$2.20 NLHE: AQ with Top Pair and Nut Flush Draw

[Tublecain]

$2.20 NL HE: AQ with Top Pair and Nut Flush Draw

Context: We are in the mid stages of a 2.20 tourney. I have been playing ridiculously tight, and just raised from Early Position with AcQc. I get only one caller (a large stack). The flop comes 5c2cAs, giving me top pair and the nut flush draw. I figure this guy's LP flat calling range is fairly wide, but I can't see how this flop would have hit him in any way unless he had a small pocket pair and hit a set. My question is, would it be more profitable to simply cbet here (likely taking the pot down without a fight) or check (taking advantage of my tight image) and induce a bluff, so that I can check-raise? Any ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance, hand is below!

Stacks:
* SB with 1605
* BB with 2590
* UTG with 1755
* UTG+1 with 4230
* MP1 with 3460
* MP2 with 5855
* CO with 5590
* BTN with 9180

Blinds: 30/60
Site: pokerstars
* * Dealt to UTG:A♣ Q♣
* * Sklansky group 2
Preflop:
* * Hero raises 60 to 120
* * 3 players fold.
* * CO calls [120]
* * 3 players folded.
* * Total folds this street: 6
* * Potsize: 330
Flop:
* * 5♣ 2♣ A♠
* * Hero ?????

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[shinedown.45]

Context: We are in the mid stages of a 2.20 tourney. I have been playing ridiculously tight, and just raised from Early Position with AcQc. I get only one caller (a large stack). The flop comes 5c2cAs, giving me top pair and the nut flush draw. I figure this guy's LP flat calling range is fairly wide, but I can't see how this flop would have hit him in any way unless he had a small pocket pair and hit a set. My question is, would it be more profitable to simply cbet here (likely taking the pot down without a fight) or check (taking advantage of my tight image) and induce a bluff, so that I can check-raise? Any ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance, hand is below!

Stacks:
* SB with 1605
* BB with 2590
* UTG with 1755
* UTG+1 with 4230
* MP1 with 3460
* MP2 with 5855
* CO with 5590
* BTN with 9180

Blinds: 30/60
Site: Pokerstars
* * Dealt to UTG:A♣ Q♣
* * Sklansky group 2
Preflop:
* * Hero raises 60 to 120
* * 3 players fold.
* * CO calls [120]
* * 3 players folded.
* * Total folds this street: 6
* * Potsize: 330
Flop:
* * 5♣ 2♣ A♠
* * Hero ?????

Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum

Personally I don't like your min-raise from UTG, as for the hand, I would continue with the c-bet(assuming that is what you have been doing already) of about half to three quarters the pot then evaluate from there.

 

[Tublecain]

Personally I don't like your min-raise from UTG, as for the hand, I would continue with the c-bet(assuming that is what you have been doing already) of about half to three quarters the pot then evaluate from there.

Thank you very much for your advice. I have a question about your concerns regarding my UTG raise. I keep on getting mixed signals about it, and it would be very helpful to get some clarification. I have always heard that when raising in early position, you should raise either 2 or 2.5xbb, because you want to keep the pot a manageable size if you'll be playing it out of position. Because I'd been playing so tight (I had only played 1 hand the whole tourney so far), I figured they'd respect even a small raise like that one. Am I completely off base, or what's a more profitable way to play from early position? Thanks again for your comments, hope to get some more info on this! Best of luck out there,

T.

 

[beechleaf]

It was a min raise and think he could be holding 24 suited A/rag or pp just too see a flop he got the chips and knows your tight so hes put you on A/k or A/Q possibly A/J now he knows you have hit your ace so has he or the str8 or possibly a set and will keep calling you down too the river then check raise you in hopes you only have top pair or even top 2 pair depending on his hand bad spot too be in

 

[ljove]

Context: We are in the mid stages of a 2.20 tourney. I have been playing ridiculously tight, and just raised from Early Position with AcQc. I get only one caller (a large stack). The flop comes 5c2cAs, giving me top pair and the nut flush draw. I figure this guy's LP flat calling range is fairly wide, but I can't see how this flop would have hit him in any way unless he had a small pocket pair and hit a set. My question is, would it be more profitable to simply cbet here (likely taking the pot down without a fight) or check (taking advantage of my tight image) and induce a bluff, so that I can check-raise? Any ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance, hand is below!

Stacks:
* SB with 1605
* BB with 2590
* UTG with 1755
* UTG+1 with 4230
* MP1 with 3460
* MP2 with 5855
* CO with 5590
* BTN with 9180

Blinds: 30/60
Site: Pokerstars
* * Dealt to UTG:A♣ Q♣
* * Sklansky group 2
Preflop:
* * Hero raises 60 to 120
* * 3 players fold.
* * CO calls [120]
* * 3 players folded.
* * Total folds this street: 6
* * Potsize: 330
Flop:
* * 5♣ 2♣ A♠
* * Hero ?????

Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum

check-raise all in if he makes a bet after your check.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

Thank you very much for your advice. I have a question about your concerns regarding my UTG raise. I keep on getting mixed signals about it, and it would be very helpful to get some clarification. I have always heard that when raising in early position, you should raise either 2 or 2.5xbb, because you want to keep the pot a manageable size if you'll be playing it out of position. Because I'd been playing so tight (I had only played 1 hand the whole tourney so far), I figured they'd respect even a small raise like that one. Am I completely off base, or what's a more profitable way to play from early position? Thanks again for your comments, hope to get some more info on this! Best of luck out there,

T.

The flipside of this is that by minraising you are going to be playing OOP against wider calling ranges. It can be argued that tossing an extra BB in is worth it simply because it benefits us to be playing against smaller ranges when OOP (well it benefits us all the time obv but especially OOP). You even alluded to this yourself in your OP ("I figure this guy's LP flat calling range is fairly wide").

As played just cbet flop. There are plenty of weaker Ax hands and worse flush draws in his range that you will get value from. Plus, from villain's perspective, a ridiculously tight player minraising UTG then checking a vaguely drawy flop sets alarm bells ringing in my head.

 

[Tublecain]

Thanks again to everyone who responded. I indeed made a 2/3 pot cbet (which is what I usually do unless I have reason to believe that the flop hit the villain's range like a train) and he just folded. I guess I just felt I might have been able to get more value out of it if played differently (probably just increasing one big blind to my raise PF would have done the trick, heh) but it's possible that I got as much as I could have hoped for. Thanks again for all the responses. Best of luck to you all.

T.