Move in or call?

[hgoodman]

Sorry this isn't too complicated, I was just wondering if I played this right looking back.

I'm in the BB with A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

This is 2/5 on PokerRoom and I've got the table covered with like 750. 5 limpers to me and I raise to 20 which has been my standard raise thus far. Everyone calls.

Flop comes K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] giving me the flopped straight. SB checks to me and I bet 60, figuring there's a good chance someone has a set or a flush draw. Folds to the villain on the button who raises to 160 (he had around 400 in front of him at the time). Now at this point I'm putting him on the set and I want to get all my money in, but do I want to to reraise all in or just call? I know I want to get my money in with the best hand, which I obviously have, but if I call and the board pairs, do I at least have a way out? Or is that way to conservative?

[queenhigh]

I'd just push. Too many cards kill your action or your hand.

[fsuplayer]

all in. less thinking, hopefully he'll call with a set.

[creedofhubris]

Yeah, two ways to play it. Smooth call and fold/move in on the turn depending on whether the board pairs (conservative, but probably best if money is deeper) or move in now (he'll fold two pair, but you weren't getting too much more from 2 pair anyway.)

I think, because of the amounts each player has, moving in is by far the best; it's a natural-sized raise, and there is only one pot-sized bet left if you call. You're not "saving" that much if you fold the turn-that-pairs-the-board, since it's possible that you STILL have him beat (smaller straight, three pair, J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img])

If this were an unraised pot, and so moving in would've been a huge overbet, then smooth calling or min-raising would be better.

[creedofhubris]

Also, that preflop raise is pretty small with 5 limpers. Everyone is going to say "pot odds!" and jump in for another $15, whereas they might fold for another $30-40. AQo is not a hand that wants to build a big multiway pot, barring miracle flops like the one you hit.

In general, I would up your usual raise in position with that many limpers. My usual raise is $25 (as you know ;-), but I make it $35-$50 when I've got a raising hand on the button/cutoff with lots of limpers already in.

[Kaz The Original]

If you knew that he had 10-10 and he'd still get all in if the turn and river were 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] then that would be the prefered method of attack. But he could very easily have KQ and be willing to put all his money in drawing (pretty much) to a tie. On this sort of action flop he has too many possible holdings to lay it down if the board pairs, so I'd go ahead and push.

[hgoodman]

Thanks for the feedback.

I ended up moving all in, and after taking all the time he ended up calling with a presume a second left on the clock. Turn comes 10, so I figure I'm screwed... river comes another 10, making the board K J 10 10 10... he turns over KJd for the rivered full house.

And creed, I wish you were right when you said he wouldn't call with 2 pair, I wouldn't have been pissed if he had the set and got the boat on the turn, but that just pissed me off something fierce.

The reason I asked about calling is if the 10 comes on the turn and he's got two pair, there's a good chance he might be afraid of me having AA and a higher two pair. Of course at that point I would worry about his set so it'd be a moot point.

Anyway thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

[creedofhubris]

He called all-in with top 2? You've got better than a 4-to-1 edge against that hand. His call is awful, your reraise all-in (since he called) was exactly right. Don't be results-oriented when the board kills you after you're all-in.

Tell him "nice hand", rebuy, put a gold star next to his name in your player notes, sit in his room whenever you see him again.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Isn't it ironic to say not to be results oriented, but then to say that the all-in was the right move because he called it in the same post? Just because this one guy called it in this one situation doesn't mean that it was the move with the highest EV.

[hgoodman]

Yeah I was POed about it for a while but made the money back so it wasn't the end of the world. Just wanted to make sure I played it correctly, aside from the too weak raise pre-flop.