NL 100 Full Ring

[Padster]

Sorry I dont have the hand history but the details are as follows...

Full ring $100. My image solid possibly a little agg. I am UTG+1 AA and limp. $200 stack. Short stack mid shoves for $13 following a beat the previous hand for virtually his stack. Late position Villain calls (solid from what I've seen, $150 stack). Not sure if this is important but he's had some needle with the short stack, although he wasnt the one who delivered the beat the previous hand.

I raise to $40. Not sure if table had noticed but I hadn't limp raised in the session before (been there an hour). Villain calls.

So pot $95. Flop KKQ rainbow.


I bet $50. Villain calls $50 out of his remaining $110 stack. Turn 2.

I check Villain shoves.

My question is twofold :

1) How was the flop play? Bet too big (obviously AA)? Does a smaller bet invite a steal or simply get the job done cheaper?

2) Given there's a short stack so the hand will go to showdown (so I will see the bluff if it is one) is there any way I don't fold? Or is folding weak? Is a $60 call for a pot of $250 worth calling down a bluff (as surely a bluff's all I'm beating)?

[orange]

I rarely limp-reraise with AA. I find it best to just open- in this case, you can open for 4, and depending on villan, 3-bet PF.

This usually makes flop play much easier, as the pot will be larger than his current stack.

The flop is ugly. You are ahead of JJ/AQ/underpair. You have to decide whether or not you are commiting yourself- with $95 in the pot, and villan having a little more, you cannot bet $50 with the intention of folding.

I don't know, tough spot. Betting even ~1/2 pot commits you, and c/f-ing seems weak.

[kitaristi0]

I don't see how you're ahead at this point. Fold.

I'm not too big on the limp/reraise PF with AA either. The only time I limp/reraise is when I play PL08 and have AAxx UTG or UTG+1.

Tough spot, but if i was the villain i wouldn't put you on A-K,K-K, Q-Q or K-Q Because i'd figure that you would check it to me OOP, espeically if your solid and not that AGG. Because obviously, you would have us both drawing dead, or very close to it. So i'd put you on J-J, AA, or maybe A-Qs. People tend to drop out of pots alot easier when a SS is allin and theres going to be a automatic showdown. So if you bet only 35$ into the pot, it would be enough to get the info you need without completely committing yourself. He's obviously not playing j-10, so your either drawing to 2 outs, our he's drawing almost dead. He pushs with the auto showdown on the horizion, your drawing to 2 outs, then you can toss it and see for sure if your right or if he's just an idiot. Plus the 35$ bet looks like you want a call, which is good for a fold on a scary board, epeically since your solid.

*EDIT* On second thought i'm not that sure actually, this might just be a Setup spot to lose with no shot a saving it, im curious what everyone else has to say.

[Padster]

I totally agree with the limp raise with AA sentiment. I very rarely do it. In this case I thought it was worth it as the aggressive short stack might have shoved (which he did) and might well have drawn someone else with him, possibly even someone putting in a chunky raise to isolate. Clearly that's an ideal scenario for me. As it turned out 1 deep stack caller meant I had to put in a sizeable raise myself to impact his drawing odds.

My pf raise was a raise of $27 into a pot of about $30. I'm then equivacal about either a fold or a call from Villain.

I like the $35 bet. I think a raise from Villian on the flop to a $35 bet defintiely gets the same job done as the $50 bet so is more efficient in that instance. I don't know how to react to a villain call of $35 though. I'm probably still checking the turn as the flop call looks more like a trap. But does a turn check from me then invite a $35 (half his remaining stack) steal attempt from villain? And that's just a nasty position for me to be in. Lots more doubt as to whether he has it or is on the rob. It's a toughie - I seem to be talking myself out of it again.

I agree I think it looks weak to bet $50 then fold. But given my pf action a call from Villain surely has to be ahead doesnt it? I don't know, I hate playing weak but don't want to hand over a stack needlessly

[4_2_it]

This is where thinking ahead can save you some money. If you bet here then you are committed to call a re-raise or a push on 4th street. The question is, do you think villain really has the king? You beat everything everything except Kx, QQ and 22 and are getting ~4-1. As played I hold my nose and call this.

Checking or check-raising the flop all-in might be better lines, but I am interested in what others think.

I like to limp AA from UTG when the tables got a few LAG calling machines, they will call there stack off with 8-8 and up. With a-js, a-q, all that crap. Plus it lets a bunch of money get on the table and then lets me pick it up dead, and isolate 1 or 2 weaker hands. I tend to do this more at 25$ and 50$, though.