Axo and the fish

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
Many fish will call a small bet on the flop with any remote possibility of having a hand. Middle pair, bottom pair, 3 to a flush or straight. You need to keep betting if you have one or two opponents.

Now if you bet and 3 or more opponents call then you should consider checking on the next street.

The one or two times the fish has the ace does not lose you more than you can make by value betting when they call with draws and middle pair.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yah, I see your point, but I'm pretty sure in the games I play it's +EV to fold ASAP (tend to be multiway - 4+ in).

In less family-pot games, you need to be less robotic in your folding for sure, and play as you suggest for - I dunno - say 50% of hands? (watch and know your Ace-wonders is the play here, obviously). It would be marginally +EV I'd think, and also keeps the fish fed.

[BarronVangorToth]

Remember, too, that you WANT people to call your KK raise with A2o. You won't always make money, but you'll make MORE money than if they always (properly) folded that meager holding.

Barron Vangor Toth
BarronVangorToth.com

[RoundTower]

I'm going to call the OP with A2. Clearly I can outplay him after the flop.

i'd fold. there are beter opportunities.

[Xhad]

If you think they're calling the flop means they have the ace often, then you should shut down and check/fold the turn, especially multiway.

If they are loose enough that they will call down/show down with things like middle pair, but are too passive to raise a bad ace, you should consider betting the river if you get that far. You still lose the same amount as a check/call when you're behind, but you don't allow them to check behind with second pair. The counterpoint is that you don't allow them to bluff either which is why this is opponent dependent.

"Bet the flop, bet the turn, check/fold the river" is pretty much the worst way possible to play the hand. You lose as much as you can on the hand without giving yourself any chance of winning the pot.

[Pog0]

If your pair is second pair or a PP better than second pair, why not just bet the river? He'll call his aces, sure, but he'll also call all other pairs. If you check, he'll probably only bet his aces and I don't like folding here very much.

Your check screams "I don't have an ace!" and even the fish may try to bluff you with his 23s that missed on the river, so I don't know how right check/folding can be here. However, he's more likely to have a mediocre hand and check behind (or call if bet to) than he is to have a missed draw and bluff if checked to.

Bet/fold please (if your pair => 2nd pair.

[winky51]

Hmm thats a good point. He might have the weak ace, he might have a hand like 55. If he raises you fold. By betting you get the best of both worlds. Since more times than not he will have the underpair. Thus all those times you bet and he calls with the underpair you will make up for the Axo hand calling you down. Thanks very logical.