Ak vs an aggressive player

[winky51]

Live $200 tournament, blinds are 300/600.

I Have 5400 chips. All fold to me (MP2) and I raise to 2200 of course with my As Kh.

In the BB is a conservative player with 6400 chips

In the SB a knowledgeable very aggressive player with 6100 chips. Like to go all in with QJs, and like hands, when there are lots of limpers to steal the pot.

So I decide to deviate from my standard raise of 3x the BB and I raise 2200 chips leaving me with 3200. I am hoping the SB player will see this as an attempt to win the blinds with a weaker hand and put me all in with some medium pair, AQ, AJ. The SB decides to call me. He is not a nice person either and trys to intimidate me verbally.

Flop comes Qs Js 9c and he quickly moves all in for 3900.

The pot has 8600 chips and I would be all in for 3200 if I call. I am getting 2.68 pot odds.

Is this a calling situation for all your chips?

I took about a minute to think about all the hands he would only call with preflop. I felt even if he had AQ I could still catch any T, K, and a backdoor flush to win so about 8.5 outs. Pot odds were right to call the all in. I considered the other hands (AA-99) and the player. I ruled out AA or KK because he would have put me all in anyways. So we are left with QQ, JJ, 99 (9 possibilities) in which I am pounded. We also have AQ, AJ (16 possibilities) and AK (8 possibilities). So 9 possibilities I got 5.5 outs, 16 possibilities I got 8.5 outs, and 8 possibilities I am tied with a free roll to the but flush.

I made the call and got berated for it by the other player.

[Rekwob]

well once you raise half your stack you're not folding on that flop, easy call

[winky51]

I knew I was right. I called the player turned over AK himself and it was a split pot but I had the freeroll.

Then I got bitched at that I made the wrong call by him.

[adanthar]

The proper play at that point with a LAG BB is either to make the same 3x raise trying to trap him into pushing with a 2:1 dog hand or just to push PF.

Once he pushes into you, it's just barely a pot odds call, but this is the worst flop possible for AK and if there's ever a time I disregard pot odds it's here (especially because this guy can have a lot more hands than just that range, and most of them have you 6-7 outed.) I probably call anyway but it's very close.

Really, though, this pot is why I don't make that PF raise.

[winky51]

So you would say against this LAG just 3x it?

Players at this tournament love to shove their chips in with AQ, AJ, AK when they think your trying to put a move in with a small or medium pair to scare you out.

Considering this player didnt think ONE second before shoving his chips in about my possible hands I thought there was a small chance he has JJ QQ or 99. You flop a set you will take at least a few seconds to think about how to play it. So what I am left, in my opinion, facing TT, AQ, AJ, AK. 1:2.6 pot odds with 2500 chips left in a 600/300 blind game thats just about to go up to 500/1000. I thought it was the right time to take chances.

But your right its a close one. I had to look beyond the math and view the player, blind time, position, and his tells to make the right call.

I am not the math genius many of the more technical players on 2+2 are but in a live game I read people very well. Being intraspective on to your reactions and tells helps you identify them in others.

This guy took zero time to think yelled out "all in" and threw his chips into the pot, then looked at me. 3 tells there that tell me he has a weak hand and is trying to push me out. He was an aggressive player that was bullying people around with lessor hands.

Later he came over and told me how wrong I was to call. I think he was pissed that I figured him out.

I played very well that day, best I ever had.

In the end I got bad beat (K8 vs 78) K 3 2 7 7 board vs a small stack that went all in after my blind raise. But I knew he had nothing that beat me.

Then the blinds go up to 1000 and I go all in 5x the BB with a pair of TT and a loose player calls with QT hits the Q on the turn. Had still 10 redraw outs for the set or flush and 6 outs to tie.

I hate working so hard to get chips only to lose them to 2 bad beats back to back. Two 2 outers too. SUCKS!

I always get knocked out by some fool calling with a crap hand and getting lucky when I have the advantage. Its always one of these loose players that wants to see every flop, calls every raise, every bet to catch their inside straights and 2 pair draws. They do it over and over again knocking out other players in their bombardment of good fortune with poor plays. Then I fall victim to the same stupidity after he massed up a GIANT stack from his lucky streak.

ARRRG!

[iraise50]

I think you played the hand well, but that complaining that you lose on suckouts, are masterful at reading and so on is...welll kinda Phil Hellmuthish. Play well, don't get emotional. I'm not knocking you, just trying to help you improve your emotional state while playing. You can only make good decisions, and if you are getting your money in with the best of it...that's about as good as you can do. Best of luck.

[winky51]

Yup I know, I know. I shook the hand the player that busted me, said good bye to all and left. Its funny you mentioned Phil H. I used to really not like him but now I am starting to understand how he feels, lol.

I am a very emotional person and I have been learning to keep cool in the worst of it. Each month I get better. I know I play good, I know I read players well, not a master thought [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Next year I will make enough $$$ at poker that I can go to the WSOP.

Thanks for the post and no I didnt take any offense. You right and that it.