Calling a raise with AJo in the SB

[Aaron W.]

Paradise Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, <font color="CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, CO folds, Button folds, Hero calls, BB folds, UTG+1 calls.

Flop: (7 SB) T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP3 checks.

Turn: (3.50 BB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 raises</font>, MP3 folds, Hero calls.

River: (7.50 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 9.50 BB

MP3 is in a lot of pots and is somewhat agressive. UTG+1 is also very loose preflop.

I'm not so sure if this preflop call is correct. I am in the small blind against an agressive player, and there was only one limper. Folding seems to be giving up a pretty good hand (yes, possibly dominated, but the agressiveness of MP3 makes this less likely), but raising seems too agressive. That leaves me with a call...

I was aiming for a check-raise on the flop, but it obviously didn't happen. I was hoping to drive out the other two players and isolate the raiser.

I want to believe that calling the turn raise is correct, but I'm not certain of this. The raise could be that he hit the queen and thinks it's good, or he had an ace on the flop and thinks his hand is good. He could have slowplayed Ax two pair, or maybe it's a flush draw. I don't know, and not knowing at this point is enough to call down with aces and a jack kicker with an inside straight draw.

The river play... I don't know. If you would call one, you might as well bet it, right? But if I get raised, I feel like I would have to call it down. But I'm not so happy with my hand, and I'd rather not have to pay two bets on the river to get to the showdown (since I don't think I should be folding here -- maybe this thought is wrong).

[Brian]

Hi Aaron,

Are MP3's pre-Flop raising standards loose? Would he raise with ATo here? If so, is that about the weakest hand he would raise, or would he also raise hands like A9, 66, and KT? If he would raise those hands and worse, 3-bet pre-Flop. Hope to get it heads-up with him, if not, you'll at least probably eliminate the BB and make UTG+1 put in 2 bets with his poor hand. If ATo is about the worst hand he would raise with, then you need to fold pre-Flop, as you will still often be dominated.

The rest of the hand is fine.

-Brian

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
Are MP3's pre-Flop raising standards loose? Would he raise with ATo here? If so, is that about the weakest hand he would raise, or would he also raise hands like A9, 66, and KT?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I knew how to determine that, I would be able to answer. But for a somewhat casual player who plays at this low, transient limit, I don't know how to figure this out based on 30-40 hands. What I know is that he's been in lots of pots, and is often betting/raising.

(Edit: Casual = how often I play. I do take the game seriously when I'm playing. I just don't have massive hand histories where I can track down individual players and their styles.)

[Brian]

Hi Aaron,

Generally, it is best to err on the side of caution with these hands if you aren't sure, as they can make quite expensive second best hands. In this specific situation, having only played 30-40 hands with the opponent in question, I would fold. He's raising a limper, which means he isn't outright stealing, and very few people would raise a limper from MP3 with the hands necessary for you to be able to 3-bet (that being A9o, KTo, and 66, etc.)

Even if MP3 is raising hands like ATo here, his median raising hand will still be better than AJo, which means you should fold. I would pretty much only 3-bet a maniac with AJo from the SB. And I would almost never call. 3-bet or fold, lean towards folding.

-Brian

[detruncate]

The default play is a fold. If you've seen him routinely raising very light you can re-evaluate... but if you "don't know" (i.e., you don't have a super solid read), fold and be done with it. It's just not a good hand to play against a raise in most circumstances.

[ThunderAces]

This is a standard fold, but in the case the player is fairly aggressive its right to three bet. Trust me this hand AJo plays much better head up against LAG than three ways.
So fold or raise, don't call.
Now u must also factor in if u miss most the time this guy will beat u with a worse hand because he is aggressive and u r out of position.
Sounds to me u should fold this one.
Also against the LAGs I try to bet into them hoping for three bets rather than the c/r.
Hope this helps [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]