[johnc]

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Playing overcards is one of the toughest things to do and yet is a critically important skill to have because it comes up all the time. If you are a tight player you will be faced with this dilemna as much as 50% of the hands you enter in any one session. Auto-betting because you raised pf is a pretty big mistake IMO.

I look at raising pf as similar to doubling down black jack. When you think your hand is best get your money in the pot. However once the flop comes down hand values change dramatically. You need to adjust to this change in value or else you'll be spewing chips. The hand you posted is a terrific example of this. Your AKo suddenly looks like a very weak drawing hand with only two cards to go to me. You're drawing to top pair, your [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] outs are dirty, the chance of reverse domanition is large and your opponents probably are ahead now or with stronger draws that a flop bet will never drive away. It doesn't seem fair that your AKo that you patiently waited for is suddenly a big underdog to the like of any idiot who limped in with A4o or even 57s but them are the breaks.

I raise pf anywhere from 10-12% of the time and yet wind up check calling or even check folding in these types of flops all the time. The responses I get in the chat box are quite funny from time to time. (it realy pisses people off when after raising pf you check/ fold and they're sitting on a monster hoping you'll help them pump the pot)

Checking these flops (especially in EP) often gives you more accurate information than merely auto-betting to. If you auto-bet you often scare passive players in calling you down with a small pair but rarely scares them into folding. You lose the max when you are behind. This especially sucks in EP when you can't seem to give up trying to drive someone away and feel you have to keep representing AA. The only time you can get out of the hand is when someone has a monster and raises you. Even then most players feel obliged to at least call and see the next street so as to not fold on the same street. You just wasted two bets trying to drive players off of a hand much of the time. I'm not saying it is always wrong to bet with overcards but pick your spots. When the pot is being contested 4+ ways it is pretty unlikely you'll steal a pot. The only time everyone will fold is usually when they all missed too.

Something to remember is that when you raise pf they don't know you have overcards. They often assume you do but their bets or raises usually mean something. Even if they think you missed with overcards they have to fear you have a high pocket pair until you prove otherwise. Them testing you usually means they have something. It won't necessarily be something that can beat the hand you are drawing to but will almost certainly be a hand that is currently beating your overcrads or is drawing to something better than your overcards are drawing to. Telling the table you missed the flop is not such a bad thing. If they are paying attention they will immediately guess you have overcards which will allow you to bluff if a high card hits such as a K when you actually have AQ. You therefore have more outs than you really do because you not only have the outs that make your hand but the ones that look like they make your hand too. You'd be surprised how much these types of bluffs will work against players who are even remotely paying attention. Against calling stations don't bother though.

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Couldn't have said it better!