confusing A2s hand

[karitek]

i wrote the hand out wrong (sorry). on the flop it went

villan bets, 1 fold, hero calls, 1 fold

[bozlax]

Doesn't really matter. Raising makes the odds 11.5:2 for the guy behind you, which is plenty to call with an oesd or four-flush.

[Aaron W.]

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Those last two setences do not go together. If he's aggressive postflop, he may also 3-bet a hand like KK or QQ. I think you've got to raise the flop here. You really want to get this heads up, where you can just call down if he keeps coming at you. (Fortunately for you, everyone else folded anyway, but you should get in the habit of raising it because the pot is big.)

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I disagree with raising the flop. First, you're not making the pot wrong for a flush draw or OESD, so you'll have a much better chance of making it HU on the turn. Second, although a multi-way pot doesn't fit the criteria for WA/WB I think that's close to the situation you're in. If anybody out there has an ace, you're drawing to 3 outs; no ace, and they might have 8 or 9 outs (flush and straight draws), or be drawing virtually dead.

Call the flop, raise the turn where you're more likely to be able to thin the field, generally speaking (doesn't apply here, everybody folded the flop without being raised).

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You're *NEVER* driving out the 4-flush or OESD. That's not even on the list of goals. You want to drive out the sorts of hands that would be willing to peel one on the flop getting 10:1 or better that may end up catching enough on the turn where a raise *WON'T* make them fold.

You would be thrilled to knock out a 6 or 7 on the flop, so that nobody has a redraw to a better straight if you hit the 5 on the turn. You would be happy to fold out a lone diamond in case you see a diamond on the turn. (The flopped 4-flush isn't folding, but the one card backdoor flush will fold.) These are both hands that will muck for two bets, but might call for one. Then you give a cheap chance to see a profitable situation when you could have gotten rid of them.

Also, you may have the best hand, but you're inviting players with weaker hands proper odds (10:1 = about a 4-outer = gutshot) to beat you.

[TomBrooks]

PREFLOP: Marginal call UTG on a tight table, and this table seems pretty tight at least for this hand. You noted the table was passive, but you didn't indicate if it was overall loose or tight.

FLOP: TP no kicker, gutshot and a BD Nut Flush Draw. I raise because I possibly have the best hand, I've got a some drawing to improve chances, to eliminate opponents including BD Diamond draws (edit: and better gutshots than mine Aaron wrote), to make Diamond draws pay more, to get a better idea of where I'm at while still on a cheap street (mainly to see if I might be up against a better ace, and to possibly take a free card if I fold the field back to the bettor.

You wrote you didn't raise because you were afraid of a reraise if you were behind. I'd rather raise and find out now rather than later on a more expensive street, I think.

TURN: Your write that your lost. I would be too here. That's why I liked the flop raise. Anyway, I will assume I'm ahead here now and raise. If I was reraised to a flop raise, I would call down from here. I don't like raising here and possibly getting reraised on this expensive street, and having to call another Big Bet on the river.

RIVER: Just calling looks good to me at this point.

[Mathieu]

Very well put. I would also certainly raise this flop for the reasons you mentioned. This reminds me of the sub-section "When Calling Cannot Be Right" under "Protecting Your Hand" in SSH.