap the flop and see if he leads the turn. after your call on the flop, you dont show any aggression the rest of the way. i think by capping the flop, it forces his to make a play on the turn and you can play accordingly. if he checks, depending on the turn card, you can check or bet. but by just calling down, its nearly impossible to tell what he has. if you cap and he still leads the turn, i would strongly consider folding unless you pick something up on the turn.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

3-bet the turn for sure.

some might also cap the flop.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

hmmm, but if I cap the flop and bet the turn, won't he fold a worse hand here and raise a better one?

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

I think we need to cap the flop. There are 3 AA's and 3 KKs. He might just be freerolling with AK[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. I guess we're supposed to slowdown. Still I cap, then go into call-down if he bets into us on the turn. That river card bites.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

ok, I guess I just didn't see a hand I beat that 3-bets the flop after I raised it and capped preflop. I can maybe see this against a high AG guy, but he was an unkown.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

and that is exactly what u want to find out. there arent many better hands, given pf action, maybe only aa. or ak spades.

if you capa the flop and he bets the turn, then you can probably fold, saving one BB (compared to what you did) and given he had AA. which is probable in that scenario.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

I see the advice to cap the flop to see where you are and see if the opponent leads the turn. I think this is a waste. You've already been 3bet preflop and 3bet on the flop. Thats not a good sign.

I'd save my 0.5BB and just call down (It would have to get real ugly on the board for me to fold this hand). Aggression at this point isn't going to protect your hand and its not gonna scare him.

Even if it does get him to slow down on the turn -- What are you gonna do when he checks. I don't feel good about checking TPTK on the turn if a blank hits. So either way your gonna put money in on the turn.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

This seems very aggressive to me. You don't have a big enough edge to be pushing this hand so aggressively.

If you are hoping to get raised again on turn and river then I think your basically "hoping" your bankroll away. Villian aggression shown on turn and river would be a very badddddddd sign for hero.

I'm calling down after I get 3bet on flop

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
The Villian is an unknown, he's only played a few hands so far.


[/ QUOTE ]

this is the only thing that makes me think yours was the best line.

usually after just a few hands at this level you can get a decent read on the villain. if you had seen even 10 or so hands from him, you'd know if he was passive enough to make

your flop cap + his donked turn = your safe fold.

but as it stands, yeah, there are just too many hands he could be playing crazy. i think the call down is the best way to go.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Cap da flizzle

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

are you capping the flop for value?

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Yep, only 7 combinations of hands beat us here

KK (1 combo)
AA (6 combos)

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

7 combinations for an entire deck makes this seem like a very minimal threat, but 7 combinations in a tight raising range makes it increasingly likely.

Without a read its hard to have any real sense of how likely or unlikely the 7 combinations are but I do have one known fact that is very apparent - Villian aggression

Either way I don't think the cap changes things one way or another. I could play it either way but vs. unknown I'm calling down.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yep, only 7 combinations of hands beat us here

KK (1 combo)
AA (6 combos)

[/ QUOTE ]
so what?

what bet/3-bets the flop against us? this guy is unknown so he could be overplaying, but hero's line here is fine.

i play it the same way with our limited info.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
i play it the same way

[/ QUOTE ]

you capped preflop and he's still coming at you. unless you label him "retard", this is fine.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

I play it the same. Most of villains don't 3 bet this flop with QQ or less, and not many players will 3 bet KJ-KQ in this spot, so I think we are either splitting or behind. It's possible villain has a flush draw with AJs or AQs (at that point we don't know this combo is not possible), but he is more likely to have AK or AA. Once in a while he might show you an overplayed underpair, but in this case you don't mind keeping him in.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Those of you who have recommended to cap on the flop: is the main goal of this to avoid showing weakness or to raise for value? If you were to cap preflop and he bets the turn, should you just call down? If he checks, should you bet?

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Those of you who have recommended to cap on the flop: is the main goal of this to avoid showing weakness or to raise for value ?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just not sure there is a lot of value in it. Its pretty slim to me.

[ QUOTE ]
If you were to cap preflop and he bets the turn, should you just call down? If he checks, should you bet?

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm calling down to his bet and I'm betting his check.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Cap the flop, raise the turn, if he 3 bets the turn, call and c/c the river.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Cap the flop, raise the turn, if he 3 bets the turn, call and c/c the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? I agree with capping the flop, but I'm not sure why you'd want to raise the turn. The guy is showing a lot of agression. It seems like you'd be running a big risk of a 3-bet on the turn with a had that could very well be the underdog.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yep, only 7 combinations of hands beat us here

KK (1 combo)
AA (6 combos)

[/ QUOTE ]
so what?

what bet/3-bets the flop against us?

[/ QUOTE ]

Full ring .5/1

Ax spades, KQ, KJ, QQ, JJ and TT are all within vils range to varying degrees (particularly discounted are KJ, JJ and TT). Regardless there is a HUGE chance we are splitting here which makes any play totally irrelevant considering we cant fold him.


Note: Could OP please clarify the line "villain has played few hands and is unknown"? I read this as... villain has only been sitting for a very short while and as such OP has no read at all. But it could also be read as... villain is tight and has been playing few hands out of the hands he has sat down for so far. this changes things a lot for me.

Edit: Edited to say... on the flop we dont know vils actions for the rest of the hand. Reading the hand forward a cap could induce a turn check; even if the flop 3bet is called we could see a turn check with the FD.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

(my admittedly newbie opinion)

So possibly I'm to weak/tight, but I like the line played here except I would've capped PF. On the flop, you've got KK with top kicker. In the end, that's not really that strong of a hand.

At the flop, as soon as the villain bets, I'd have put him on AA, KK, AK, or some broadway flush draw. The question I'd have to answer in my head is whether I think he's an idiot just trying to push me out of the pot with some garbage like QQ-TT. My own experience is that even in micro, this is a dangerous assumption. I lose more than I win with that assumption. Raising him again was fine -- tests his commitment. But when he called that raise, I'm even more sure that I've got him right. Now the question is whether he's splitting with us (AK), already has us beat (AA, KK), or is drawing to the flush.

Turn card doesn't seem to matter to me. I'm not putting him on x3 given the action so far. I like the line here.

River card makes me think it just became a lot more likely that I just lost. That being said, I can't lay down this hand for that alone so again, I like your line.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Note: Could OP please clarify the line "villain has played few hands and is unknown"?

[/ QUOTE ]

I meant he has only been at the table for a short time and I have no PA stats on him.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

Looks fine. He 3bet preflop OOP, and led right into you on the K-high flop after you capped preflop, and went ahead and 3bet you on the flop after you capped preflop and raised the flop, he really really really likes his hand. Just make a note at showdown to give yourself a little more of an idea as to what he can play aggressively.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

[ QUOTE ]
but by just calling down, its nearly impossible to tell what he has.

[/ QUOTE ]

ill find out what he has at SD, as folding here is never an option.

Re: AKs...how do I play it?
 

With no reads I would call his 3-bet on the flop then raise the turn. If he 3-bets the turn then I'd call down. If he calls you on the turn then checkraises the river then I'd call.

BBB