$0.25 NLHE: AQ against a paired board on the river...

[Tublecain]

$0.25 NL HE: AQ against a paired board on the river...

Some context for the following hand... I have not been playing against this villain for very many hands, but from what I can see he's seems like a calling station, paying to see flops and chasing draws, as well as betting big with made hands.

We're in this hand things are going pretty standard; he called my PF raise from MP, and then also cold calls my c-bet raise on the flop and my value bet on the turn after pairing my Q on the turn. (i figure he's either on a draw, or at least has top pair along with me because he keeps cold calling). But then the board gets paired and I start wondering about the FH... Hand below, thanks in advance!

[b]Hand Information[/b]
PokerStars - Get $50 Free No Limit, 30 BB (8 handed).
Hand History converter courtesy of [url=http://www.pokerhandreplays.com]pokerhandreplays.com[/url]

[b]Table Information[/b]
Seat: 1 Player 1 ($2100)
Seat: 2 Player 2 ($7125) Dealer
Seat: 3 Player 3 ($1270) Small Blind
Seat: 4 Player 4 ($4060) Big Blind
Seat: 6 Player 6 ($1820)
Seat: 7 Player 7 ($2705)
Seat: 8 Player 8 ($4595)
Seat: 9 [color=Red]Hero[/color] ($1635)
Dealt to [color=Red]Hero[/color]
[img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/QC.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/AD.png[/img] 

[b]Preflop[/b] (Pot:45)
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 6 
[i]CALL[/i] Player 7 $30
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 8 
[i]RAISE[/i] [color=Red]Hero[/color]$120
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 1 
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 2 
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 3 
[i]FOLD[/i] Player 4 
[i]CALL[/i] Player 7 $90

[b]Flop[/b](Pot: $285)
[img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/9C.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/7D.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/TC.png[/img] 

[i]CHECK[/i] Player 7 
[i]BET[/i] [color=Red]Hero[/color]$180
[i]CALL[/i] Player 7 $180

[b]Turn[/b](Pot: $645)
[img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/9C.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/7D.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/TC.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/QS.png[/img] 

[i]CHECK[/i] Player 7 
[i]BET[/i] [color=Red]Hero[/color]$420
[i]CALL[/i] Player 7 $420

[b]River[/b](Pot: $1485)
[img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/9C.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/7D.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/TC.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/QS.png[/img] [img]http://www.pokerhandreplays.com/images/poker_image/9D.png[/img] 

[i]CHECK[/i] Player 7 
[i]????[/i] [color=Red]Hero[/color]

 

[Jillychemung]

This is a sucky spot to be in. Opponent could have been playing you all along with JT, T9 or J8. If you bet you might as well go AI due to your stack size. Your hand is really only a bluff catcher now so if you are sure on your read that he'll only bet a made hand I'd check here and if he bets big I'd fold.

On flops as wet as this with your stack size I'd be checking the flop especially against a calling station and try to get a cheap showdown.

 

[Kuberr]

If he's a calling station and he's playing marginal hands, I doubt he really has anything here. On the off chance that he does, I would check to be cautious. If he did have anything, I think he would bet on the river (assuming he was slow playing before). I'm guessing he was probably chasing a straight with a J and never hit it.

 

[LizzyJ]

I would put your villan on a weak ace or two sOOOoooOOOOOooted cards. You have 40% of your stack already invested. Villian already checked the river, so he missed whatever he was chasing. I would error on the cautious side and check the river.

 

[absoluthamm]

I would check as well. Chances are you have the hand in the bag, but there are a lot of hands that have you beat...KJ, J8, any 9, 86(although unlikely unless maybe he liked it suited preflop). He has seen you bet into him every street so far, so I am pretty sure I would do the same thing and check into you and wait for you to raise again. Just check and hope he doesn't have one of the unfortunate hands.

 

[Tublecain]

I indeed ended up checking and winning the hand. I was questioning whether or not I should have bet his check, but it very possibly could have led to a check-raise bluff, or lost me more money had he ended up with a better hand. The comments have assured me somewhat that I did the right thing checking on the river. After all, TPTK is nothing to write home about, and I suppose small hand/small pot, right?

Thanks again for all your responses!

 

[absoluthamm]

What did he end up having? Or did it go into the muck?

 

[Goodwooter]

I think you probably have the winning hand...but you are in a bad spot...id say he is on a flush draw and missed...I think you raised to much preflop with an average hand at a full table....now postflop with a caller...making a pot sized bet on both the flop and turn costs you alot of your stack...when you have a smaller stack early in a tournie and havent been lucky enough to catch a big hand...its very important to understand the concept of controlling the pot size...

gl to you
wooter

 

[robert_wrath]

Why bother value betting one pair in this situation. He may have flopped a set and decided to slow play all the way down. Yes, spades might have been what he is playing, but way risk a check raise from him. The pot is big enough, check and make him show down. He'd feel stupid showing the rest of the table he missed.

 

[ihtennis]

i would bet on the assumption that he had a draw and if he came way over the top i might consider folding

 

[Tublecain]

I think you raised to much preflop with an average hand at a full table...

In these circumstances, what do you think would be a smart sized raise from LP with a hand like AQ and a limper? The reason I bet 4xBB is because I had read on this forum and elsewhere that around 3xBB is a standard sized Preflop raise from LP, adding 1BB for each limper. But I am of course open to suggestions, and am always willing to learn new strategies. Thanks again for the useful replies everyone!

Best, T.

 

[Tublecain]

I think you raised to much preflop with an average hand at a full table...

In these circumstances, what do you think would be a smart sized raise from LP with a hand like AQ and a limper? The reason I bet 4xBB is because I had read on this forum and elsewhere that around 3xBB is a standard sized Preflop raise from LP, adding 1BB for each limper. AQ seemed like a reasonable hand to raise with from LP even with a full table, but I am of course open to suggestions and am always willing to learn new strategies. Thanks again for the useful replies everyone!

Best, T.

 

[absoluthamm]

I don't believe you raised too much p/f at all. If you would have raised less, then you would have probably had 1 or 2 more callers(probably more with a min bet). Then you would have no clue what range to put others on after the flop....

 

[Tublecain]

If you would have raised less, then you would have probably had 1 or 2 more callers(probably more with a min bet). Then you would have no clue what range to put others on after the flop....

This was my thinking exactly. Any other thoughts regarding the size of my PF raise, or other parts of the hand that could've been played differently? Thanks to everyone who has responded so far!

Best, T.

 

[baudib1]

I think I shove the river for value in a 25-cent tourney. But in general I think you played it fine.