Curtains: AJo in CO, L3

[45suited]

Kind of a tricky spot, pre-flop, IMO. What do you make of shortish stack's MP1's limp? These are tricky hands, especially on the flop, when you're playing 4 handed in unraised pots. (Not this flop, just in general.)

PartyPoker, Big Blind is t50 (9 handed) Converter on pregopoker.com

UTG (t930)
UTG+1 (t375)
MP1 (t610)
MP2 (t2610)
MP3 (t690)
Hero (t1030)
Button (t720)
BB (t995)
SB (t2040)


Preflop: Hero is in CO with J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
<font color="gray">UTG folds</font>, <font color="gray">UTG+1 folds</font>, MP1 calls t50, <font color="gray">MP2 folds</font>, <font color="gray">MP3 folds</font>, Hero calls t50, <font color="gray">Button folds</font>, SB calls t25, BB checks

Flop: (t200) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (4 players)
<font color="red">SB bets t125</font>, <font color="gray">BB folds</font>, <font color="gray">MP1 folds</font>, <font color="gray">Hero folds</font>

MP1 isn't limping for set value unless he's a total donk, so that narrows it down to broadway looking to pair a flop or slowplaying a high pair, which also seems kind of donkish. Without a read, I'd put him on high cards, something like KQ/KJ. I think AJ is ahead here and I'd probably raise to isolate. On the flop I don't think this is tricky at all--I'd lay this down pretty quickly to any action.

Curious what everybody else's opinions will be...

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
MP1 isn't limping for set value unless he's a total donk, so that narrows it down to broadway looking to pair a flop or slowplaying a high pair, which also seems kind of donkish. Without a read, I'd put him on high cards, something like KQ/KJ. I think AJ is ahead here and I'd probably raise to isolate. On the flop I don't think this is tricky at all--I'd lay this down pretty quickly to any action.

Curious what everybody else's opinions will be...

[/ QUOTE ]

That's pretty much the point of me posting this hand. Is it strong enough against an unknown opponent to raise to isolate? If not, then you're stuck playing in an unraised 4 handed pot. But what if the shortish limper did so with AQ / AK? (Not conventional, but some people do this.) Flop comes ace high and you get check raised. Because of his stack, you'd have to call his push after you bet. But his stack is still big enough to hurt you badly.

Just some things that run through my mind...

Yeah, but why would he limp instead of raise with AQ/AK? I can't think of a logical reason to.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, but why would he limp instead of raise with AQ/AK? I can't think of a logical reason to.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't do it, but I've seen it done enough to at least consider the possibility. Some people just want to get in cheap and see if they hit their hand. Or maybe he wants someone to see him as a weak short stack limper and try to raise him out.

Sure, you and I have seen it at the low stakes, but this is the $215s we're talkin about. A read would certainly be nice, but I would assume the average $215er to be better than that. I could be wrong though.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
Sure, you and I have seen it at the low stakes, but this is the $215s we're talkin about. A read would certainly be nice, but I would assume the average $215er to be better than that. I could be wrong though.

[/ QUOTE ]

After having the privilege of going through some of Curtains' HHs, it's obvious to me that there are more than a few players on the 215s who just have money burning a hole in their pockets. Way less donks than the levels that I play at, but they're still up there.

[curtains]

I like to limp in these spots, but raising is very possibly more accurate.