on the button on the defensive

[mgsimpleton]

hey all, i find myself in this situation a lot, and i'm just wondering how others typically deal with it.

When the flop comes A 4 4 or something like that and you're on the button with AK or AQ and the small blind or big blind, the only one who called your preflop raise, is making pot size bets at you.

Or more importantly if limped with A 10 and only the blinds are in and one of them is betting hard at you, figuring you don't have a 4. How do you defend against it if they do it every time and will do nothing short of going all in, even on a bluff? If the pot is maybe 25-50 bucks preflop and you have hundreds behind, and you know you will have to commit a LOT of that stack if you think you have A better kicker?

I often feel like it's just not worth it and give up the pot on the flop knowing what's going to come, but I feel there has to be a better way.

[John Gaspar]

In the first case, if I raised from the button w/ AK or AQ and the SB/BB called and bet into me for the size of the pot on a flop of A44, I'd flat call and raise the turn if they bet out again (all assuming you have a decent sized stack, as does the SB/BB). I'd be more likely to raise the flop to 2 or 3 times the bet if I didn't have the A. The SB/BB seems to be testing your "steal" raise and trying to get you to throw away all hands up to KK. If they call the turn, I'm checking behind on the river and if they push the turn, I'm throwing my hand away.

In the second situation, limping with A10, I'm much more likely to either raise the flop or fold. I don't like calling at all. The difference is the SB/BB is more likely to hold a 4 with no preflop raise. If the raise is called I'm not putting any more money in the pot.

[mgsimpleton]

the point of my post was that i am often faced with people who will call raises and then continue the bluff since they are 98% sure you don't have trips and they try to represent them to the end - how to deal with that?

[cwl]

if they do it everytime you call and often win large pots cause they are bluffing too much. if that was what was happening, though, i would guess you wouldnt be posting the question.

[John Gaspar]

If that is the case, then you have to decide if they would call a raise with a 4 or other paired rag preflop. Your read of the player is very important. With no read and the other players continuing to bully you, at some point you are going to have to push it all in the middle and look them up.

Your other option is to represent weakness and let them bet your hand. If more often than not they will bet with less than trip 4's, then let them bet. You call. If they are not going to slow down, let them bet your hand for you.

Evetually they will slow down if they know you are willing to put your stack in the middle to "catch" their bluff.

[xorbie]

In the specific situtation that I raised PF from the button with AK/AQ and the blinds call and pot it on a flop like Axx where x is lower than 7 I'm going to call everytime, and raise the turn.

If they really had the trips, why would they bet? It would seem to make more sense to check to the PF raiser and let him either bet or represent his A, and checkraise.