$600 NLHE Full Ring: AA vs turn AI

It is pretty early in $2/$5 live session. I am familiar with a couple of players at the table (both better players than me btw) but have never played with Cut Off. Cut off has been more active than others at the table, but only have about 20 hands so far. Two notable hands have been all in pre flop with KK losing to AK both times. In this hand, I am the BB and the table has decided to do 2 rounds of straddles.

SB $2
Hero($525) AA $5
UTG (straddle) $10
UTG+1 calls $10

MP calls $10
CO ($340) calls $10
SB calls $10
Hero Raises $70 to $75 total
cutoff only calls $65

Pot is $192

Flop Kh Jh 6c

I hate this flop because I think it smashes CO range. I decide to check to try to get villain to overvalue hands like 99 or KQs. I don't think I can ever get way from my aces vs. his stack at this point, so my check isn't for that purpose.

Turn Kh Jh 6c 5d

I bet $125
Villain jams $265
I call for $140.

Is my flop check horrible here?
Should my turn lead be sized differently?
Is calling the all in correct?
How do you asses villain's preflop calling range?

I don't think the flop check is horrible, probably better to raise it, but I don't think it matters much this time. He probably has a flush draw or a set post flop, so check is fine. Even if he had a pair still looking for a set post-flop, I think he could still raise this amount here. For example if he had 5-5, and the turn gave him the set, so you might hope that if you betted on the flop, you could get him to fold a pair, I am guessing he probably won't fold the 5-5 especially since his all-in is close to 2X your bet no matter when you bet it.

Your bet sizing could be smaller, about 95 or so, but probably won't prevent him from jamming. The larger sizing is fine if that could prevent a drawing hand from reaching the outs, but I think he is jamming anyway, so probably doesn't matter.

Calling with AA is fine, but one thing has me curious... is one of your Aces a Heart? If so that is better. because it blocks him from the nut-flush. It won't help though if only 3 hearts are in the community cards. Really great for when there are four, though. Even with three, he might not push a low flush if he things you have the nuts.

The main problem with this play is that you were pot committed (based on effective stack sizes, not your stack specifically) before the flop, so the CO's all-in is small compared to what is already in the pot. He could have KK, or JJ, 2 pair, or 2 more hearts for a flush draw. Or he could have a bluff hand.
It makes it hard to tell if he has one of the above good hands or not. The betting from both players is normal for just about any playable hand. You also were committed to the hand before the river card emerges. That means if anyone wanted to fold their hand based on that card, they could not (he found an opportunity to go all-in earlier). For you that means if he was on a draw, there is a chance you could get him to fold on the river if he busted his draw. Also you could see if there were 3 hearts or a straight in the cards and know he could be ahead instead of behind. You can't tell about made sets though. However if you had room left to 3-barrel him with even bets on each street, you would know if he felt great about his hand if he calls all three or raises. As played there is only enough room for one street of betting. The only place I can see where you might limit this problem is by not betting so big pre-flop. Your bet is normal there though in general, but in this case because so many players put money in the pot, this inflated the pot and created the problem. Maybe a 5X bet preflop would keep more streets open later and smaller turn bet might help.

A typical CO range is as follows:

AA AKs AQs AJs ATs A9s A8s A7s A6s A5s A4s A3s A2s Raise 40.60% AK KK KQs KJs KTs K9s K8s K7s K6s K5s K4s K3s K2s
Fold 59.40% AQ KQ QQ QJs QTs Q9s Q8s Q7s Q6s Q5s Q4s Q3s Q2s


AJ KJ QJ JJ JTs J9s J8s J7s J6s J5s J4s J3s J2s


AT KT QT JT TT T9s T8s T7s T6s T5s T4s T3s T2s


A9 K9 Q9 J9 T9 99 98s 97s 96s 95s 94s 93s 92s


A8 K8 Q8 J8 T8 98 88 87s 86s 85s 84s 83s 82s


A7 K7 Q7 J7 T7 97 87 77 76s 75s 74s 73s 72s


A6 K6 Q6 J6 T6 96 86 76 66 65s 64s 63s 62s


A5 K5 Q5 J5 T5 95 85 75 65 55 54s 53s 52s


A4 K4 Q4 J4 T4 94 84 74 64 54 44 43s 42s


A3 K3 Q3 J3 T3 93 83 73 63 53 43 33 32s


A2 K2 Q2 J2 T2 92 82 72 62 52 42 32 22

In my opinion your check is a "Bad Play" because that flop is a dangerous one:
1.Flush Draw
2.Straight draw



About what cards could he had :


- u said about CO player that he was quite active on the table throughout the game,so by th.at we can put him in LOOSE category,that mean his range of hands is more wide then normal.

-there were two overcards: Jh and K, he knew since you were the raiser that more than 70% you had hit something.


-making that "All in move" he does'n look like he is afraid by Kings (top pair).


I want to be short and i think his "All in Move" it's a semi-bluff(Flush Draw).He doesn't realy want to be Called because he is underdog.

Flop check isn't horrible. I prefer to bet flop anyway as you don't want to give a free card away, plus you have AA! There are a ton of draws that you can get value from.

As played you have to call I wouldn't fold here.
Turn bet sizing is okay.

c bet flop. dont give him a free card. he can have a set but board is low and uncoordinated. you had more range advantage on that board. i dont think he has a two pair.

