Just plucked a fun hand from tonight's session.


Called here in the SB with ATo. Definitely a hand I can fold in SB, but I don't mind taking a look at the flop on a table with some pretty wild stats... were 5 handed and as follows:

MP 37/29
CO 58/12
BTN 25/10 (with a high WTSD of 35 on a sample of a few hundred hands)
BB 49/15

I don't really like to 3 bet bluff it here as a squeeze, the table is too loose and passive and I think I'd just be giving up out of position most of the time if I got callers due to ATo being such a difficult hand to know where I am at. I much prefer to just call and cheaply play fit or fold here.

Cant ask for much more from the flop. All the aces but 1 are now blocked. I check first up multiway, hoping someone else will build the pot so I can disguise my hand. I choose not to reraise, I guess if I get aggressive here only 99 and the remaining A are going to stay, along with some bad flush draws. Maybe some other pair from TT up might call.

The turn is rather kind, to say the least. I check with the nuts out of position as I don't have the betting lead, expecting one of them to bet. After BTN bets I deliberately make a weak reraise. I expect some will disagree with me here, but I'm trying to get both villains to the river with me to then extract maximum value with a river lead out putting them both all in. Even if just the BTN calls it, it leaves behind a pretty natural sized bet to put him all in on the river.

Anyway MP doesn't come along. BTN has clearly got something though, even if he was being optimistic with a flush draw he just got there. I prefer the lead out here as too often at 2NL people check rivers in position failing to go for value, but they are pretty likely to call down if they have something.

Very lucky hand for me, against villains who were a good shot to pay off.. Just wondering though how some of you might have played it.





Pacific Poker - $0.02 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG: 105 BB
CO: 84.5 BB
BTN: 100 BB
Hero (SB): 154 BB
BB: 40 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A♠ T♦

UTG raises to 2.5 BB, CO calls 2.5 BB, BTN calls 2.5 BB, Hero calls 2 BB, fold

Flop: (11 BB, 4 players) 9♥ A♦ A♥
Hero checks, UTG bets 5.5 BB, fold, BTN calls 5.5 BB, Hero calls 5.5 BB

Turn: (27.5 BB, 3 players) T♣
Hero checks, UTG checks, BTN bets 18 BB, Hero raises to 36 BB, fold, BTN calls 18 BB

River: (99.5 BB, 2 players) 7♥
Hero bets 66.5 BB, BTN calls 56 BB and is all-in

Spoiler alert!

Click to Reveal!

BTN shows A♣ J♣ (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 74%, Flop 79%, Turn 9%)
Hero shows A♠ T♦ (Full House, Aces full of Tens)
(Pre 26%, Flop 21%, Turn 91%)
Hero wins 198.5 BB

And for an alternate ending... how would you play this if the full house didnt hit on the turn and you face the bet from the 25/10 BTN? Should we be going for broke here most of the time unless an obvious straight or flush comes in? Or can we start to fear some full houses or that other A with a better kicker?

Preflop
To me this is just an easy fold. Even a HJ opener will have more AJ-AK in his range than A2-A9, and even when you do have the best kicker on a AXX board, either player could have flopped a set. So making this call creates a situation, where not only are you out of position against everyone, but your hand also suffer from a ton of reverse implied odds. It would be a little better, if it was at least suited, because then you can sometimes flush over flush someone, and you have more playability, because you sometimes flop a strong draw.

Flop
Great flop obviously, but I agree with taking the passive line and just check-call. Its important to realise, that even though there is now only one unseen ace, you do still lose to AJ-AK, and those hands are still not impossible. There are in fact still 12 combos of them, and you also lose to A9 or 99, which either player can also have. There are also not many hands worse than yours, that are going to be willing to play for stacks here, so check-raising would be a massive overplay. You would fold out most hands weaker than your own and only get action, when you are behind and maybe from a few good draws.

Turn
Obviously the gin card for you, and I actually really like both your line and sizing. You want to make sure, stacks go in on the river, and since you are out of position, you kind of have to check-raise now. With the remaining stack size however, if you go to big, it will become obvious, you are never folding. So while I normally dont like these min-clicks, I think, its actually the right play here. You obviously also dont want him to fold his draws, since they are now drawing dead. And when you give him this price, he might talk himself into still calling with a flushdraw in particular.

