$1.10 NLHE MTT: AJ In the Late Stages

Maybe I could have lead the turn here, but maybe that would not have gotten me the end result on the river. Anyhow, how do you play this one?

Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - 5000/10000 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (UTG+1): 32.33 BB
MP: 4.04 BB (VPIP: 39.13, PFR: 9.52, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, hands: 24)
CO: 50.1 BB (VPIP: 35.00, PFR: 5.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 20)
BTN: 13.81 BB (VPIP: 36.36, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
SB: 17.88 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 7.55, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 58)
BB: 7.72 BB (VPIP: 17.89, PFR: 14.88, 3Bet Preflop: 4.76, Hands: 124)
UTG: 18.12 BB (VPIP: 19.51, PFR: 10.91, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 126)

7 players post ante of 0.05 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.85 BB) Hero has A:diamond: J:spade:

fold, Hero raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, BTN calls 2 BB, fold, fold

Flop: (5.85 BB, 2 players) 5:club: 7:diamond: T:diamond:
Hero checks, BTN checks

Turn: (5.85 BB, 2 players) A:heart:
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: (5.85 BB, 2 players) 8:club:
Hero bets 1.5 BB, BTN calls 1.5 BB

Hero shows A:diamond: J:spade: (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 68%, Flop 81%, Turn 91%)
BTN mucks Q:club: J:club: (High Card, Ace)
(Pre 32%, Flop 19%, Turn 9%)
Hero wins 8.85 BB

Hmmmm. interesting. you actually have a lot of options here and I don't know if any particular line is better than others. The more you know about opponents the closer you can come to the optimal line, but at 23 hands there isn't much room for player reads.

I am inclined to bet, and my opinion is exploitive in nature related to player pool tendencies that tend to be overly passive and fail to optimally slowplay at shallow stack depths. the likelihood that he would just flat instead of 3bet with AQ+ or TT+ makes me believe that we have 2 overs and the nut flush draw blocker, and the betting lead.

However, checking and then re-assessing on later action isn't terrible either as we have a lot of equity... if I view my opponent as extremely straightforward I will bet the minimum and then fold to a raise (the upside being I earn a very cheap showdown as straightforward opponents will usually let the turn check thru and I get to see the river for a grand total of 3.5bb for the whole hand and only value bet later when I think I'm winning)

If I view him as tricky I will bet enough that leaves me priced in to a call off his jam.

VILLAIN'S STACK SIZE really determines everything about this hand. For this reason, checking isn't awful, and is the lower variance line. The closer we are to the money the more attractive a lower variance line is....but if we are going to stack off with AJ at any time during this hand; then the flop is better than the turn or river. so if I think there is any chance I'm stacking off with Ace high here I will bet big on flop to price myself in to his jam (I'd bet about 4.5bb into 5.85 bb or roughly 75% pot meaning when he jams I am getting better than 3:1 on a call and with 6 outs twice I am at least break even. once you factor in the backdoor diamonds and fold equity from our original bet we gain some equity above break even).

I think stacking off is fine here vs thinking, decent opponents. again....if you have a read on opponent then things change. If I think he is nitty and straightforward I will bet like 25% pot and fold to a raise.

on such a flop and with the Ad I would cbet here.


and also on the turn.


why bet so small on the river?


lol @ hero calling with Q high

Veritas said:

on such a flop and with the Ad I would cbet here.


and also on the turn.


why bet so small on the river?


lol @ hero calling with Q high

Click to expand...

The check on the flop I feel like was standard but I agree the Ad is relevant and I could see a cbet here.

The turn I checked to induce a bet and it did not happen.

Then the river I bet so small I because I didn't expect to get called by much worse, so I gave my opponent some incredible odds to call me down with a worse hand - surely did not expect the Q hi hero call though lol

Jon Poker said:

The check on the flop I feel like was standard but I agree the Ad is relevant and I could see a cbet here.

The turn I checked to induce a bet and it did not happen.

Then the river I bet so small I because I didn't expect to get called by much worse, so I gave my opponent some incredible odds to call me down with a worse hand - surely did not expect the Q hi hero call though lol

Click to expand...

after raising your Standard Play should never be a check. cbetting is mandatory on a flop like that.
most of the time we collect the blinds + bet here which is fine.



it's kinda interesting how different (passive) you played this Hand compared to your KK Hand.
we get a strong Hand on the turn, but you check with the hope for a bet.
I would have done this with KK in the other Hand and only check if I bet the flop in this Hand.

To understand what your mistake is, answer yourself the question of what you would do if the villain made a big re-raise after the river. In general, you have a very strange opponent. Calling preflop is quite explainable, but after the river it is not clear what hands he was going to beat. And all the same, after the flop, you, as the player who opened the trade, should have made a continued bet to find out where you are. Perhaps now you are playing against the set, in addition, a check on the flop gives a free card to the villain for building straights and flushes.:wavey:

I think, you are missing a ton of value here. C-betting the flop or checking is pretty close. If he is fit-or-fold I kind of like C-betting against a stack size like this to just try and take it down. He dont have much room to draw, and in my experience you often get some extra folds in short stacked tournament situations like this. And even if he does continue, you have a lot of equity and might even be ahead. Still checking the flop is certainly not a mistake.

On the turn however you improve to top pair, and now I think, you are really just giving him a free card to draw out on you or get to a cheap showdown with his second best hand. A passive player like this is not going to bluff very often, so you need to build the pot yourself, when you are extremely likely to have the best hand.

I see absolutely zero reason to not try and stack him with a hand as strong as this, so bet half pot or a little more on the turn, and let him make a decision for his tournament life on the river. Sure he would not have stacked off with Q high, but this hand is only one among many in his range, and he would probably have called a half pot turn bet with his gutshot.

Hi! In my opinion, a check on the flop is a good decision, as this opponent is very likely to make a call. I think a better decision on the turn is to raise in order to increase the pot, and then raise on the river if he does not maked reraise, because he plays a fairly wide range and can catch into 2 pairs.

Cash2019 said:

Hi! In my opinion, a check on the flop is a good decision, as this opponent is very likely to make a call. I think a better decision on the turn is to raise in order to increase the pot, and then raise on the river if he does not maked reraise, because he plays a fairly wide range and can catch into 2 pairs.

Click to expand...

Just a bit nit-picky here, but a raise is, when someone has already made a bet, and you then come over the top and make a larger bet. When you are first to act, you can not raise, you can only bet. So Heros option here is to bet the turn and bet the river. He could also check-raise the turn, but that require, that Villain take the bait and makes a bet. Which in this case he did not.