AQs - how would you play?

Hi all. Thanks for the enlightening posts as usual. Please comment on the following hand, questions following the hand.

This is a poker stars $11 MTT.

Thanks a lot!
PN


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

MP3 (t4943)
CO (t2687)
Button (t5725)
SB (t7845)
BB (t2215)
UTG (t2990)
Hero (t2340)
MP1 (t2325)
MP2 (t6915)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t300</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, CO calls t300, Button calls t300, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: (t1050) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t550</font>, CO calls t550, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t1100</font>


The first caller has been loose and the second caller is new to the table.

Questions:

1) Preflop: would you raise more? Or is this about right?
2) Flop: Do you lead out with a continuation bet? What size?
3) When raised back like this, what do you do in this situation?



Results in white:

<font color="white"> Hero folded. Villian 1 flopped 4 to flush and hit on river, Villian 2 had JT and flopped trips, lost to flush. </font>

1.) I think a raise of 3BB is about right, raising any more will just make the hand harder to get away from.

2.)With two callers I think you check. This is a bad flop for you and two players are hard to steal against especially because this is a draw heavy board. Making a continuation bet here will commit almost 25% of your remaining chips which is not what you want to do agaisnt two opponents and a scary flop. Wait for a better spot.

3.) So you decide to bet, and get called and reraised. The raise is just the min. so he is not trying to drive anyone out of the pot. This has to be a value raise and represents strength. I don't think many players would raise two opponents with a draw and I put him on trip jacks. Also, there is another player left to act behind you who come over the top. You need to let this hand go immediately.

[Lloyd]

If 3xBB pre-flop bets were usually being called by multiple players than I'd consider raising more. Otherwise, pre-flop looks pretty standard.

I hate making continuation bets out of position against multiple opponents. If I knew that my opponents were very loose pre-flop then MAYBE I'd fire out a bet. Otherwise, I'd just check-fold here. If you have a tight image (and here you don't with the new player, obviously) then maybe you can come over the top and represent a big hand. But more often then not you'll get called and be behind. It's one of those situations where your opponents just don't *know* they should fold, so they don't - can't make a move on somebody who only thinks about their own hand.

In terms of the amount of the continuation bet, about half the pot is considered standard but only because Harrington said it was. In reality, at these stakes and with these blind levels it will often take a little more than half the pot (maybe 2/3) to make a continuation bet effective. Again, this is often table dependent and based on your image and how others are playing. I'd probably make it 600 because I think that looks much bigger than it really is versus 550.

I would fold to the re-raise.

Wow, great posts. Thanks guys. It makes sense not to do a continuation bet out of position like that. I think this was one of my major leaks. Hopefully I can uncover all of them in a timely manner [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

Thanks for the good posts!

PN

Pf play is fine. Check the flop.. maybe u get a free and turn something worthwhile. I'd fold to any bet. You still have 20BB.

[Proofrock]

[ QUOTE ]
It makes sense not to do a continuation bet out of position like that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Continuation bets out of position aren't necessarily bad against one opponent. But it is usually a mistake when you've missed the flop and there are two or more players left to act behind you.

This is a very bad flop for you. There is nothing wrong with the preflop play, although with A-Q I think your ideal situation is to narrow the field to 1 opponent, so you should try and find an amount that will do this for you (maybe 3.5-4BB). On the flop there is no sense trying to take the pot away here. None of your opponents will put you on a jack, which means it is more likely they will call with many drawing hands and many pocket pairs. Check-fold is the right play here.
As a side note, you need to be wary of how your post-flop play is affecting your table image, especially against good, solid, observant opponents. How you act when you miss a flop gives a ton of information to your opponents. I would mix up your post-flop play by working in some continuation bets, check-raises, check-calls, and check folds. Good luck.

3.) So you decide to bet, and get called and reraised. The raise is just the min. so he is not trying to drive anyone out of the pot. This has to be a value raise and represents strength. I don't think many players would raise two opponents with a draw and I put him on trip jacks. Also, there is another player left to act behind you who come over the top. You need to let this hand go immediately.

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed. also agreed that the continuation bet was a little too aggressive with two to act.

[mlagoo]

[ QUOTE ]
with A-Q I think your ideal situation is to narrow the field to 1 opponent, so you should try and find an amount that will do this for you (maybe 3.5-4BB).

[/ QUOTE ]

changing your bet sizes depending on the strength of your hand is almost certainly a leak. it's giving away information about your hand, and allowing your opponents to play (closer to) "perfect" ftop poker. that aint goooot.