AA £5/10 interpoker hand

[eoinak]

Here is the situation, 2nd position with AA, I raise to 30 we are six handed this raise does not scream strong hand as 4 others at the table are regulars who are all aware that i will open for a raise with a wide range of hands even from early position. All fold to the button who calls sb folds bb calls.

Flop comes Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], bb checks i bet 70 into the 97 pot, button folds bb raises it up to 170.
(Note: bb is a strong player tight aggresive pre flop, also the table is playing tight pre flop but an awful lot of messing post flop).

Here is my thinking, bb likes to make this move against me to gauge my strength and would regularly do this with any pp/overcards/draw etc to put pressure back on me. In this situation these are his probable hands I think, AQ KQ QJ 10J , any pp 1010 through 22. As it stands I am sure he raises pre flop with QQ and it is unlikely he is splashing around with Q9. I figure that he has top pair or is stealing with a draw trying to put me in defence, I reraise to 500 he thinks and goes all in for another 180 on top.

Toughts?

Results to follow

[n1bd]

You have the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]? If you do, there aren't many spade draws possible with the Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] both on the board, pretty much just the J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (which is a favorite over your aces).

Do you think he'd call preflop with JTo?

If you have the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and don't think he'd call with JTo, then there aren't many draws he could have. In that case I would read his flop raise as testing the waters with a Q (QJs? AQ? KQ?) or a monster, so I guess I would play cautiously after that and just call his small raise. When you are behind, playing cautiously obviously minimizes your losses and maybe lets you get away from it, but it might also give you opportunities if another spade hits. Then you'd have redraw chances (he might give you a free card if the spade freezes him up) and bluffing chances (although your opponent will probably correctly read you for having A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Ax more often than A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and call).

If you don't have the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and think he could be messing around with a flush draw, then your life is tougher. I dunno, maybe reraising is good. I would probably just call his raise, but I am weak-tight.

[greg nice]

if you just call his raise he is probably firing into you on the turn on any card.

[n1bd]

Well, when he has the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], there are no draws that need to be punished (unless Villain will make a loose preflop call with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] or JTo and play it like this on the flop). So there is no point in reraising for protection or value, since you would only be getting called by hands that were beating you.

If you reraise, then, it would only be for information, to try to get away from your hand. The problem is that the only reraise possible that doesn't pot-commit you is a min-raise. So, fine, min-raise and be done with the hand if he calls. (I don't think min-raises are too hot for information gathering, but it's not a horrible play. I think Lederer mentions this play in a similar situation in his second DVD.)

But I think calling is best. I am not going to fold getting those pot odds and implied odds and having the set draw, backdoor flush draw, and bluff flush draw, and likely having the best hand in position. I will see what the turn brings and see what my opponent does and make an opponent-dependent decision on how to proceed. If the turn is not a spade and my opponent fires a big bet into me, fine, good for him. Based on my opponent, I will either decide that he is more likely to be bluffing, in which case I will call him down, or more likely to have a monster, in which case I will fold.


If Hero doesn't have the A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], I don't know what the best line is. Folding to the small raise on the draw-heavy board seems bad. Min-raising is horrible since it lets worse made hands get away and lets draws draw cheaply (and of course the monsters get your money anyway). So the only plays are raise big (pot-sized or all-in) or flat-call and let the draw keep bluffing at you if a non-spade comes off. I guess that would probably be a raise all-in on the turn if a non-spade comes off.

[greg nice]

thank you great analysis

[eoinak]

I called as the odds dictated and he had 10j off an unusual play and one he would not make usually, 8 hit the river he took it down