AKo: Line Check and Do I Call this All-In?

Here's another hand from my foray into Party Poker $200 NL.

Hero is UTG with $205-220-ish. Villain is new to the table; this is like his tenth or fifteenth hand and he has played maybe half of them. He has $250 or so.

Hero gets A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Raise to $8.

folds to Villain in MP, who calls, folds to BB, who calls.

Pot~$24.

Flop: 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

BB checks, Hero bets 12 (I have been making conspicuously EXACTLY 1/2 pot bets with made hands on the flop for about 45 min. and have shown down at least 2 that BB would have seen and one Villain would have seen). Villain goes in the tank, uses all his allotted time, and min-raises to $24. BB folds. Hero calls.

Pot:~$70

Turn: K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Hero bets $35, Villain calls.

Pot:~$145

River: A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Hero bets $72.50, Villain pushes all in for about $180 or so, I have about $80-90 left. I called.

Comments on the line, in general? The call on the end was basically mandatory, right? Would you have folded to the min-raise on the flop? The fact that he took so long made me think he was raising because he thought (correctly) that the flop had missed me, not that it had hit him, so I didn't necessarily credit him with a hand here. What do you think?

[djoyce003]

well, I think he hit his flush to be honest with you. If you are going to lead the turn I think you have to bet closer to the pot with the draws that are out there....that makes the river play itself.

Also, don't use the amount of time they use to make a decision as a tell unless it's them calling or folding to an all in...the longer they take to call, the more you probably want them to. On a flop like this sometimes a player will use all their time and then bet so that you will think they are weak when they are actually strong...also it could be link problems, multi tabling,etc.

I would probably check/call the river in case he has the flush, and to give him the opportunity to bluff with a worse hand.

[Raven]

I would fold on the flop, he is raising into a third player so he is usually not on a draw. You dont even have the odds to chase your 6 out and a pair have a good chance of not being good even if you catch it. Also, its not a good flop to make a continuation bet into 2 players out of position.

[kongo_totte]

On the flop, either check or bet more. Would you ever bet this little with a made hand on that board? Why did you call the flop re-raise? You CB:ed and got busted. Time to let go.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Flop call is brutal. Just give up and get them next time when you get raised and stand a very good chance at drawing slim or dead.

[JJJ88]

Bad CB bet after flop.

[ QUOTE ]
Flop call is brutal. Just give up and get them next time when you get raised and stand a very good chance at drawing slim or dead.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had sort of figured this out for myself, actually. In fact, I pretty much knew it at the time, but I felt like he had squat and I didn't want to fold to squat. It was stupid, but there it is.

Anyway, you call or fold the river?

[TheWorstPlayer]

What can he really have other than a set or a flush? I don't know...I hate folding top two, but you have shown a ton of strength and he doesn't care. So basically you only beat a bluff here. How often is he bluffing? Probably not enough. I say fold.