AK on button - A79 flop facing funky C/R

[shammalamma]

18-man SNG on Stars this morning, my first game of the day so I wasn't quite 'with it' yet. Anyway from what you can see below, I'm putting CO on a crappy 2 pair like A/7 or A/9, or at most, maybe a set of 7s. Of course, he could have complete trash, it is a 3$ game, what do you think?
No read on this guy at all, first round of blinds.


Stacks:
BTN with 1470
SB with 2240
BB with 1700
UTG with 1090
UTG+1 with 1130
MP1 with 1885
MP2 with 2515
CO with 1470



Blinds: 10/20
Site: Pokerstars
Dealt to BTN:A♣ K♥
Sklansky group 2
Preflop:
1 players fold.
UTG+1 calls [20]
2 players fold.
CO calls [20]
Hero raises 70 to 90
2 players fold.
UTG+1 calls [70]
CO calls [70]
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 300
Flop:
9♠ A♥ 7♣
UTG+1: checks
CO: checks
Hero bets [140]
UTG+1 calls [140]
CO raises 140 to 280
Hero .....?? <---

Not only that, but how should I approach the turn and river, whether it improves my hand or not? (that is, if your advice is not to shove right here, and I'll give you a hint, I did not shove). I think perhaps I didn't make my bet big enough here, and normally I would've made it pot-sized, but I've been experimenting with my bet size lately and it has generally been with good results so far. Feedback from any SNG or MTT player would be greatly appreciated, I've been really unhappy in the way I've been playing AK lately and this is one of those sticky situations!

 

[GeoffLacey]

Limping in, then calling the raise preflop would suggest to me he had a small to mid pocket pair preflop. Then the C/R... well, put it this way, if i had a pocket pair preflop, then hit my set, this is probably how I'd play it.

 

[RMGreen]

The raise feels weak, even after a check. He could be trying to trap. But if not I think I'd put him on a weaker A, a 9 or pocket pair like TT or JJ. I think a set or two pair he'd push harder. Either way, you're getting better than 7 to 1 on your money to call (even MORE if you assume UTG+1 is coming along for the ride), which gives you the right odds to chase trips or pairing you K. I think I'd call in an effort to not balloon the pot too much with just a pair and to not commit myself in case I change my mind after the turn.

 

[Jillychemung]

Preflop I'd like a bit larger of a raise, 110-120, 3.5-4xBB+limpers

I'd prefer a check on the flop here for pot control. Yes that gives a free card but I'd prefer the control over the larger pot.

Since it is early and just a $3 game, as you said, I'd prefer a shove over a smaller raise since you have 1240 left and the pot is 840. A call here does allow you to easily shove or fold based on the turn card and you will still have 1000 left in your stack if you fold.

 

[baudib1]

You're in position with AK, I raise to $120-$150 preflop. As played, it's a meh spot. I think it's 50-50 that you're good.

 

[silverslugger33]

I'd smooth call here. If your hand improves on the turn, I'd bet out, and if it doesn't, probably just check. If he makes some form of a huge bet, you can get away from it, but a small-medium bet on the turn, I'd probably smooth call it.

 

[shammalamma]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

I'd have to agree with all of your suggestions, i guess with the exception of EliElezra (no offense and I don't think a shove is a horrible move here, but I'm trying to get away from that strategy at this point in my game and it has been improving my ROI). I did not raise enough PF in position with my AK preflop, for sure! Had I raised a bit more I could at least narrow the CO's expected range a bit. In retrospect, I also don't like my flop C-bet in regards to pot size control, as Jilly pointed out. I don't like his check raise much and I smell two pair, so I flat call it to hopefully improve and here's the rest.

*** FLOP *** [9s Ah 7c]
gimmeboy: checks
skob: checks
mrx426: bets 140
gimmeboy: calls 140
skob: raises 140 to 280
mrx426: calls 140
gimmeboy: calls 140
*** TURN *** [9s Ah 7c] [Th]
gimmeboy: checks
skob: bets 120
mrx426: calls 120
gimmeboy: calls 120
*** RIVER *** [9s Ah 7c Th] [2d]
gimmeboy: checks
skob: bets 980 and is all-in
mrx426: folds
gimmeboy: folds
Uncalled bet (980) returned to skob
skob collected 1500 from pot
skob: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1500 | Rake 0
Board [9s Ah 7c Th 2d]
Seat 1: mrx426 (button) folded on the River
Seat 2: Vin23 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: Rolfsacker5 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: hunk187 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: gimmeboy folded on the River
Seat 7: AlainZeve folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: dnalhew folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: skob collected (1500)

I'm not proud of how I played this, but I'm proud I didn't stack my chips away to 2 pair or a set. If this guy didn't have me beat, he made a decent river bluff but I just wasn't feeling it at that point. I almost raised the turn bet but I didn't mind paying 120 with the chance of seeing a king or an ace on the river. I made it out with about 2/3 of my stack with the blinds still small and had room to maneuver. There were definitely a few things I screwed up on and leaks I'll be working to improve!

 

[Cobryn]

If he has a set he played it poorly. Theres no draws on the flop really, theres no reason to check raise there. He could have either led out and hope you raised, or check called. Of these things I think leading out would have been the best play for a set with one of the other two players most likely playing an ace.

On the end he sees no draws, and pushes instead of some value bet that you WOULD have called 99 percent of the time I think. Depending on how weak the player is it could be two pair but it screams set played poorly to me.

If you were going to call a bet on the turn... why not just reraise him on the flop and find out for sure if he's got two pair or better? If he has a set it doesnt matter if another ace hits the board because its filling him up.

 

[baudib1]

His turn bet sucks balls. This guy is so bad I'm back to thinking he could have AJ.

 

[ftph8sme]

yeah shove. pretty sure you got him since its only a 3$ game..he might now be with it either since it is early in the day for him also.

 

[shammalamma]

Thanks again for the feedback guys!

Villain played it poorly, I played it poorly, it was just a big old pity party in there. I still say he had at least A/7 though. Sometimes you just need to pay to see them but I was not in that curious of a mood with TPTK in the first level of blinds. Sometimes I am, mainly at about 1AM after I've been drinking, but not at 9AM when I havent had my full cup of coffee yet haha.

PS- to 'ftph8sme' I'm not sure if your response was actually serious or if you were just post-count spamming (I'm guessing it was the latter, almost a line and a half of advice!) but when you say 'pretty sure you got him since it's only a 3$ game' that is kind've a misleading and flat-out wrong thing to say. I play A LOT of low stakes SnG's, around 800 so far, and yes there are certainly some terrible players out there. However, if you go in to these games with the attitude that everyone else sucks and 'they're probably bluffing' because its so 'cheap' you'll find yourself on the rail more than in the money!! I definitely see more bad plays than admirable ones, I make some of the bad ones myself (as you can see) but to think everyone else is brain-dead in these is a serious misstep and will cost you some loot. Granted I haven't gone back into my hand history yet to look this guys s/n up and I might just do that today for the hell of it, if I shoved every time I was wondering what I guy was holding when I held TPTK I think I'd be in trouble quite often.

 

[marble]

you were beat on the flop w/ a set of 7c7d7h. NOT A7 because mrx426 had Ad5c leaving one A on the deck. you forgot about mrx that gave you the clue u were beat.

if you look at the way the hand was played....it will match to those holdings

-m

 

[Lemlywinks]

yeah shove. pretty sure you got him since its only a 3$ game..he might now be with it either since it is early in the day for him also.

why would this be anyone's picture? This is just wrong

 

[ftph8sme]

=) my bad. any better?