$4 NLHE Full Ring: Please tell me how YOU would play this hand.

[WVHillbilly]

I like a bigger bet on the river but after the initial preflop call I don't think you played it badly at all. Being a calling station isn't so bad if it keeps your opponent putting money in the pot with possibly the worst hand.

Also I think BTN played it very poorly. He should have bet the turn and the river if he was still getting just calls.

 

[Weregoat]

agree with wv =caution advised. str8 and flush draws, and u might be dominated with ak. a set of 6s- probably not, but maybe.

or aa lololololol ? i like villians hole cards to be aa there now that i think about it in that situation, it would be just another classical reason of not playing aq and would explain the reraise.

uv only invested .10 and u didnt hit ur 2 pair.

I can see bgomez89 putting them on kq, qj or jten suited so ur still in trouble with that flop.

Uv only invested .10 in that pot. That can be gotten back easily.

No no no no even if u win this hand its probably not the best situation to be in with such an inexperienced group that at the level ur talking about.

U just gave an example of this persons loose play. so ur gonna have shots at them, id avoid this situation and look for something more solid than a pair.

aq is just an example of an hand u can win lil and lose big with, ditch it, ditch it, pulll up, pull up, while u still can lolololololololololololo

I think you are underestimating AQ. Obviously it's not the best hand in poker, but it's certainly not nearly as bad as you make it out to be. And as a matter of fact, I hate flopping two pair with cards within a straight range (which is almost all hands I play). With TpTk I like to raise to find out where I'm at. If we check/raise the flop and villain comes over the top, I'm much less happy with our hand. Then we decide if he is protecting a made hand or trying to build a pot with a big draw.

Regardless, I think WVH, while he makes EXCELLENT points, and Mr Whatever, would play this hand too tightly to maximize profit. AQ is in my 3-betting range in early position, and I'd have 3-bet this pot to about .35 preflop. At a 2NL table I certainly don't mind stacking off pre with AQo, at a 400NL table I'm much more likely to fold pre, because we have to keep the metagame in mind. As played to the flop, I'd check raise the flop and bet any turn. If he calls I'm not up against two pair+ and I can bet most rivers for value.

I think just because you have a short history on somebody doesn't mean you need to tighten your range ridiculously, but I obviously have a much looser playstyle then WVH and Mr Whatever.

 

[Weregoat]

I like a bigger bet on the river but after the initial preflop call I don't think you played it badly at all. Being a calling station isn't so bad if it keeps your opponent putting money in the pot with possibly the worst hand.

Also I think BTN played it very poorly. He should have bet the turn and the river if he was still getting just calls.

I read in a nifty book that you can save a lot of damage to your stack by checking the turn or river when you're in position with only one pair. I usually prefer the turn unless I have solid reads.

Just saying.

 

[WVHillbilly]

I read in a nifty book that you can save a lot of damage to your stack by checking the turn or river when you're in position with only one pair. I usually prefer the turn unless I have solid reads.

Just saying.

And I read in a book that when your opponents ranges are weak (like they are here) you can use position to win lots of money by betting (and betting....and betting).

If you look at the hand from the BTNs perspective what's the best hand he's likely up against here if no one ever raises him? I'd say AJ because he holds AQ and there is a King on board. So if I think my opponent has lots of 2nd best hands in his range why wouldn't I want to get max value from him? Checking back for pot control certainly has it's place but on the BTN with what's likely the best hand isn't on of them imo.

 

[c9h13no3]

I like calling pre to keep the fishies in and leading the flop, because we can't really count on this guy c-betting his air into 3 players.

 

[WVHillbilly]

I like calling pre to keep the fishies in and leading the flop, because we can't really count on this guy c-betting his air into 3 players.

And if he raises our flop donk bet? Are you comfortable playing for stacks?

 

[c9h13no3]

And if he raises our flop donk bet? Are you comfortable playing for stacks?

At 2NL, not really. His raise size preflop makes me believe he has some clue, and *most* players at this level are pretty darn passive. So if we get raised by the PFR, I'd be pretty unhappy.

The maniacs who raise A4o and then raise this flop when they flop an ace are less prevalent than the weak-tight wanna be TAGs at this level. And they usually make themselves known in 8 hands.

So on the flop, I suppose I like a bet/fold, but it still feels pretty dirty given the SPR. I'm not saying its perfect, but neither is folding pre.