AKs UI - Button vs. SB (0.25/0.50 Stars)

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You want to bet the flop since the button may have been stealing with a wide range of hands. Unless he has a pocket pair or one of the five cards that beat you (2 q's and 3 2s) you are ahead in the hand. If you check/call then check/fold you invite the sharks to pick on your blinds. Remember he has to hit his, or we are ahead on this flop with our ace king.

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That makes sense. The thing that ties me up is that at this level, you're always at the table with some guy who won't bet out or raise you, even when he has the Q. Heck, even when he has Q2 in this hand. (He'll also cold call raises or reraise preflop with the Q2...go figure) You bet, he checks, you check, he checks - all the way to the river. There are no reads in the hand posted in this thread, but I hate that guy, wherever he is. Especially when he beats me at the river and acts like he's the next Phil Ivey. I know I'll come back and break that guy eventually, but still...

[djg40]

Thank you for the replies. I ended up winning the hand, but I really felt like I had played it badly and just got lucky when he ended up calling with a worse Ace. I think in most situations I am up against a small pocket pair after he calls the check/raise on the Turn, and the check/raise really only makes the hand more expensive for me, not more valuable.

Thanks again.

*grunch*

I would bet the turn and fold to a turn raise. If he calls the turn I'm not sure about the river--I'd probably check/call because betting and getting raised would suck.

BBB