AQo 40-80

[mike l.]

great 40 game commerce. i have red AQo utg and raise, idiot awful very loose aggro bad postflop, bad all around non-tricky guy 3 bets, someone calls 3 cold, cutoff who is mediocre at best calls 3 cold, bb calls, i decide to just call. 5 of us for 3 bets.

the flop is 9s3h3c. checked to cutoff who bets, bb folds, i checkraise, preflop 3 better folds, next calls two cold, cutoff calls.

the turn is 8s. i bet, next guy folds, cutoff calls.

the river is 2h. i check, cutoff bets, i call.

comments?

[Klepton]

don't you think he's got to have something better than AQ? even though he's really really bad, he cold called 3 bets. You're right to call on the end because of the fact that he bet the flop because it was checked to him. And i really like the flop check-raise, but were you hoping for the LAG to your left to do a three bet to get heads up with just the LAG?

[Rick Nebiolo]

After open raising you decided to "just call" a three bettor, two cold callers of three bets, and a blind who calls two more cold with what is now an iffy hand under the circumstances. Save the UTG caps for suited big cards, the biggest three pairs and AK. Cap with AQ offsuit only when you have position and are in Los Angeles.

You flopped nothing in this drawless baby flop, are probably (but not certainly) up against a pair smaller than queens, but checkraise a late bettor (who cold called three bets and probably has the pair) in order to give yourself the best possible shot at winning the pot. This move I like a lot and wish I could find it more often in my game.

You bet the turn blank into two remaining opponents, drove out one opponent and got called by the preflop cold-cold caller on the drawless board. I love the fact what was once a five way pot is now head up and you can't get jammed on the river. Your opponent probably has a pair of some sort but here you have six outs and could still be ahead of a worse ace.

The river check-call is close to automatic against most Los Angeles opponents. He knows you can't be full and are only even money or so to have an overpair yourself. Even a mediocre player may bet a weaker ace or other overcards here hoping to drive out better overcards. Anyway, with a pot that has now swelled to over 13 big bets, how big a mistake can calling be?

My guess is your ace high beat his ace high or overcards. Even if it lost to a pair you didn't play that bad (except for seriously thinking about capping pre-flop).

My question is do you feel a need to win every pot? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

~ Rick

[Ogre]

I really like the flop checkraise, that is a play I need to start making more often.

The turn looks straight forward enough.

Looks like you are probably beat by the river but getting 13-1 I think I can find a call.

Nice hand.

PS-I agree with the others that 4 betting preflop with AQo and tons of callers seems a little crazy, I'm guessing your thinking is that you probably have a few of em dominated so you are probably going to win well over 20% of the time and might as well get as much money in the pot as possible?

Edit-This is NLSoldier....I didn't realize I was on my brother's computer which was logged on as Ogre.

[obi---one]

Is it better to lead and hope agro raises to get the pot heads up or to better know where you stand (in relation to other players)? Thats what I thought at first, but I think your line is good as well. Do you really think cold-caller is betting the button with all that action. You could also just check call and bring everybody else in because you probably have the best ace or queen, hit one and you will collect extra bets and also, you are behind most of the time and you are not cleaning up many outs on that board, just elimanating opponents drawing slim. I think I would either bet into the preflop raiser, hoping he raises or check call, turn and river then fold without improvement unless my sole opponent was mr aggrosucks at poker, then you gotta look him up.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

i like it all the way around. you play goot.

[BarronVangorToth]

The flop checkraise is tremendous, as is betting out on the turn to continue with it...

I'm curious as to why the check-call line vs. a fire-out-another-bullet line? Maybe he folds on the river...? (i.e. AK or another AQ)

There isn't much you beat -- unless you have a terrific read on the guy and know he'll bet with nothing and know you invariably will have that nothing beat, so the check-call line DOES get you that extra BB.

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

[Paluka]

I think this whole hand was played badly after the flop. If you won this pot it is a miracle. If an unknown poster posted this hand, everyone would be telling him how terrible he was rather than praising his flop checkraise.

[SA125]

With 16 SB's in the pot and a chance to get it h/u with the CO, I think the c/r is a strong play getting 8:1. When they both called, you're likely behind one of them and may be up against AK.

The problem is the turn. The fact you didn't cap pre-flop might be the go sign for the CO. Getting the lousy guy to fold the turn was nice, but what would you do if it was raised? Folding the river after putting in so many bets would be tough, but you have bananas.

[andyfox]

"Save the UTG caps for suited big cards, the biggest three pairs and AK."

He had just witnessed his hero cap with Q-J and had just heard his other hero tell him that this first hero had also capped with A-Q from the small blind.

A sweating story: I come over to Mike's table to talk food and such and he is in a pot where he had 3-bet pre-flop from the big blind. I'm about to walk away to talk to somebody else when Mike says, "Aren't you going to sweat me?" I stay and Mike shows me pocket queens. Here comes the flop and BAM, there's a queen in the window. Mike bets and his lone opponent folds. The small blind, who wasn't involved in the hand, asks Mike what he had and Mike says, truthfully, pocket queens.

Now I leave to go talk to my other friend (I have exactly two in the casino) and after three or four minutes the small blind from Mike's game yells over to me by name. I look at her, but I don't know her. But I come over and she covers Mike's face so he can't "cheat" and asks me, "What did he have that hand you watched?" I say "a red queen and a black queen."

As you, of all people, know, I always confirm what I see. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]