AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

Villian is a 50/5/1 after a billion hands.

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: (5.40 SB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG calls.

Turn: (3.70 BB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG calls.

River: (5.70 BB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 5.70 BB


My big question is preflop, can I just fold here?

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

Sure you can fold if you are truly that confident in your read but I'd need at least 1k hands make me fold this pf. Otherwise I just 3 bet it and go from there

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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Sure you can fold if you are truly that confident in your read but I'd need at least 1k hands make me fold this pf. Otherwise I just 3 bet it and go from there

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1500 hands.

If you had 250 hands on the guy saying he's 50/5, you'd still 3-bet?

Isn't this a time to consider a coldcall?

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

Coldcalling is the worst of 3 options. The whole reason for not 3betting this guy is b/c you think he might have dominated. Why do you want to coldcall in that spot. On a similar plane of logic, by coldcalling you think you have a good hand relative to his hand range so you should 3 bet if you want to play.

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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Coldcalling is the worst of 3 options. The whole reason for not 3betting this guy is b/c you think he might have dominated. Why do you want to coldcall in that spot. On a similar plane of logic, by coldcalling you think you have a good hand relative to his hand range so you should 3 bet if you want to play.

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It's not an either-or. Sometimes he has me dominated, sometimes I have him dominated, and sometimes we're about equal.

My hand is a big favorite vs the blinds though. I'd be making some money from them when they call, and I'd be able to play more conservatively postflop (choosing my flops) with a nice overlay.

3-betting is nice because it defines his hand, but even if he caps I'm going to have trouble folding if I pair, so why give him the chance to get more out of me when he's ahead? (I think he's ahead here more than I am).

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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My hand is a big favorite vs the blinds though. I'd be making some money from them when they call, and I'd be able to play more conservatively postflop (choosing my flops) with a nice overlay.


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I disagree with this. I think you will make more money by three betting eliminating the blinds, and picking up the dead money. I would like to hear from other posters on this thought.

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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My hand is a big favorite vs the blinds though. I'd be making some money from them when they call, and I'd be able to play more conservatively postflop (choosing my flops) with a nice overlay.


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I disagree with this. I think you will make more money by three betting eliminating the blinds, and picking up the dead money. I would like to hear from other posters on this thought.

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If the blinds are good players I agree. If they're weak I disagree. My unsaid assumption in my argument in this hand is that neither of them were tags.

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

So what are you doing with AQs? It is a much better hand (reason to three bet) but it plays well in multiway pots (reason to cold call).

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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So what are you doing with AQs? It is a much better hand (reason to three bet) but it plays well in multiway pots (reason to cold call).

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Cold-calling. I really don't like my equity HU against our fish here, and I love my hand multiway.

Re: AQo - I\'m a newb.
 

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My hand is a big favorite vs the blinds though. I'd be making some money from them when they call, and I'd be able to play more conservatively postflop (choosing my flops) with a nice overlay.


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I am not sure you make much from the blinds here even in the cases where they play badly. Even the poor players at the $5/10 don't have much trouble laying down to A- or Q-high flops when it's raised preflop. If you've brought in one or two more players to the flop you are going to be wanting to hit, and when you do they will escape quickly, so I don't think you make that much postflop from them.

On the other hand, if they're really bad they might cold-call a 3-bet with Ax and pay you off the whole way which would be lovely.

On the whole I think letting the blinds in cheaply here is a mistake since you already have a hand that you're not clear how to play vs the original raiser; having a third player in there and not having the initiative just makes it muddier post-flop IMO. BB checks, raiser bets... where are you? Trapped is where.

For what it's worth, I happily fold AJo in this kind of situation, and of course three-bet AKo. AQo gives me the same dilemma. Eager for more thoughts on this!

Guy.