AQs against an all-in
 

Here's a hand I played a while ago. Villain recently sat down and is unknown. So, call the push?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ Hero (6 max, 5 handed) converter

Button ($33.05)
SB ($47)
Hero ($55.45)
UTG ($154.61)
MP ($40.60)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP calls $0.50, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, SB (poster) completes, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $2.50</font>, MP folds, SB calls $2.

Flop: ($5.50) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $5</font>, SB calls $44.50 (All-In), Hero...?

Dumle

Re: AQs against an all-in
 

you are either slightly ahead or way behind....fold.

Re: AQs against an all-in
 

Easy Fold. You only have Top pair and the money is deep, ur opponent could have 2 pair or a set. Maybe u can call only with top 2 pair or higher.

Theres a possibility he's on a flush draw, but not for sure. Most of the time you are beaten

Re: AQs against an all-in
 

I just can't see a hand that you could be beating. He likely has either two pair or a set. I can't seem him making this move with a worse ace. And there is only 10 bucks in the pot before his all in, why risk nearly your entire stack when you are likely very far behind.

Results
 

Point taken. I'm either way behind or slightly ahead. I really didn't think his play was consistent with a set or two-pair, though, and thought that it was much more likely he was on a flush draw. So I called, didn't improve and he took it down with A2.

Thanks!

Dumle

Re: Results
 

this hand is a great example of why the semi-bluff is such a powerful tool....in examples like this if he had just been semi bluffing a naked flush draw he'd expect to take this pot down a large amount of the time...for the times he gets caught, he still wins 30% of the time....even if your read had been right you'd have lost this hand a decent amount of the time. Since your read was wrong you got your money in as a pretty significant underdog. This is why the semi-bluff is so powerful and so hard to defend against.