2-4 NL - AJs in the BB...

Ionphore · #1 09-21-2004, 05:50 PM

9 Handed, Full Tilt Poker...
I have about $680 in front...
Primary villain is the large stack at the table with $1200..
He is playing a few tables and is doing fairly well on all of them. He generally plays fast with everything, and tries to get the most value he can out of everything. He is pretty agressive and has poor starting hand raising standards. (saw him open UTG+1 with QJo per example)

Anyhow, I have A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the BB...

Villain is in 2 to my left. He limps...
MP+2 makes it $16...
My image probably looks a little weak tight right now as I have won one big pot but dropped out on the flop on alot of smaller ones...
Anyhow I don't much care for playing these type of hands out of position but with 2 larger stacks then me in the pot it looked like a good oppurtunity. I call 16 and so does primary villain.

Around $50 in the pot minus rake.
Flop Comes:

A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I lead out for $39
Villain makes it $140 straight.
I thought he was agressive enough to make this move with a variety of hands that I am ahead of. KQc, A9, Ax...
MP+2 folded, in the chat he said he folded a big hand. So Im thinking he laid down QQ or KK which doesent affect my read much on villain. I decide to call and play fast if it blanks.

We see the turn pot is aprox $330 and I have another $520 behind.
Turn:

8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

I lead out for $300 - villain pushes - I call...

Thoughts on flop call? Turn bet amount? Or in general?

Ulysses · #2 09-21-2004, 05:59 PM

In general fine, though QcTc seems like a real possibility.

AJo Go All In · #3 09-21-2004, 06:02 PM

the 8d is not exactly a blank. he probably made the nuts, but you can't lay it down anyway. checking might be better. people rarely "go for the free card" with draws anymore. an aggressive player is almost certainly betting the turn for you with more holdings that you beat than will call for your stack if you bet it.

Ionphore · #4 09-21-2004, 06:48 PM

QT was a possibility. The 8 wasnt exactly the best possible card. I used most of my time bank on the turn for deception mainly so he might pay off with a weaker holding. But mainly because I was thinking back a few orbits when he called someone down with the nut flush draw and bluffed large on the river when checked to him and he showed. That along with the possibility original preflop raiser may have had QQ made me stick with my original read. For a change of pace I decided to post a hand I won. He turned over A9 of diamonds and didn't hit his 2 outer. After the hand he preceeded to tell me I should mark this day on my calander as it was the only time I would ever take a pot off him. Which was good for a laugh...

TheGrifter · #5 09-21-2004, 07:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
the 8d is not exactly a blank. he probably made the nuts , but you can't lay it down anyway. checking might be better. people rarely "go for the free card" with draws anymore. an aggressive player is almost certainly betting the turn for you with more holdings that you beat than will call for your stack if you bet it.

[/ QUOTE ]

What???

Agreed that checking is better, but to say he PROBABLY made the nuts is...uhm...nuts.

Ionphore · #6 09-21-2004, 07:43 PM

Can you elaborate on checking being better? Do I check fold to a pot sized bet? Or am I just check calling and letting him check behind on the river?

OnEyedJaCks · #7 09-21-2004, 11:28 PM

i think a potsized bet on turn is best mad money already in the pot why let him even attempt to draw out on you u have the best hand 99 of the time i mean that 8 could have helped him but dude what cards could u hope for that would be safe push it in

TheGrifter · #8 09-22-2004, 08:56 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Can you elaborate on checking being better? Do I check fold to a pot sized bet? Or am I just check calling and letting him check behind on the river?

[/ QUOTE ]

If he puts you on a draw, which is very plausible, he will continue to push on the turn with any kind of made hand/strong draw. If he pots it then you can c/r and he is pot committed. Vs. an aggressive opponent it is often best to allow him to hang himself rather than forcing the issue.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with betting out here, but given his flop action and your description of the player I believe it is pretty unlikely he will check behind on the turn.

AJo Go All In · #9 09-22-2004, 03:26 PM

i mean given the action and the fact that this hand was posted.

Ionphore · #10 09-22-2004, 03:52 PM

Thanks Grifter...
Checking here does seem like it may have been correct, because by betting the pot I might have let him get away from 2 pair. He raised extremely fast on the flop. So I was pretty sure if I led into him he would commit himself regardless of what he had. It worked out, but check raising all in definately looks nice. I guess I just didn't want to give him a free card.