Re: outplaying myself
This play works better, somewhat paradoxically in my experience, when the other guy has 3-bet preflop, increasing the chances of him having a big pocket pair so that the ace is more likely to miss him. It also works better, again somewhat paradoxically, when your opponent has position on you. A raise from behind when he bets can be seen as a free card play, whereas a check-raise out of position is more likely to be seen as a I-check-to-the-raiser (or 3-bettor)-because-he's-surely-going-to-bet-any-flop-but-I-caught-an-ace bet.
The success of this play also depends on exactly how "solid" opponent is and how opponent views you. My last session, I open-raised with pocket 9s and an opponent 3-bet. Flop came A-4-3 which, absent a 9 on the flop, was perfect for me. I checked, she bet, I check-raised, and she proudly folded pocket kings face up. I "had" to have an ace and she won't chase. Against other opponents, I could put a WMD on the table and they'll be calling down, some because they're fishy, others because they're capable of thinking up a few levels.
That groan when you raised would send up an alarm to me. A groan or head-shake on one street followed by a bet on the following streets often mean they want you to raise.
|