River
Obvious jam for value. This is the whole reason, why you check-raised the turn.

Results
In my opinion this is a hand, where a poor preflop decision was rewarded with a perfect runout and result. The issue with that is, that now you might feel, that your preflop decision was perfect. But as you already hinted at yourself, if you had not hit your 3-outer on the turn, you would pretty much have to call his turn bet and any reasonable river bet as well, and you would have been the one getting taken to value town for at least half your stack.

I hear you. I need to stop getting in loose hoping to get lucky against the bad players, and stick to my usual ranges for calling in spots like this, eg pocket pairs and the odd suited hand too weak to 3 bet, and maybe AQ/AJ. Thanks for the feedback as always.

Hello, I agree with fundiver. I also prefer fold pre flop Ato in this situation. In multi pot situation is more possible that somebody had better kicker than your. As played - We hit very good flop, check on the flop is a standard, I don't show my opponents strenght, but as I said at the beginning, I don't feel very good with call pre flop with ATo, because usually somebody will have better card. The turn is very good for us, we can play check or play check/raise like hero. In conclusion, this time you had a little lucky with Ato, because the turn card was very good for you and you had the best hand. In the future you have to remember about it. GL

In situations like this, you can only call suited aces. With the sole purpose of making a higher flush than your opponents in multi-way. Aces offsuit here is an easy preflop fold. In this situation you are lucky, but in all others you will be giving up your stack.

Originally Posted by Alex_Ogienko

In situations like this, you can only call suited aces. With the sole purpose of making a higher flush than your opponents in multi-way. Aces offsuit here is an easy preflop fold. In this situation you are lucky, but in all others you will be giving up your stack.

Thanks for the answer.

Do you fold AKo here then or squeeze it? And what about AQo/AJo?
What about suited connectors? Often said they play well multi way, but does being in the SB negate that to the extent they are best avoided here and flatted in position only in a spot like this with 3 already in the pot?

And if we were against shorter stacked recreational players with a raise and two calls are we more encouraged to flat and see flop with the higher offsuit cards?

Originally Posted by GreenDaddy1

I hear you. I need to stop getting in loose hoping to get lucky against the bad players, and stick to my usual ranges for calling in spots like this, eg pocket pairs and the odd suited hand too weak to 3 bet, and maybe AQ/AJ. Thanks for the feedback as always.

You are welcome, and yeah thats pretty much the kind of range, I would consider flat calling from SB, although AQ can certainly be played as a 3-bet as well.

Fold or squeeze pre... the rest of the hand plays itself. I'm typically not a fan of having a turn min check raise range because it doesn't create FE (so you can't have a bluffing range for it), so your hand becomes ubber transparent.

Originally Posted by John A

I'm typically not a fan of having a turn min check raise range because it doesn't create FE (so you can't have a bluffing range for it), so your hand becomes ubber transparent.

This is a concern in mid or high stakes for sure, because most people in these games can hand read. At 2NL however people are still going to call, even it should be obvious, you are never bluffing. This hand is a pretty good example. The opponent had trips, but what does he even beat on the river? Yet he still paid off.

Originally Posted by fundiver199

This is a concern in mid or high stakes for sure, because most people in these games can hand read. At 2NL however people are still going to call, even it should be obvious, you are never bluffing. This hand is a pretty good example. The opponent had trips, but what does he even beat on the river? Yet he still paid off.

If players can be exploited that way, then of course you should do it. That wasn't my point though of course. If you're going to learn how to play poker correctly, you need to at least be thinking about what's my turn bluff min check-raise range? It should be nothing because it's not effective, even in some 2nl games from what I understand.

Originally Posted by GreenDaddy1

Thanks for the answer.

Do you fold AKo here then or squeeze it? And what about AQo/AJo?
What about suited connectors? Often said they play well multi way, but does being in the SB negate that to the extent they are best avoided here and flatted in position only in a spot like this with 3 already in the pot?

And if we were against shorter stacked recreational players with a raise and two calls are we more encouraged to flat and see flop with the higher offsuit cards?

AQs, AKo I will almost always squeeze. AQo, AJ depending on the table or squeeze or call. Aces offsuit are below a clear fold. Suited connectors in raised multi-way pots are not very good because they will often be dominated and we increase the chances of a cooler against us. For example, often in this situation, you can give your stack to the high flush.