[cero_z]

Hi aggie,

I don't get involved much in spots like this, where you kind of have to be a super hero to make it pay. But, sometimes you just want to put on your red cape and jump off the highest thing around. In that case...

if the guy hadn't seen me call down a couple of decent-sized bets with AK-high before, then I'd think for a while before calling, to make sure he thinks I have a very weak hand (like the one I have or something else bad like A4s). Then, if I thought he bought it, I'd call a big bet most of the time, and fold to a small bet somewhat more often than put odds indicate. The idea is to induce as many bluffs as possible, since presumably he doesn't think you can call again with just AK. If he thinks this and has a real hand, then why would he bet big? If he bets small, you can't automatically fold, because he may reason that "you wouldn't call a second bet with 'nothing' anyway, so why waste chips when [he's] wrong?" But, you cannot let him value bet you with a mediocre hand here--that's why I think it's important that he hasn't seen you call down with AK before.

People are saying that a check-behind is automatic on the river, but you have to consider his range. If it's one of those times when he might have nothing or a little something, but never a big hand, then a substantial bet (300 or so) is called for on the river, to ensure that you always win, as opposed to only winning when AK is good. But, maybe this guy's good enough to realize that you might call with AK and then bluff the river. Hard to say from here.

Good post, in any event.