$10 NLHE Full Ring: Speculating with a small suited Ace

[nabmom]

Here's a hand with a A2s that I think I played poorly on the turn and river. This was a hand back last December, shortly after I got a HUD and when I just started really trying to play better/smarter but still hadn't started doing auto-rebuy to preserve a 100bb stack.

What I think about the hand:
Villain, over 50 hands: 50/10 with a 2.33 Agg Factor


Preflop: I think my call made sense with a speculative hand and other players in the pot. The villain's raise was really small and villain stats really loose. By the third call and me in position, I think my call of the raise was correct.

Flop: Nice flop for me with an A on board and a gut shot straight draw. No flush draw, but the board is rainbow so nobody else got a flush. Risk is that someone else has a higher A or possibly a set. But when it is checked to me, I bet. Value? Push out other draws? See where I am? I'm sure at the time I wasn't thinking of much more than "I have a decent hand" and not thinking at all about why I'm betting here. I'd love to hear why a bet is or isn't a good move here (I still think it's good, but that's more a "gut" feeling than a really thought out one). Villain's call on the flop probably scared me. Loose player could have hit a piece of the flop, but what piece? A better Ace? Could lead to a call. I would think that trips would lead to a raise, but maybe loose players like to keep calling.

Turn: I think checking on the turn was weak. Board pairs and villain checks. I think I should have bet again, thinking my hand is most likely ahead (again, at the time, I probably checked believing that he was trapping since he called on the flop).

River: Here's where I can't understand why I played the way I did. What would lead villain to be aggressive pre-flop and on the river, but not on the flop or turn?
I can understand me calling (seems like villain is bluffing perhaps) but I think my raise on the river was very spewy. I'd like to think that I raised thinking I could get him off a bluff.

Looking forward to the CC review.

Cereus Network - $0.10 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

BB: $8.13
UTG: $5.81
UTG+1: $14.49
MP: $11.29
MP+1: $10.00
Hero (CO): $6.15
BTN: $9.60
SB: $19.58

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero has 2♥ A♥

UTG calls $0.10, fold, MP calls $0.10, fold, Hero calls $0.10, fold, SB calls $0.05, BB raises to $0.40, UTG calls $0.30, MP calls $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, fold

Flop: ($1.70, 4 players) 5♠ 3♦ A♣
BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets $1.05, BB calls $1.05, fold, fold

Turn: ($3.80, 2 players) 3♥
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($3.80, 2 players) 7♦
BB bets $1.90, Hero raises to $4.70, BB????

 

[bgomez89]

1. Fold pre or raise.

2. What was your reasoning for checking flop? If it was because you didn't think he'd call with worse and could bluff river then you should just call river because he never calls a raise with a bluff and most of the time he just calls with better.

 

[nabmom]

1. Fold pre or raise.

What is your thinking behind a raise? To isolate? Then plan on folding if I'm 4-bet?

2. What was your reasoning for checking flop? If it was because you didn't think he'd call with worse and could bluff river then you should just call river because he never calls a raise with a bluff and most of the time he just calls with better.

You mean checking the turn, right (I bet on the flop)?

 

[TylerN]

better question. wat is your reasoning on calling pre?

 

[nabmom]

better question. wat is your reasoning on calling pre?

Two answers:
1) New to poker at the time, so probably no real reasoning and just like the pretty suited cards...

2) For the initial call, I felt it was a speculative hand and that I was in good position with a multi-way pot and getting a "good price." For calling the raise, here is there an argument for folding or raising to isolate/fold equity?

 

[bgomez89]

What is your thinking behind a raise? To isolate? Then plan on folding if I'm 4-bet?

To take it down pre or to isolate and to have another way of winning post flop(when we cbet). By raising I mean when it's our first turn to act, not after we limp and the bb raises. But yeah, if we raise when it's our turn and bb(or someone else) 3bets us, we're folding.

You mean checking the turn, right (I bet on the flop)?

lol yeah I meant the turn

 

[TylerN]

no i didnt read it thoroughly. i ninja deleted my post too and u still saw!!

 

[nabmom]

better question. wat is your reasoning on calling pre?

(Sneaky with the live updates. I was answering your post just as you were deleting it! Does that mean that this time I don't have to be the confused one? )