Play of AK for big pot

[Justin A]

Ok, this was a live game, so I have to do my best to remember the exact action. Playing 1-2 no limit, I'm in early middle position. I get AK (suits unimportant), and make it 10 to go. Button calls and BB call, all else fold.

Flop comes A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] , checked to me, I bet 15, both button and BB smooth call.

Turn comes T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] , checked to me again, I bet 30, and both call quickly. This has me worried about the straight, or possibly AJ.

River comes T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] , checked to me again, and I check. Button goes all in for 65, and BB quickly calls all in for 60. I have about 100 left. I think for a while, and muck my cards.

Any comments on how I played it from the flop on? From my read of the players, I think I fold on the end here if I had to do it again, but I'm more worried about how I put myself in this situation. Results in white below:

<font color="white"> Button was on a bluff after he missed his club draw, and BB turns over AQ to take down the huge pot. </font>

Thanks,
Nuke

[schwza]

I think it's a good fold on the river. I would have bet the pot or a litle more on the flop with the draw-heavy board. Ideally you're looking to get heads up with a weaker ace.

[cornell2005]

bb isnt on straight or aj bc he woulda raised flop and turn for sure

button woulda raised turn absolutly and maybe flop
if hes on 2 pair or straight

the 10 on the river and the 2 auto all ins make it tougher

[Sundevils21]

Without having looked at the results, I would say you definatly made the right play by laying it down. An all in and a call usually means more than toppair. Button could have missed a draw and be bluffing but I think BB has you beat. If BB didn't call, I would probably advocate calling the button based on what the pot is laying you. Im going to read what happened now.......

Wow, tough one I probably would have called it [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Just Kidding. That is one tough call to make... How did you fare the rest of the night? I have a feeling you probably did pretty well.

[Justin A]

Thanks for the responses. Like I said, I think my fold on the river was correct, but I'm pretty sure my play up until then was weak to get me into that situation. $15 into the $35 pot was probably too small with the draw out there, and then with the $70 pot on the turn I could have even pushed all in for the $100 my opponents had.

As for the rest of the night...
I eventually lost my stack after a bad call when I thought a guy was putting a move on the pot. I rebought, worked my stack up to about $200, and then made the best play of my young poker career. Beware this is basically just me bragging, sorry! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I'm in the small blind with KK, and after three limpers, I raise to $10. The big blind reraises me to 25, all fold, and after contemplating pushing all in, I realize I might be beaten. I just call preflop.

Flop comes 2 3 5 rainbow, and I check. BB bets $50, and I think for a while and muck. BB shows the bullets. A couple months ago I would have doubled this guy up on this hand, as his stack was about $150.

Anyways, all those chips I saved became huge about an hour later. Playing five handed, my 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] came with a flop of A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], and for no apparent reason, the preflop raiser moved all in with his stack of $240 into a $45 pot, and I took it all because I had him covered. He didn't show his cards, but when he left the consensus at the table was that there was no cards he could have had that would make that a good play. It didn't hit me until later that I would have only gotten about $50 out of that pot if I hadn't folded the kings.

Anyways, lesson learned with the AK, would have been a nice pot.

Take care,
Justin A

[Ben]

[ QUOTE ]
and then made the best play of my young poker career. Beware this is basically just me bragging, sorry!

[/ QUOTE ]

You're being way too results-oriented.

I think you played it terribly.

Your opponent could VERY easily have had QQ, or even something quite weaker. He reraised you and then bet the pot when you showed weakness and checked on a ragged board. He could be holding 99 and be putting you on a steal PF.

Why the heck did you check that flop? Barring a K flopping, that flop was almost exactly what you want to see with KK.

If you check that flop with KK it better be because you want to checkraise all-in.

-Ben

[Justin A]

[ QUOTE ]
You're being way too results-oriented.

I think you played it terribly.


Your opponent could VERY easily have had QQ, or even something quite weaker. He reraised you and then bet the pot when you showed weakness and checked on a ragged board. He could be holding 99 and be putting you on a steal PF.

Why the heck did you check that flop? Barring a K flopping, that flop was almost exactly what you want to see with KK.

If you check that flop with KK it better be because you want to checkraise all-in.


[/ QUOTE ]

Being that this was a live game, and I had been playing with this player all night, I knew that he does not make this play with QQ. The only other hand I could put him on other than AA is the other two kings. So I'm almost sure I'm beat, with a small chance of a split pot. If this were online, then your analysis would be correct, but my read of the player was dead on. I fold this every time with the read I had, and I definitely didn't play it terribly.

The only time I ever check this flop with KK is when I think I'm beat, the pot sized bet confirmed my read. A check raise all in here is a terrible play considering the player I was up against. I stand by my play as the correct one.

Justin A

[teemu_69]

If you were so sure he had AA preflop, why did you call his raise?

[DcifrThs]

on the flop you bet 15 into a $31 pot with a club draw? too weak my friend. bet $35 or so. that should clear up where you're at and make the rest of the hand easier to play. i sometimes overbet the pot by more in these spots against weak players who may think i'm on a steal or KK or QQ trying to get them off an ace. folding on the river in that big pot is a close call. but its a $290 pot and only $65 to call wiht a club draw and an ace there where you have the best kicker. AND you close the action, and did i mention you're in a rare nl spot getting much more than 2:1 on a river call that ends the action with a hand that can possibly win...its almost 5:1...it would be real thin but i think in this live game i'd call and be prepared to rebuy if wrong...pots just too big and draws WILL take shots like this.

-Barron

[CrisBrown]

Hi Justin,

I'm with the other who say you should at least bet the pot on this flop. I'd probably have bet about $40, making it clear to any flush draw that he's going to have to pay very dearly to chase. I suspect the button would have folded his flush draw, and the BB would have called with his AQ.

At this point, though, I'd switch to a bluff-catching strategy. If BB checks to you on the turn, you should bet again -- otherwise you're giving a free draw -- but I don't think set him all-in, as he probably won't call himself all-in without a hand that beats TPTK. If BB bets into you on the turn, I'd call; again, if you raise, he's probably not going to call without a hand that beats TPTK. I'd do the same at the river.

TPTK really isn't a "big pot" hand. Most good players won't tangle in a big pot unless they can beat TPTK. Also, when AK hits on an Ace-Face or King-Face flop, you need to play it a bit cautiously if called at the flop, because so many people will play Ace-Face or King-Face (especially if suited), and you may be playing TPTK vs. two pair.

As I said last week, I've come to think of unimproved AA and KK, and AK for TPTK as "small pot" hands. I'm content to take a small pot with them, and when I'm playing a draw hand I'm looking to take a big pot FROM them.

Cris

[Edit: looking back at the stack sizes, if either calls your pot-sized bet at the flop, you're probably going to the felt. This is one of the pitfalls of shallow-money NL play.]