AKo as a poster

[lil feller]

I thought this was an interesting hand, tell me what you think.

B&M 10/20

I had just returned from my nightly phone call to my wife, and posted my small and big in the C/O. Somebody else was buying the button, so there was only one blind in front of button, 3 Small bets in the pot before the cards are dealt.

UTG raises (he's a TAG, but has been a little tilty of late) folded to LAG to my right, who 3 bets. I look down at AKo and cap. Button buyer, UTG and LAG all call, 4 to flop.

8-7-3 rainbow

BB bets out, UTG calls, MP raises, I call (pot was plenty big I thought, and I wasn't positive I was behind). BB bets 3 bets UTG folds MP caps and I and BB both call.

Turn offsuit 9

BB checks, MP bets, I raise. BB Hesitates and folds, UTG 3 bets I call (ok, maybe he's got a pair...)

River pairs the board.

MP bets and I...

Thoughts on the hand, I'm curious about every street, including pre-flop.

lil feller

[laja]

Good cap on the flop, but a raise on the flop says you are definately beat and it is a chance that it is a k/k a/a beat, I would definately get out of here (on the flop).

[Manzanita]

lil feller,

Your preflop play seems reasonable as you have a very good starting hand and your cap gets the button to fold (which gives you position on the field).

I agree with your calling 2 bets cold on the flop for the reasons you state (the pot is huge plus there is a chance that you have the best hand). But when the flop gets capped I think that you have to concede the fact that you are almost surely behind. Both the BB and MP have raised at every opportunity; it's hard not to put one of them on at least an overpair.

On the turn I think you have an easy fold.

-- Manzanita

[onegymrat]

Hi Lil Feller,

The preflop cap is fine. Some may choose to just call, but in most cases, it's going to be capped anyway, might as well do it yourself to chase out a player or two.

I don't understand your thinking on the flop. I feel that your hand is done by the flop. I don't see how you would want to call two bets cold and play on. Not only for the fact that you may be behind, and only hanging on to the hopes of a pretty looking hand, but you have players to act behind you and the action will surely continue with more raises. Although you have a slight overlay, even if you spike your pair, you may even have to chop. This is an expensive call.

I can appreciate your turn raise, which successfully got BB out, but again, you have TAG betting into you. Choosing to play on from the flop has gotten you in this position in which you forced now to make a play for the pot.

From the tone of your post, your probably either beat A-Q or chopped it. Although I would be very surprised.

[bobbyi]

I agree with others who have responded that the flop is the most questionable part of this hand. I would say that if you have decided to continue when it is two bets to you (and this is by no means automatic), you are much better off three-betting than calling. For that one extra bet, there are two players (BB and UTG) that you can potentially drive out of the hand. At this point, it is easy to imagine either or both of them folding. When you are a fairly tight player and then cap preflop and three-bet a small rainbow flop, everyone puts you on AA (or KK). Even unthinking players who normally don't try to read hands suddenly have a flash of insight and throw their hand away, feeling like a genius. Reraising increases your chance of winning dramatically and this hand will be easier to play heads up. Your turn raise indicates that you recognize this. And there are cases where waiting until the turn is appropriate (although not as often as some people on this board think, in my opinion). But in this case, raising right away will often enough given you the leverage you need to get people out of the pot and costs less than raising the turn and doesn't give your opponents to pick up a helpful card on the turn. "Raising and folding are both better options than calling" is an aphorism that players trying to feel "tight-aggressive" too frequently blindly apply and throw around at inappropriate times. However, in this case, it really is true. Whether you should fold on the flop is unclear to me, but if you are going to continue, cold-calling and letting BB and UTG hand around is not the way to do it.

FWIW, I like the preflop cap.