AA34 ds hand

[Scruff]

Did I play this hand well? What did I do well or poorly here? Thanks for any advice.

Omaha Hi/Low $5-$5 PL (real money)

9 Nov 2005 04:02 AM

Seat 1: UTG ($1,055.30 in chips)
Seat 2: UTG+1 ($354 in chips)
Seat 3: EP3 ($563.85 in chips)
Seat 4: MP1 ($524.50 in chips)
Seat 5: MP2 ($128 in chips)
Seat 6: MP3 ($495 in chips)
Seat 7: cut-off ($540.50 in chips)
Seat 8: Button ($518.50 in chips)
Seat 9: SB ($627.50 in chips)
Seat 10: Hero [A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img],3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]] ($542 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS

SB posts blind ($5), hero posts blind ($5).

PRE-FLOP

UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $5, EP3 folds, MP1 calls $5, MP2 calls $5, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB checks, Hero bets $25, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $25, MP2 calls $25, SB folds.

Pot is now $100 (20 bets)

Must ram and jam this early and get it heads up, right? In a limit game, should I raise, and be thankful for a big multiway pot? But in pot-limit you have a chance to stack somebody, so you are better off going heads up or 3 handed here, right?

IMO Perfect result, MP1 has a big green + sign on my notes and a fish icon in poker tracker net losses of about $775 over about 485 hands about 36 bb/100. Tries to be aggressive preflop, 10% raises, but doesn’t understand how or why, just a bad semi-loose aggressive player.

MP2 has an ‘elephant’ logo, he’s loose (61% preflop), average aggression (4% pflop raises) and doesn’t win at showdown nearly as often as he should (slightly over 50%, very bad for a loose player in this game). That’s the best result I could have hoped for. MP2 has lost $1000 over 145 hands or about 60 BB/100. Poker tracker considers BB two times the big blind for some reason, even though the ‘biggest’ minimum bet is the BB in this game.

FLOP [board cards 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] ]

That’s a fantastic flop, I think. If someone is calling MY raise with 67, so be it. I’m fairly tight-aggressive (25% or so preflop, 6% raises) for this game, I’ve played a lot with these guys, and anyone paying attention knows if I pot it pre-flop from the BIG BLIND, I have a hand, many of those 6% are mini-raises designed to build a pot – I can’t think of a situation where I’m potting it into 4-5 players without AA2 or AA3 at least single suited. If it’s A267 I’m up against, I’m in some trouble, but it’s not the end of the world, they still have to catch up.

Hero bets $100, MP1 calls $100, MP2 folds.

MP1 has to have A2 at this point. I’m praying it’s a naked A2 or something like A245, etc. and for the 2 of diamonds on the next card . . .

Pot is now $300 (60 bets)

TURN [board cards 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] ]

King of diamonds, what a great card! MP1’s A2 is really hurting now (I can't see her calling that flop bet with high cards that aren't QQ), and I picked up the nut flush draw, and if she has the Q high flush draw now, it’s 2nd best instead of 3rd best, which may get me a call if it hits, since she's not a very good player. Also, there are no made draws on the board yet, so short of MP1 having QQ or KK or 55 or 88 I’m in pretty good shape here. But I still see her having A2, it fits her actions perfectly. So . . .

Hero bets $300 . . . right, wrong, other?

[emptyshell]

It all looks fine to me. I would be less inclined to raise this hand from the BB because it is so hard to play a one pair high and second nut low out-of-position. I wouldn't consider the raise bad, only a matter of post-flop style of play. (I would gladly reraise, though, if I could get a substantial chunk of my stack in preflop.)

The bets on the flop and turn are the only way to go. You are really just hoping that MP1 is calling with a low draw. I think the range of hands you put her on is too narrow, in general, however. I would not be surprised to see a 2-pair high from a weak player here.

Also, sometimes a very aggro strong player will call with a pair of queens (if he's holding something like KQJT). Since he's in position, he can expect to make a bunch of money from a likely AA or low draw (you) if a high card comes on the turn. The fact that you raise pot so infrequently makes this a much easier play to pull off. From your description of the players, though, it doesn't sound like this should be a concern.

[Scruff]

Thanks for the tip on the not raising pot frequently enough (I hope I read that correctly).

You are right - this is not a 'strong' opponent, so maybe I underestimated a little there on the range of hands.

[Wintermute]

It's not a bad spot to just check preflop. You have a fking monster, but it's a monster that plays very well multiway. Suppose you had checked PF, and then checkraised that flop and come out firing on the turn. It's another reasonable line.

However, the way you played it seems fine, and that board is terrific as you realized. Just need to get raised on the turn all-in and then catch the 2d.

[Scruff]

Thanks for the advice guys. What is a reasonable waiting period before posting the results? Or do you not even care?

[boscoboy]

to say we dont care is just being hurtful
- now post the damn results!

[Scruff]

Heh, okay!

MP1 called the 300.

Okay, now I’m scared. She could be calling with a naked A2, since she’s a bad player, but something like QQ is still scaring me. But if she had QQ, she would have repotted me on the flop, I’m sure of it, she’s aggressive. So while I’m scared, I think this is a desperation A2 call – I mean why not fire in your last $92 if you are going to call $300 if you have any hand at all, why try to save that? She knows I’ll call it right now, so there’s no point in waiting for the river. Anyway, even if I’m behind, I still have 3 nut low outs assuming she has A2 and I have the nut flush draw in addition to my overpair.

Pot is now $900 (180 bets)

RIVER [board cards 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img],Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img],8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img],J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ]

Decent, but scary card. Could she have come this whole way with something like A2T – absolutely. I’m petrified, but I only have $112 left and the pot is 900 at this point. So obviously my only shot is . . .

Hero bets $112 and is all-in, MP1 folds.

WHAT?????? Okay that’s a bad bet, not bad, awful, right? I only have a pair of aces and obviously that’s not enough of a bet that she would fold if she had ANYTHING at all. I should have checked, and let her bluff at it if I’m going to commit those chips anyway. I can’t imagine she had something like A2KQ, A2KJ, A285 etc. and didn’t call there. Who knows maybe she did and it won me the hand, but I’d doubt it. That bet was a case of not having enough time to think it through clearly – adrenaline flows in 1K pots! Let me know what you guys think of that.

For a new player, I'd say let this be a gigantic lesson as to why you don’t go chasing naked lows heads up on the turn when a boatload of money is going into the pot and the raiser has shown nothing but strength, potting it every single opportunity.

Switching roles, what if she had A267, should she have called the turn, obviously not knowing what I have? I think a flop call is very reasonable with A267, right? But the turn, I'd lean fold, but I'm curious to see what the others here think - is that a hand that would have justified the $300 turn call?

[Chamonyx]

[ QUOTE ]
Heh, okay!


Hero bets $112 and is all-in, MP1 folds.

WHAT?????? Okay that’s a bad bet, not bad, awful, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong. If you know that you will call if she bets then you might as well bet out just in case she panics and folds. If you check/call then you have only one way to win.

[emptyshell]

The bet at the end is not a big deal, obviously. Maybe 10% of the time he folds his nut low draw + 2 pair to it. A larger percent of the time he'll check-behind on the river with two pair, saving you $100. The likelihood of such a small bluff into such a large pot is probably another 10%. I have won pots with these types of post-oak bluffs when I've been betting low draw + middle pair all the way to the river and miss. All in all, you probably gain more by checking.