A couple AK hands facing raises pre-flop

jhall23 · #1 01-20-2005, 11:58 AM

I have been trying to tweak the way I play AK as I don't think I am getting the most value from it. I am trying out just calling regular sized raises with it and then see if I hit the flop. Here were a couple of hands from a few nights ago.

Hand 1:

PFR is pretty TAG. Looking back at this hand I am not sure if my reraise all-in is good. It might have cause them to lay down KK,QQ,JJ which if I smooth called they may have bet out again and if they did have the goods like a set they will definetly call me. Would you call or raise? If you raise is there another amount that would be good. It's hard for me to decide with the stacks so small.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.5 BB (9 handed) converter

UTG+1 ($20.75)
MP1 ($32.8)
MP2 ($23)
MP3 ($20.85)
CO ($26.55)
Hero ($25.2)
SB ($8.1)
BB ($22)
UTG ($39.35)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $0.50, MP2 raises to $3, MP3 folds, CO folds, Hero calls $3, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 folds.

Flop: ($7.25) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
MP2 bets $5, Hero raises to $22.2 (All-In), MP2 folds.

Final Pot: $34.45

Hand 2:

In this hand CO is playing pretty tight. UTG is new to the table. After the min-raise from EP I decided I would just play it as a drawing hand and go for a check-raise on the flop if I hit either A or K. I was guessing min-raise was not a monster more like 2 broadways.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.5 BB (9 handed) converter

Button ($47.35)
Hero ($20.25)
BB ($41.05)
UTG ($15.25)
UTG+1 ($26.15)
MP1 ($35.3)
MP2 ($31.85)
MP3 ($20.9)
CO ($156.06)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG raises to $1, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls $1, Button folds, Hero calls $0.75, BB folds.

Flop: ($3.50) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $1, CO folds, Hero raises to $4, UTG raises to $7, Hero raises to $19.25 (All-In), UTG calls $7.25 (All-In).

Turn: ($37) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($37) 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $37

amoeba · #2 01-20-2005, 12:05 PM

I like just smoothcalling the flop in hand 1.

I have not decided on hand 2.

jhall23 · #3 01-20-2005, 12:50 PM

As a follow up to hand 1 and smooth calling. Once you smooth call there is ~17 dollars in the pot and you have ~17 left in your stack. What is our action on the turn if the player checks. If they bet and it was not a broadway (besides the A of course) it seems simple that we have to push/call all in correct? If they check though do we bet out less. With the stacks about the size of the pot seems any bet means all-in almost.

amoeba · #4 01-20-2005, 01:03 PM

I want them to bet and I want to get it all in on the turn when he feels pot committed or because he mistakenly thinks I am on the flush draw because I called preflop and I called the flop. I don't see why you want to take it down on the flop. There is no way he is on flush draw and your flop raise will only get called if you are beat.

so yes, if he bets the turn, I push. If he checks the turn, I bet about 10 and push any river.

jhall23 · #5 01-20-2005, 01:08 PM

Yes I agree about the flop play. It became quite obvious to me when I reviewed this hand which is why I posted it. Basically my thinking when dealt the AK with the short stacks was to get it all in if I hit it. The flop bet was definetly not the way to do that.

parttimepro · #6 01-20-2005, 01:48 PM

First hand. I think a min raise is in order on the flop. This sets up a push on the turn. You don't really need to feign weakness to get him to bet your hand for you here. If UTG has KQ, he'll probably call a min raise and he may call a push on the turn.

If he has AQ, AJ, he's dominated but has a few outs to the straight. Either a Q or a J on the turn is a scare card for you, and I would make him pay to see them. Anyway, if he does have AQ or AJ, he's not going to bet again on the turn unless he improves, so you don't do any harm by showing strength and building the pot now.

Second hand. UTG min-reraised your check-raise on the flop. This shows either a lot of strength or total cluelessness. For a short-stacked player at the $25 NL tables, I'd lean toward the latter. If you had more respect for your opponent, I'd start to think about AA, but I think this is pretty unlikely. After he reraises you, he's only got $10 left. You know you're going to call him down, so you might as well push here. I'd guess you were shown either AK or AQ. I wouldn't totally rule out some dumbass with A2s or A4s, but that's unlikely enough that a push is the right move.

jhall23 · #7 01-20-2005, 06:31 PM

Min-raise seems like it is definetly better than the push that I made in hand 1. Don't know if I would prefer that to the smooth call or not. I have to think about it more.

[ QUOTE ]

Second hand. UTG min-reraised your check-raise on the flop. This shows either a lot of strength or total cluelessness. For a short-stacked player at the $25 NL tables, I'd lean toward the latter. If you had more respect for your opponent, I'd start to think about AA, but I think this is pretty unlikely. After he reraises you, he's only got $10 left. You know you're going to call him down, so you might as well push here.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was pretty much my exact train of thought. Turns out it was correct. He showed AQ and I was good.

Regarding pre-flop play. Anyway not like the call of the min-raise from the SB?

amoeba · #8 01-20-2005, 06:37 PM

if this is somebody who has been known to minraise preflop with AA/KK, I like a reraise preflop.

if not, I like the call.

iRoD · #9 01-20-2005, 06:45 PM

I like your smooth call here as it you are playing a relatively unknown player and you are out of position. I wouldn't worry too much about the cut-off, he'd for sure reraise a monster.

The smooth call definetly turned out really well for you in this case because it really disguises the strength of your hand well against someone who has very little of read on you. When the flop came down like that, your smooth call/ c/r worked perfectly because the villain obviously assumed he was getting payed off by a worse ace maybe that you just didn't respect the strength of his hand.

If the villain was LAG and raising a lot hands I'd probably repop him and make him pay more to see a flop, but I think you played it well.

Cheers, Pat [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

TheWorstPlayer · #10 01-20-2005, 07:32 PM

I hate the min-raise here. Stacks aren't deep so it is already pot committing and is therefore clearly not a flush draw (since if you would raise that, you would push, not min-raise.) Just smooth call quickly, like you are on a draw. No way he checks the turn with any hand. And if he does check the turn, you push making it look like a semi-bluff with the draw. Raising the flop only gets called if you are beat/chopping.