Top Pair Top Kicker -- How far would you push it?

[VarlosZ]

PokerStars $50 NLHE Multi. Blinds are 50/100, I have about 3450 in chips, which is a bit better than average.

I limp in middle position w/ A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], there are two other limpers plus the blinds.

Flop: Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (Pot = 500)

It checks to me, I bet 600, the player on my immediate left (who has me covered) calls, everyone else folds.

Turn: 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (Pot = 1700)

This is where I have to make the major decision about my hand. Either I concede that he has the better hand and check, or I bet and give, say, a pair and a flush draw the wrong odds to call. Fearful of being bullied, I bet 1200, and my opponent quickly calls.

River: 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (Pot = 4100)

At this point I have to give him credit for a made hand that's probably better than mine, so I check. He bets 1000; calling the bet would leave me with about T550 if I lose. Although I know I'm probably beat, I decide that I'm just about getting my odds at 5:1, so I call.


How far do you go with this hand? Do you check/fold the turn (if the opponent makes a good-sized bet)? Jump ship on the river? Thanks in advance.


Results: <font color="white">Opponent turns over 22 for the well-played set -- would've been tough to get any more chips out of me (though I guess he did invite a flush suck-out by not raising on the flop).</font>

[durron597]

How aggressive had you been at the table? Here, table image is sooooo important (IMHO) - you probably could have convinced him that you had the flush if you had been really tight up till now, but if you had been aggressive I would say check-fold after the flop call; the only hands that call you here are beating you.

[SossMan]

Well played post flop...

Why no preflop raise??

[VarlosZ]

[ QUOTE ]
How aggressive had you been at the table? Here, table image is sooooo important (IMHO) - you probably could have convinced him that you had the flush if you had been really tight up till now, but if you had been aggressive I would say check-fold after the flop call; the only hands that call you here are beating you.

[/ QUOTE ]
I had just sat down at the table, so no table-image.

Regardless, I wouldn't be interested in representing the flush because I'm afraid he might have the flush. I don't think I could have gotten a better hand to fold (maybe if I pushed on the flop, but that's not an option), so I was just playing it for the best hand.


[ QUOTE ]
Why no preflop raise??

[/ QUOTE ]
I would've raised if the blinds were a bit higher relative to my stack. With so much wiggle room, however, I think AQ plays better in an unraised pot. I don't want to have to make a decision for all of my chips w/ just one pair, and that's less likely in an unraised (i.e. smaller) pot. A raise is also likely to knock out a wide range of hands that would otherwise call but would be dominated by mine. (I would, however, raise if it folded to me and I was a bit closer to the button -- as it is, I was third or fourth to act -- or in some certain specific situations.)

[HUSKER'66]

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Regardless, I wouldn't be interested in representing the flush because I'm afraid he might have the flush.

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Just so I understand what your saying. Even though you felt that way on a flopped flush board, with TPTK you overbet the flop, got called.....bet out another 1200t....got called.....checked and then called another 1000t.

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I don't want to have to make a decision for all of my chips w/ just one pair......

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that what you ended up doing?

You limped and got to see the flop cheap enough. I can maybe understand the flop overbet, but as soon as you were called....you should not have put another cent into that pot. You check and fold to anymore action, mutter to the evil flop demons and go on to the next hand.

Play well,

Husker

[Martin Aigner]

VarlosZ,

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Quote:
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Why no preflop raise??


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I would've raised if the blinds were a bit higher relative to my stack. With so much wiggle room, however, I think AQ plays better in an unraised pot

[/ QUOTE ]


I don´t think that AQo playes better in an unraised pot. By raising you get it heads up or pick up the blinds + the money already in the pot, which is pretty nice with AQo.

If I had raised preflop and the pot was heads up on the flop I would strongly overbet (all in?) the pot, since I will have the best hand 90% of the time. I don´t want anybody with a single heart to call.

Best regards

Martin Aigner