AK, Early in SnG

[The Shrog]

pokerstars Game #19460693904: Tournament #100910083, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/08/08 - 15:10:49 (ET)
Table '100910083 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: spu niko (1480 in chips)
Seat 2: KERRILITA (1480 in chips)
Seat 3: Big_Seco (1680 in chips)
Seat 4: albertoFD (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: Club Legget' (1360 in chips)
Seat 6: The Shrog (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: Ruskov (1480 in chips)
Seat 8: The Storm (1440 in chips)
Seat 9: TheKiller42O (1610 in chips)
Club Legget': posts small blind 10
The Shrog: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to The Shrog [Kd Ac]
Ruskov said, "overbet..."
Ruskov: calls 20
The Storm: folds
TheKiller42O: raises 80 to 100
spu niko has timed out
spu niko: folds
spu niko is sitting out
KERRILITA: folds
Big_Seco: folds
albertoFD: folds
Club Legget': folds
spu niko has returned
The Shrog ?

1. Call-check/fold the flop if we miss?
2. Reraise, and a) C-bet the flop if he flats, b) Call a shove
3. Fold?

I really am torn on what to do with this hand.

 

[M33K3R]

I would re-raise in this situation to see where he is at. C-bet the flop and if he shoves and we don't hit, we can always fold.

 

[The Shrog]

So he makes it 100...we reraise to ~300, leaving 1200 behind? If he flat calls, we c-bet ~400 into the 600 pot...and if he shoves, fold, leaving 800 in our stack...

 

[ChuckTs]

Yep, this is a hand I think at the $5s you should be ready to stack with preflop.

The problem with flatting is that a) you often miss the flop and can't continue, often against worse hands that will cbet and push you off, or against better hands that you could have folded out pf or on the flop with a cbet, and b) when you hit, your opponent will often have a hand that's too weak to pay you off with. Like if he has 99 and the flop comes KT2, he won't put much in the middle, whereas if you 3bet pf he might fold right away, if not then maybe on the flop. Or he might even feel more committed and shove over your cbet on a K27 board or something.

3bet and call a shove iyam.

 

[dj11]

This looks like it has been a very timid table except for villain, who might have stolen several blinds already.

I think I flat call here, and then exert some first in vigorish with a healthy c-bet regardless. The pot at that point will be ~~ 200 chips, and a pot size bet should get his attention. If the flop fits you, then a willingness to stack here is implied, but a button steal attempt is no reason to do too much self-damage, and should villain come back strong, then things can be re-evaluated.

His range is huge, and from the looks of it, he might be thinking he can own this table easy. Slap his ass upside the head early, then settle down to a finer game.

 

[t1riel]

A flat call is understandable since it's only him and you. If two or more were in the pot, defintely reraise.

 

[carpeamentum]

I would re-raise in this situation to see where he is at. C-bet the flop and if he shoves and we don't hit, we can always fold.

Completely agreed. You have to re-raise to get some idea of where your opponent is at. Fold to a re-raise, C-bet the flop to a call.

 

[PokerDave]

Well, what happened?

 

[ChuckTs]

A flat call is understandable since it's only him and you. If two or more were in the pot, defintely reraise.

What do the number of players have to do with anything?

There's also a limper who's still in the pot anyways.

 

[harriskem]

Why not just call here? If you reraise and he flat calls and then you C-bet and are forced to fold you leave yourself with 800 chips. Yes that is plenty at the current blind levels but if you just call and bet on the flop and he comes over the top you are able to get away from it rather cheaply. JMO but I just call here

 

[The Shrog]

That was my understanding also harris..if we c/bet flops when we miss and he shoves, I fold, leaving myself 800 and throwing half my stack away?

 

[ChuckTs]

Well you're not accounting for the times that...

-we get the money in pf as a favourite
-we cbet and take it down
and
-we cbet a flop we hit (tptk or better) and stack him

Looking at everything that can go wrong in a hand rather than looking at the big picture is a great way to play hands poorly or suboptimally. In this case, you're looking from a very weak-tight point of view and are missing out on tons of value by playing it more aggressively.

 

[shinedown.45]

Well you're not accounting for the times that...

-we get the money in pf as a favourite
-we cbet and take it down
and
-we cbet a flop we hit (tptk or better) and stack him

Looking at everything that can go wrong in a hand rather than looking at the big picture is a great way to play hands poorly or suboptimally. In this case, you're looking from a very weak-tight point of view and are missing out on tons of value by playing it more aggressively.

I totally agree with chuck here.
This is one of those hands where most do not play AK properly, I had said it before, AK is a strong hand if played properly.
A call/c-bet is not a bad move in this situation at all, get to see a flop with little risk to your stack and if you hit the flop your laughing.

 

[t1riel]

What do the number of players have to do with anything?

There's also a limper who's still in the pot anyways.

If it was three or more players, I would reraise to scare away the mediocre hands that could possibly outdraw you.

 

[eNTy]

Go with what chuck said. I am not totally familiar with $5 sng's but I'm defo reraising here. I am always surprised at how much they are willing to call preflop and then just fold on a semi-dangerous board, or to a good c-bet when they didn't hit.

When you do hit you can probably get some more value out of him or just take it down there on the flop. Also in my experience they tend to chase a lot, don't know if this is the case in this hand or if it's the case as much in this level of sngs.

 

[-newbielicious-]

i would definately reraise preflop because that is a pretty small raise there.. and i would probably make a continuation bet on the flop so he thinks im really strong..

 

[JupeZ]

You could only call tho. IF he cheks on flop u can bet him away. If he bets and uv hitten something you can play more tricky.

 

[vpb0i]

Ok maybe the buyin was a bit higher id just call, but since its only 5 dollar id raise, and if he push you gotta call, its really not that hard to play AK AQ, to a raise when your big blind, obv its more than 2 callers then id call, but your pretty much ahead, or going against a race in the bb

 

[Stefan_m]

Yes, in my opinion too a reraise is the good action.
You gain info about your opponent. If it happens to hit, then the rest is obvious, if not, I would definitely fold to any bet I think, that's just me though...