basics: opening A2o in SB
 

is there a better line to take here? how do you play this against calling stations, total donkeys, maniacs, tags, etc?

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (6 max, 6 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is SB with 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, BB calls.

Flop: (4 SB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, BB calls.

Turn: (3 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 6 BB

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

what else can you do? it bothers me and I feel sometimes I'm just getting played back at but that board has hit a decent amount of hands..

sometimes I think a case can be made for calling down a maniac but that's about it.

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

unforunately i play it the same.

fwiw, there are some things i plan on experiemnting with in the future. blind stealing was one of them, and what a good range is, as i know some poeple who are stealing 97s but not Q7o.

the other one is from the sb. i think you can have a really large range of "stealing" hands against loose passives or overly tight opponents. but against good or moderatley good players, your range should be tighter then that of what your'e opening from the btn. maybe some headsup play on a site where the oop is the sb would be helpful in learning what a good opening range is.

anyways, back to the hand. i think you played it fine. A2o is def. an opening hand in this situation. and you gotta fold this turn

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

This is standard. Against some players who are bet-when-checked to types, or the overaggressive (borderline maniac) it can be profitable to check-call to showdown here.

Jeff_W and I talked about this type of play vs an overaggressive player - however, once you've done this a few times it becomes obvious when we are trying to get to showdown with a bluff-catcher, so we have to mix it up by checking some stronger hands on the turn (c/r perhaps) and betting some weaker ones again.

Against the majority of 5/10ers your line is better, however.(LPs/TAGs/TPs)

Surf

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

I don't open raise A2. I will just complete. I am not big on calling down with A high. Your 2 is useless. If you spike an A you won't get paid off. If you don't raise and an A falls you get paid a more.

I will vary this according to who Iam playing if I think there is a chance that they fold to a raise then I am of course raising.

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

Completing with A2o is very, very weak. IMO, it is a 99% raise hand - the 1% of the time I wouldn't raise would be if a very, very tough aggressive player was in the BB and I felt like I was going to be reraised and outplayed postflop. Then I probably just fold it.

There are many reasons why raising A2o is a good play. If people are automatically folding when an Ace hits in a blind steal situation to your flop bets, steal more...make that A on the flop the perfect bluff steal card when you have Q8 or J9 or 10-7.

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

[ QUOTE ]

Completing with A2o is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very weak.

[/ QUOTE ]


fixed

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

ty Bob. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

i haven't done, or really nkow the neccessary work to show it. but i think that against good oppoennts you should fold A2o in this position. and if i have the time, i think i'll try and do the math/ reasoning out.

stealthcow-

Re: basics: opening A2o in SB
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you spike an A you won't get paid off.

[/ QUOTE ]

This doesn't seem true. In blind battles, villain will almost always pay you off if they hit a worse pair. It seems that in blind battles, many SH players simply ignore the top card on the flop (i.e. if villain has PP, he's seeing a showdown). This is obviously player-dependent, but esp. in blind battles, it has been my experience that you will definitely get paid off by worse hands, including bluffs, semi-bluffs, worse pairs, etc.