I did not have the Ah and I would call the board wet and coordinated. Suited broadways are all over that board. I guess my check gives a free card for a set, 2 pair & gut shots, but I was willing to risk it to try to induce TT, 99, KQs and some random QQ, AK's that didn't want to get it in pre. Probably a bad play. Flush/o.e. straight draws that called pre are probably not folding flop or turn imo. The only hands that I am behind to here are KJs and JJ. I don't think stacks are deep enough to call w/ 55, 66 pre and we are all in preflop if villain has KK.

Anyway, villain had Kd Jd and took it down.

Trust your read

Gildog89 said:

It is pretty early in $2/$5 live session. I am familiar with a couple of players at the table (both better players than me btw) but have never played with Cut Off. Cut off has been more active than others at the table, but only have about 20 hands so far. Two notable hands have been all in pre flop with KK losing to AK both times. In this hand, I am the BB and the table has decided to do 2 rounds of straddles.

SB $2
Hero($525) AA $5
UTG (straddle) $10
UTG+1 calls $10

MP calls $10
CO ($340) calls $10
SB calls $10
Hero Raises $70 to $75 total
cutoff only calls $65

Pot is $192

Flop Kh Jh 6c

I hate this flop because I think it smashes CO range. I decide to check to try to get villain to overvalue hands like 99 or KQs. I don't think I can ever get way from my aces vs. his stack at this point, so my check isn't for that purpose.

Turn Kh Jh 6c 5d

I bet $125
Villain jams $265
I call for $140.

Is my flop check horrible here?
Should my turn lead be sized differently?
Is calling the all in correct?
How do you asses villain's preflop calling range?

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting.

You checked flop because you felt it hit your villains range hard. Wow were you correct there. Trust your read!
Just because the villain checks back does not mean anything here.

So would villain check back the flop with a weaker hand?
Why would villain check back a combo draw?
So why are we betting $125 if villain can still have us beat and is unlikely to fold any draw?
Why would villain check back any hand we beat yet shove the turn with it?

Pot odds on turn pot $582 we have to call $140 4-1 odds.
This is not a very good bluff sizing. Why do we think it would be a bluff? If it was a bluff it would be very sophisticated. How likely is that to happen in this player pool?

The two hands you saw of villain KK KK and villain was aggressive. Why would villain limp AK QQ JJ 1010 99 in the cutoff after limpers with a live straddle. Active players do not stop being active. Lots of dead money and great position. This hand speaks to villain not choosing to stop being active but his hand dictated his actions.

One of the other posters mentioned the Ah.
The Ah means our opponent could have a bluff on the turn with Ah 10h but why would Ah10h check the flop then semi bluff shove the turn to represent the King? Do not forget 4-1 odds or in live language, big pot small shove.

Just some thoughts to help you refine your reads.

Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, but let me re-ask my flop play question. With the table agreeing to do a round of straddles, we are effectively playing a short stacked 5/10 game and effective stacks are 34BB. I figure I am pot committed preflop with AA. So, does checking the flop ever get KQ or 99 to overvalue or am I only giving free cards to lower pairs that will only call if they turn their set? Is KQ getting their stack in here anyway or will 99 ever think I have AQ here? As I thought about my flop play later, QQ, AK was all in preflop and I don't think 99 played this way will ever stack off to this flop. So, I really just gave hands like 22+ a free card to suck out when they will never call my turn bet when they miss. KQ is really the only hand that I maybe get, but that hand is probably all in on the flop with me anyway.

Good thoughts.

Gildog89 said:

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, but let me re-ask my flop play question. With the table agreeing to do a round of straddles, we are effectively playing a short stacked 5/10 game and effective stacks are 34BB. I figure I am pot committed preflop with AA. So, does checking the flop ever get KQ or 99 to overvalue or am I only giving free cards to lower pairs that will only call if they turn their set? Is KQ getting their stack in here anyway or will 99 ever think I have AQ here? As I thought about my flop play later, QQ, AK was all in preflop and I don't think 99 played this way will ever stack off to this flop. So, I really just gave hands like 22+ a free card to suck out when they will never call my turn bet when they miss. KQ is really the only hand that I maybe get, but that hand is probably all in on the flop with me anyway.

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting.

If your player pool plays as you stated here, then you have answered your own questions.

Betting flop smaller allows for your villain's range to be wider therefore you can get more value from draws and Kx and even keep in some floats. Jx may even call a small flop bet as well as the small pairs you mentioned. If your villains are stacking off with KQ and KJ and 66 like this we must balance our losses with getting value on the flop from a greater range when we are ahead.

Hope this helps

Late to the party, sorry to hear you lost here but I feel like you played the hand in a conflicted manner. You state that you checked the flop because you were worried it hit Vs range hard but you also say that you want to get action from weaker hands like KQ, 99, etc. You can't have it both ways. I would have expected V to raise KK, JJ, and KJs from the CO with all that dead money in the pot. So I would think maybe his value range is only 12 combos of KJo and 3 combos of 66. There are way more combos of flush and straight and combo draws in my opinion. I would bet the flop and on a board this wet I doubt I can find a fold unless this guy is just super tight scared money. Giving free cards OOP makes this hand even more difficult unless we improve, and there are very few cards that improve our hand. Unblocking the Ah gives him tons of flush draws that we crush. Even as played we can pair the 6 or spike an Ace or hit some runner runner magic.