Thoughts on Playing A,Q

[Jbrochu]

I'm looking for feedback on how I played this hand:

Blinds are 50/100 with only a couple of minutes left in this round. There are 7 left (of 9) and I have 1700 and have been playing TA. There is one EP call, then folded to me in the CO and I have A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I raise to 400 and get flat called by the SB, who has 1300 after calling. The BB and original EP caller both fold. My read on the SB is that he will call a raise with any two. I saw him call a 3X BB bet and go to a showdown with J,5s earlier.

The pot is now 1,000 and the flop is A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

The SB bets 300

I figured if he had a big pocket pair or big slick, he would have re-raised PF. Even if he called with a big pair or something like A,J - I figured he would have to protect his hand against the obvious str8 and flush draws and push.

I put him on a flush draw, Ax making a probe bet, or an outright bluff. The 300 bet left him with 1,000 so I believed he was not quite pot committed. I figured if he was pot committed he would have pushed.

Based on my read I decide to semi-bluff and push. Bad play?

[valenzuela]

u played it correctly.

[DasLeben]

I like it.

[pokerlaw]

i agree...fine push. one question - if you know SB is such a calling station, why not bump up your pre flop raise to 550 or so?

[pooh74]

[ QUOTE ]
i agree...fine push. one question - if you know SB is such a calling station, why not bump up your pre flop raise to 550 or so?

[/ QUOTE ]

bc im sure sb was not part of the equation in his pf raise...ep limper is.

[Jbrochu]

[ QUOTE ]
bc im sure sb was not part of the equation in his pf raise...ep limper is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes - unless I'm in a position where pushing is the correct move, I almost open with 3X BB + 1 BB for every caller. I don't like the theory of opening with a bigger raise when I don't want a call because I think that's giving free information.

At least at the levels I'm playing (10 + 20), whenever someone opens with 5X or 6X BB, they almost always have pocket J's or 10's or something like A,J or A,Q.

In the posted hand, villian called my push with K,Q (one [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]) and caught two runners to make the flush.

I wasn't bothered by the bad beat (for more than a minute or two), but just wanted some feedback on if I played the hand correctly.

I find A,Q to be a very difficult hand to play. If villian pushes post-flop, I think I lay this hand down. What is your play in that scenerio?

Oh yah, and thanks for the responses so far - I appreciate it.

[vindikation]

I honestly seem to lose the most amount of money with AQ (heard Eric Siedel say the same thing).

[SNOWBALL138]

This board is terrifying, but the pot is big, and your hand has the benefit of being low medium strength with potential for improvement.