TPTK on a non-dangerous board

[danger_mouse]

It may just be my style, but I don't like letting the villain take control of the hand. I prefer to hang myself, if you will, with TP/TK. I raise pre-flop, and raise flop.

I agree you should check the turn. You'll still get a chance to pick up chips from him when he bluffs the river. Or, if he isn't bluffing, you loose less to his set of 88s. (just guessing).

[mosdef]

[ QUOTE ]
It may just be my style, but I don't like letting the villain take control of the hand. I prefer to hang myself, if you will, with TP/TK. I raise pre-flop, and raise flop.

I agree you should check the turn. You'll still get a chance to pick up chips from him when he bluffs the river. Or, if he isn't bluffing, you loose less to his set of 88s. (just guessing).

[/ QUOTE ]

what's your plan if you re-raise preflop? consider what might happen:

1. preflop UTG re-raises all-in. you're not calling that are you? all you've achieved by raising is losing chips without even getting a chance to hit the flop with your AK.

2. you get called behind by another player and the UTG. now you are three handed, possibly out of position, with a huge pot. yuck.

3. you get exactly what you're hoping for: a call from UTG and UTG only. now, the 1/3 of the time you hit the flop, what's going to happen? if UTG had JJ, QQ, you get nothing else out of the hand. if UTG had AQ or AJ or KQ, you have him dominated but he's going to play way more carefully than if you had just called behind. the 2/3 of the time you miss the flop, what's going to happen? he leads into you and you lose more money than you would have if you had called preflop. he checks to you and you make a c-bet, which will win fairly often, but since you raised preflop you have built a pot so large that a c-bet is 10% of your stack. that's risky.

in conclusion, these are the reasons i would almost never raise behind here. criticize as you please.

[curtains]

I would raise the flop, and be willing to play for all my chips.

[Apathy]

Unarmed posted some excellent advice, I will just add one thing, your turn bet is far too small and could have something to do with the big check raise your facing here, so you have to call.

I do think the most likely holding for the opponent is 8-8 though.

If you want to bet the turn I think you should consider betting more, and if you want to bet the turn you can't lay down imo. There just isn't room post flop in a raised pot for a bet on two streets and a lay down except in special circumstances on party sngs. Like others have said there is no real compelling reason to bet the turn.

Note however if the board was idential with an ace instead of a king I would favour betting over checking, which may or may not be controversial to some.

[The Venetian]

Tough spot. I had a significant number of $55's played against this player when I was doing SNG's regularly in June/July, so he's at least a regular, and probably decent.

Situations like these are why I was very happy I had good notes on those I had seen several times before.

Knowing this, I'm guessing the worst hand he has is AK. I just don't think there's anything he could have that you have beat. Against an unknown player, though, I'm taking this to the death.

[microbet]

I've played against villian a few times. I probably have a note on him, but not here/now. I don't recall him being a crazy lag or anything.

His turn bet does not make me think he has trips.

I think there is a very good chance he has AK.

If he has JJ or QQ, I wouldn't count on him leading out much after the flop.

I think the biggest mistakes you can induce at this point are a loose call by JJ or QQ or a fold by AK or maybe even AA.

If you are behind, it would of course be better to check/call rather than bust, but losing 3/4th of your chips isn't that much better.

[durron597]

I raise the flop, but I think the way you played it most of the time (nearly all) you are chopping with a slight chance of him having the backdoor freeroll.

[Unarmed]

I really hate raising the flop. Someone enlighten me please.

[danger_mouse]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It may just be my style, but I don't like letting the villain take control of the hand. I prefer to hang myself, if you will, with TP/TK. I raise pre-flop, and raise flop.

I agree you should check the turn. You'll still get a chance to pick up chips from him when he bluffs the river. Or, if he isn't bluffing, you loose less to his set of 88s. (just guessing).

[/ QUOTE ]

what's your plan if you re-raise preflop? consider what might happen:

1. preflop UTG re-raises all-in. you're not calling that are you? all you've achieved by raising is losing chips without even getting a chance to hit the flop with your AK.

2. you get called behind by another player and the UTG. now you are three handed, possibly out of position, with a huge pot. yuck.

3. you get exactly what you're hoping for: a call from UTG and UTG only. now, the 1/3 of the time you hit the flop, what's going to happen? if UTG had JJ, QQ, you get nothing else out of the hand. if UTG had AQ or AJ or KQ, you have him dominated but he's going to play way more carefully than if you had just called behind. the 2/3 of the time you miss the flop, what's going to happen? he leads into you and you lose more money than you would have if you had called preflop. he checks to you and you make a c-bet, which will win fairly often, but since you raised preflop you have built a pot so large that a c-bet is 10% of your stack. that's risky.

in conclusion, these are the reasons i would almost never raise behind here. criticize as you please.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of people would play the AK like the hero. I'm capable of this line as well, from late position. Just calling (like hero) from mid position has two common negative results

1. You give later hands much better odds to call (as you saw in the example). You don't want to play AK three-handed.

2. You give up control of the hand. AK is a great hand. Yes, it isn't made yet, but your opponent doesn't know it. I'd wager 70% of the time you're going to win this pre-flop, or on the flop with a continuation bet (you have position!!). IMHO, AK's value goes WAY down unless you are willing to play it strongly in position. I look at AK as the best pre-flop semi-bluff available. Every hand, I try to put my opponent to a decision. Raising with AK protects your hand and gives you the aggressor's momentum (which is often all you need to win the pot).

[mosdef]

[ QUOTE ]
1. You give later hands much better odds to call (as you saw in the example). You don't want to play AK three-handed.

2. You give up control of the hand. AK is a great hand. Yes, it isn't made yet, but your opponent doesn't know it. I'd wager 70% of the time you're going to win this pre-flop, or on the flop with a continuation bet (you have position!!). IMHO, AK's value goes WAY down unless you are willing to play it strongly in position. I look at AK as the best pre-flop semi-bluff available. Every hand, I try to put my opponent to a decision. Raising with AK protects your hand and gives you the aggressor's momentum (which is often all you need to win the pot).

[/ QUOTE ]

1. yes, but when someone raises in front of you already the likelihood of getting called behind is already reduced.

2. i don't know why you feel the need to absolutely take control of the hand. this often makes the hand easier for the opponent to play, not harder. let the opponent do something, he'll mess up often enough to make it profitable. i agree in principle with what you're saying, but go back to my post. how are you going to use your position if you raise to isolate in this particular hand? remember that your one opponent raised UTG, so you are facing an opponent with strength. this dramatically reduces the power of your c-bet as a steal on the flop when you miss.