Pocket AAs

[usmhot]

Should I have played this differently?

Sorry - posting from memory, but its been bugging me since last night.
I'd been playing quite TAG for the game - was in about 25% of the hands. Villain was quite LAG - having a good little run with plenty of luck, but definitely knew what he was doing. I'd had no action on pocket As a couple of times during the night.

$10+1 STT 9 seats at VCPoker, 7 players left, BB is $100
Hero is MP with about t2750,
Villain is CO with about t5500
Dealt to Hero Ac Ah
all folds to hero,
hero raises t700
folds to Villain - raises t2500
folds to hero who calls (all in)
Villain shows As Qs
Flop has two spades, final spade comes on the river, so Villain wins with flush.

I'm posting the results cos my questions are based on what happened.

Should I have played it differently?

As I see it there are only two other ways I could have played it

1. Pushed straight away - may have won the t150, but no more

2. Raised more aggressively at first, maybe by t1500.

Maybe with the second option the Villain would have simply called (doubt he would have folded AQs) and I'd have left myself room to maneuver??

Comments?

[Phill S]

Bad beat.

You put your money in as an 80% favourite. How weak [censored] tight do you wanna get?

Worry not about bad luck, worry bout making correct moves.

Phill

[AlphaN3rd]

I'm a newbie, but here's my opinion:

Getting all in AA vs AQs is great, you have a huge edge. Preflop that was the best situation that you could have hoped for, you just got very unlucky. Don't be so results oriented [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[mybrainssore]

Raise less preflop.

Cant help it if you get sucked out on.

[durron597]

From the 2004 World Series of Poker, day 5.

[ QUOTE ]
Greg Raymer doubles up through Marcel Luske. Raymer all in with A-A preflop, Luske with A-K, the board comes Q-Q-7-7-X.

[/ QUOTE ]

If it's good enough for Greg Raymer, in the world series, it should be good enough for you.

You were a 91% favorite to have the best hand by the river. It is not possible for the best players to win every time. There is luck in this game. Having a 91% edge is like having your opponent allin with a 3 outer on the turn. Here's another example.

You have AK, your opponent has AT. The board on the turn is A84J, no flush possible. Would you be upset if you got allin in that situation? The river certainly could be a T, but that's certainly not a good reason to fold.

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

All that being said, please read the FAQ before posting. Note that the second question is:

[ QUOTE ]

Should I fold AA preflop here?

Here is an example of a thread where folding AA preflop is discussed. Note the general tone of the thread.

When should you fold AA preflop? When it's likely that folding will assure you of a greater expected value than not another action. The likely form of this occurrence is spelled out in the linked thread. Other examples are elsewhere, including in TPFAP. The general rule of thumb to consider before asking a folding AA preflop question would be to either look at an ICM calculation, or sit down with a pen and paper and try to figure out the EV of folding relative to your other options.

[/ QUOTE ]

[usmhot]

I have read and reread the FAQs

With all due respect to doing the math, I don't think anyone is folding this preflop. Particularly in this case as the Villain was LAG.

I know that I'm ~90% favourite on this one, and I don't at all mind that fact that I lost in this particular case. Same situation 9 more times I'm going to win, and I'm going to win a good pot.

What I am getting at though is, can I use my read on the villain and stack sizes and number of players and position to minimise my losses in that 10% when I'm beat?
For example, if less aggressive pre-flop keeps more players in, which makes hands like AQs play more warily, is this better?

[tigerite]

Just raise to 250, 700 is far too much

[jcm4ccc]

[ QUOTE ]

What I am getting at though is, can I use my read on the villain and stack sizes and number of players and position to minimise my losses in that 10% when I'm beat?


[/ QUOTE ] Absolutely. However, there is a slight downside to minimizing your losses. I'm sure if you give it a few seconds thought, you'll figure out what that downside is.

[usmhot]

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Absolutely - if I'm not getting my whole stack in there then the 90% of the times that I do win I'm not maximising my winnings.

[Nicholasp27]

FTOP: if u could see his cards pf, u would have done the same...if he could see your cards pf, he would have done differently...so he made a mistake and u didn't = +ev


u coulda pushed immediately, but why push for 150 blinds with ur stack? it's better to raise, tho 700 may be high