Two AK Hands

John White · #1 05-08-2005, 02:29 PM

Hand #1:

SB is TA-N after 177 hands played together.

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
Hero raises, 5 folds, Button 3-bets, SB calls, 1 fold, Hero calls.

Flop: (10 SB) J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, Button bets, SB raises, Hero calls, Button calls.

Turn: (8 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, Button calls.

River: (11 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB bets, Hero raises, Button folds, SB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 17 BB

Hand #2:

MP2 is TA-N after 73 hands played together.

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
3 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, 2 folds, Button calls, Hero raises, 1 fold, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, Button calls.

Flop: (9 SB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (4 players)
Hero bets, MP1 calls, MP2 raises, Button folds, Hero calls, MP1 calls.

Turn: (7.50 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
Hero bets, MP1 folds, MP2 raises, Hero calls.

River: (11.50 BB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, MP2 raises, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 15.50 BB

Comments appreciated.

Nick Royale · #2 05-08-2005, 02:37 PM

Hand 1:
Prelfop: Cap
Flop: Nice
Turn: Raise... and go from there

Hand 2:
Preflop: Nice.
Flop: I think I would check/call.
Turn: Tough spot, bet or check/raise
River: Awfull. The only hand you beat now that you didn't beat at the turn is Q9. You still lose to K9/99/33/K3/Q3/KQ

Pokey · #3 05-08-2005, 02:44 PM

Hand #1: Ew, stinky.

Preflop needs a cap for value. You're ahead most of the time here: use it.

You should lead this flop to continue aggression and push others off their hands. When it comes back for two, calling seems reasonable enough.

The turn is yours -- take it. You've hit the nut straight and you've got 9 outs to the nut flush -- raise for value.

River is NOT the place to start being aggressive. Now, you've got the nut straight but there are flushes and boats possible. With SB still liking this hand, I make a crying call on this river.

So, other than the preflop, flop, turn, and river, I think you played this one perfectly. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

----------------

Hand #2: Better, but still too passive.

Preflop is good.

Flop is good, too: lead your overcards to push out the preflop limpers. When MP2 raises, you correctly slow down.

Turn is yours, though: no flush, no reasonable straight, TPTK. Time to go to town. You lead (good), MP2 raises, and you...call? No! Push back again and make it three. You're way ahead here most of the time -- don't grow passive when you're ahead but in danger.

River bet is good, but again when it comes back for two I think I reraise. Against the possible hands you could be facing, you're ahead far more often than you're behind. The river reraise is less clear-cut than the turn reraise, though, and I could easily be convinced that calling the river raise is better than making it three. Still, what does a TA-N play this way that beats you? JTs maybe, 99 maybe. Anything else a TA-N either folds or plays more aggressively preflop. One key reason why the river reraise might not be so beneficial is that a TA-N might try a bluff raise here, at which point he will fold a reraise and you won't get the extra value.

Pokey · #4 05-08-2005, 02:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
River: Awful. The only hand you beat now that you didn't beat at the turn is Q9. You still lose to K9/99/33/K3/Q3/KQ

[/ QUOTE ]

Read on villain is TA-N, though. You can pretty much rule out K3 and Q3 because villain played preflop, and you can rule out KQ because he didn't raise from MP. I still think hero is good enough of the time here for a lead bet to be for value, although a check-call might be better as an attempt to induce a bluff.

John White · #5 05-09-2005, 07:25 PM

Hand 1:
I always cap with AKs, but usually call a reraise with AKo. Comments on this? Two posters say cap. Interesting.

I thought my flop call was ok with two overs, a backdoor to the nut-flush and an inside draw to the nut-straight; I wanted to lead, but I'm trying to temper my post-flop aggression with AK when the flop misses me. I had some draws, but I still think this flop missed me.

The knew I played the turn horribly the instant I called. I saw the 3rd diamond as a potentially made flush instead of a strong nut-flush draw.

Hand 2:
This represents everything I hate about auto-betting AK on the flop when it's missed you. But in this forum, I get complemented. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

The advice is to re-raise the TA-N on the turn. After two post-flop raises by a post-flop N? When do I start respecting the raises?

Question:
When shouldn't I auto-bet AK on the flop if not in the above two situations? I think being agressive with AK before the flop is smart, but again, I'm trying to temper my agression with it on completely missed flops. Has anyone here investigated how much money they've won/lost with an unimproved AK?

rmarotti · #6 05-09-2005, 07:26 PM

Not raising the turn in Hand 1 is really bad. Check/calling or bet/folding are the best river action for hand 2. Bet/calling is simply horrible.

aK13 · #7 05-09-2005, 07:40 PM

I raise the turn on hand 1. Preflop cap is also a possibility. If 3bet, I'll call a river bet.

I check/raise the turn on hand 2. I don't know wtf you're stop-n-go's are for...but I am a lowly microlimiter about to start 2/4.

Nick Royale · #8 05-09-2005, 07:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
If 3bet, I'll call a river bet.

[/ QUOTE ]
Cap the turn.

Nick Royale · #9 05-09-2005, 07:58 PM

I agree about betting the flop in hand 1, but I check/call in hand 2.