[nightlyraver]

Raising w/ A6o when folded to on the button is pretty standard. Giving Villian 3.5:1 on his call was your first mistake. I'm calling everytime with those odds if I'm holding anything that isn't total trash. Unless Hero has a pair of 8's or better, Villian is definately correct to call w/ 87o. Raise to t1,600.

Depending on Villian, I'm tempted to raise this flop since I'm really trying to get all my chips in the middle. A flat call either means you're a donk with A-high, you're on a str8 draw and you're totally weak, or that you have a big hand. If his bet is a bluff, he probably won't improve to a hand that could take any heat come the turn, so you lose nothing if your raise folds him out on the flop. If he has a 7 (which he did), he may interpret your raise as a bluff and come over the top. If he has a pocket pair, he's still probably coming over the top provided that the pair is reasonable. If he has a 6 with a worse kicker, he's definately doubling you up. If he has a str8 draw and his bet was a semi-bluff, he will probably call your raise and you get to charge him for drawing.

These are all good results when you flop what figures to be the best hand something like 95% of the time. Smooth calling allows him to get away from the hand too easily and certainly kills the action if he's bluffing. For example, say that a King fell on the turn. If he bets and you raise, he can easily throw his 87o in the muck. If you raise the flop and he calls or moves in, you can easily get him tied to the pot no matter what happens on the turn.