Pocket Pair with Trip Aces on board

[RandomGuy]

Villain is a fairly loose player. Has been moderately aggressive when connecting with any part of the flop or with overcards/draws.

Foxwoods 4/8 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 10[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 10[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

four limpers ahead of me, I limp too...

Flop: (7 SB) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(7 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Villain bets</font>, CO calls, Hero calls, SB folds, BB calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds.

Turn: (5.5 BB) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Villain bets</font>, CO calls, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, BB folds, <font color="#CC3333">Villain 3-bets</font>, CO folds, Hero calls.

River: (12.5 BB) A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Villain bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 14.5 BB

Looking for comments on all streets. Wasn't sure if I was ahead or behind the whole way here.

[Nick C]

Just to get this out of the way, I think you should raise preflop when you have TT and are limped to on the Button.

Anyway, on to the flop. Given your read, it sounds like Villain could be betting a pocket pair, or top, middle, or bottom pair, or a flush draw, on this board. In theory, top pair should be more likely than a pair of 7's or a pair of 2's, even if he'll bet any of those things, but that may be less pronounced than normal since Villain is loose preflop.

Unfortunately, ace-rag is a popular hand at loose tables, and so we have to worry someone has one, even if Villain doesn't. However, the first four people to act did check, which is a good sign. CO's call is a bit discouraging, though.

Since you decided to play, I think I'd want to go ahead and raise the flop, in an effort to drive out kings, queens, and jacks now. The ace might help us in that way.

Waiting until the turn to raise, like you did, does represent a lot of strength, so when Villain 3-bets, I think that's a bad sign. I'm not thinking flush draw or second pair so much, anymore.

That third ace on the river is a nice card for you if it counterfeited Villain's 77 or 22. There are 44 available hand combos that contain an ace, though, so I'm certainly not ruling out quads.

Anyway, I think folding to the turn 3-bet is something to consider, but if Villain had a tendency to overplay hands (and some players do overplay, for instance, pocket pairs), then the calldown may have been okay. Most live players I've encountered, even the aggressive ones, have tended to slow down on the big streets. But I have run into exceptions, and also Foxwoods may play differently than my local B&amp;M (Harrah's New Orleans).

[Spartan1983]

four limpers ahead of me, I raise

[TomBrooks]

I would play every street differently.

PF: You limped. I would Raise.

FLOP: You called. I would Fold.

TURN: You raised. I would Call.

RIVER: You called. I would Raise.

[Ryan11]

What are reads on CO? If he is loose/bad player then I would most likely fold the flop when he calls Villians bet.

I would

Preflop: Raise
Flop: Raise or fold
Turn: Call
River: torn between call and raise - Villian would most likely raise anything other than A rag preflop that has you beat by the river so I think you might be ok.

[private joker]

You may think failing to raise PF was just a minor mistake that didn't have a bearing on the rest of the hand. Believe me, it did. It changes everything.

7 players to the flop. The first 4 check, and now the Villain bets. Why? Well, in his mind, nobody has shown any interest in the pot. Nobody raised PF and the first 4 to act after the flop checked. Why not bet, even without an A? It's easy to represent one. For all he knows he might take it down right there with a pair of 7s.

If you raise PF, then the psychology changes -- now he's betting right into the PFR. Or he might check-raise the PFR. Either way, you can use reads or intuition to figure out if he has an A or not. By raising PF, you can get away from TT when overcards hit a lot easier -- because you know what bets mean.

By the river, an A is less likely, but on the flop, a bet into the PFR could often mean an A. You're not the PFR, though. You just limped like a toolbox and now you have no clue where you are. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[clownshoes]

not raising PF is a major mistake

[RandomGuy]

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't raise preflop because I was in late position and a raise wouldn't have driven anyone out (at Foxwoods 4/8 if someone is in for one SB, they almost always come along for 2) and would be building a large pot that would give people correct odds to chase down straights/flushes/overcards. Plus, if a J,Q,K or A flopped I would be in trouble. But, I see that I need to raise there for a variety of reasons - as private joker and others pointed out.

I called the one of the flop with the intention to show strength on the turn if no other scare cards hit - because the villain would bet with any part of the flop, if I came over the top, he would more likely go away without an A. When the second A came, I went through with representing it - even if he had a A-rag (he wouldn't have a strong kicker because he didn't raise preflop) he might lay it down. When he 3-bet, I resigned myself to folding the river unless a T fell.

Of course, when the last A fell, it cut the chances of him having the A, plus made my boat (which counterfitted any set of 7 or 2) so I called down anyway.

Villain showed A7o - he wasn't going anywhere and I was behind the whole time...

[baronzeus]

Fold. He's got quads 110% of the time here.

[Valuebettingtheriver]

jackpot!