$Freeroll NLHE: AA in the SB- making the right raise

[silverslugger33]

$Freeroll NL HE: AA in the SB- making the right raise

Weekly round 2 at pokerstars. Table has been relatively tight, but no major reads. No wild all in donkeys, but not really any sharks either.

PokerStars Game #25700637389: Tournament #144032330, Freeroll Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2009/03/07 10:41:19 ET
Table '144032330 114' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: K_alexey (635 in chips)
Seat 2: lorettajack (975 in chips)
Seat 3: Markus1003 (465 in chips)
Seat 4: zacze (1285 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: paulie527 (3535 in chips)
Seat 6: 7ken7 (3395 in chips)
Seat 7: overledning (1825 in chips)
Seat 8: marty_mowbz (1230 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 9: orioles32 (9665 in chips)
orioles32: posts small blind 25
K_alexey: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to orioles32 [As Ac]
lorettajack: calls 50
Markus1003: calls 50
zacze: folds
paulie527: folds
7ken7: calls 50
overledning: folds
marty_mowbz: folds
orioles32: ?

I know that I don't want to see a 4-5 way pot with aces, but I also want to get some action. I'm clearly going to make a sizable raise, but the question is how much.

 

[silverslugger33]

Id do atleast 3 times the BB to get a few callers or if ur in a better position 5 times BB

I don't want a few callers. I want one caller, worst case scenario 2. With a few callers, the chances of getting drawn out on go way up.

 

[Jillychemung]

You should only be worried about Seat 6 here. Seats 1,2,3 are too short stacked to matter right now. Your bet needs to be big enough that should 1,2,3 go AI you can still worry seat 6 about what he should do. Bet 600 here. This would still allow you to go AI over seat 6 if 1 or 2 play and gives 6 poor odds to flat call your 600 if 3 plays.

 

[THGE]

Bet 3 x BB. I think at least one will pay you.
They just call, nothing the action, if someone pay you already will be good.

 

[Jillychemung]

For those advocating 3xBB here, why do you want to play AA out of position in a multi-way pot?? With the interest shown already by the small stacks and the BB small stack yet to act, do you really think this hand will only be heads-up with 1 other player when you give huge odds for anyone to play a WIDE range of hands against you? AA winning percentage PLUMENTS in multi-way hands.

 

[Melkor]

3x BB is bad as it is too small and every single limper calls, which is what we don't want. We don't want to scare everyone away though and I don't mind about flop action as unless QJTh or KKQ with a flush draw comes out I am not scared of a lot of flops. It is a freeroll and I am looking to get this in on the flop 95% of the time and if two people are there to give me action so be it.

I would normally raise to 3x w/ no limpers so three limpers means anything between 300-500 is fine, maybe hit 400 to eek out value and it lets us get it in on the flop straight away.

 

[fatnestor]

I would bet a thousand, that is the size of the small stack, and 1/3 that of the medium stacks, therefore forces the small stacks to fold and then the mediums stacks to play only premiums hands, like KK, AK,QQ, wanting action on this hand is the worst thing you can desire, not allowing any draws is the best thing you can aim for preflop. being in early position with pocket aces it is best to raise in relation to the mediums stacks but a 500 rasie just might get you action and you haven't mentioned any thing about the other players playing style which will be the determining factor in the raises. If it is a tight table then use pot odds otherwise bet in ratio of thier stacks.

 

[silverslugger33]

If anyone was wondering, I raised to 450. Markus moved over the top all in (for barely any more) and the other 2 folded. I of course called, and my aces held up to win the pot.

 

[nevadanick]

If anyone was wondering, I raised to 450. Markus moved over the top all in (for barely any more) and the other 2 folded. I of course called, and my aces held up to win the pot.

But, but,... online poker is rigged. AA can NEVER EVER win. You cheated !!! ...

 

[joes1000]

i feel that making a flat call small blinid with ace ace is the best way to go because noone knows what u have till the river when you have all thier chips

 

[Snowmobiler]

I would raise to 400,committing any of the players left to play for there whole stack,It is possible lorretajack could fold post flop but unlikely after commiting half their chips.More than likely in a freeroll in this situation any raise is going to get multiway action and your aces are going to have to hold up.I may just push all in depending on my feel of the table to try to get at least 1 or 2 to fold.

 

[aceup21]

go by feel

Well, if you have been playing a while, then you know who knows how YOUR playing and whos playing tight. I always go with my gut. If a guy has already called and i know hes loose then im gonna raise a little more than usual and just the opposite if a guy has called who is playing pretty tight. {normal raise}

 

[dillingerdis]

Outside of just pushing to see what happens I'd say anywhere in between 5x to 10x depending on how youve been playing and how you switch up your betting. Ive found that if people have been seeing me raise a lot of hands i LIKE instead of just mathematically good hands, they will call more often. It depends on how you have set it up, but in a scenario like i get myself into, a big raise would be in order and then i may only get the blinds, but its still more chips.

 

[honos]

raise as usual. If you start to play different some will notice and fold next time

 

[CrossCrucificio]

Yes it would be great if we can win with pocket Aces all the time, with a few people in the hand. Although you put your Aces at risk when you want more than one players in the hand with you. If you make a minimal raise, it is guaranteed all the limpers will call. If this happens, your Aces are very vulnerable to being cracked. With pocket aces, I will always raise the minimum 4x. I rather win a little than lose alot.

 

[only_bridge]

Hey its a freeroll, just push all in, usally works for me.

 

[RA2000]

You should raise between 3-7 BB here.
Depends on the way the table played before....
I would raise 4 BB here.
You want some chips and just one caller....
Hopefully seat 6.

 

[FereZ]

Freeroll ;F..
Raise 150 or so, did anyone call?

 

[Aaronftw]

4BB + 3 limpers = 7BB so 350, thats more then half your stack.. sounds about right to me.

 

[dj11]

Standard formula would be 3xbb + 1bb for each limper, putting it at about 300. Given that seats are shortstacked and you might not want them in, your 450 bet was valid.

On the other hand, how did seats 2 and 3 get so shortstacked, calling stations? Not in your read analysis, if they have been overactive hoping to catch a monster, then a smaller bet to induce one or both of them to shove isn't such a bad thing.

Of the 3 folks at the point of the op who are in, none can kill, and like you said, you want some action. Even if BB enters, he poses no monetary threat to be worried about.

Your healthy stack at this point, in this tourney gives you some liberties to play with holding AA. I agree that odds wise your chances of winning diminish with a larger field, but the overall odds here still favor you, and I would want all the players with short stacks to think they were getting the right odds to blow themselves........out.

So an alternative approach might be a min raise. The way most players play these days, this will certainly be seen as a pot sweetener and everyone will at least call. One of the short stacks might shove, seat 6 might even be induced to shove, but oddly he might be more inclined to just call the min raise.

Important here is not that you are out of position, but that you are first to act. And act you MUST! You have sweetened the pot with minimal risk, and only under the most weird of flops should you carry this charade much further.

In this case I think the min raise would have netted more chips.

 

[LuckyChippy]

You want one caller max, as you said. Personally i wouldn't mind if everyone folded here, make it around 400 - 600, if they have a serious hand then they can take a shot, at least it defines what they have more clearly.

 

[LuckyChippy]

i feel that making a flat call small blinid with ace ace is the best way to go because noone knows what u have till the river when you have all thier chips

Lol at this ^^ they might not know what you have, but if they fluke 2 pair with 10 - 8 offsuit you're gonna be pissed.

 

[popo12]

A flat call is terrible...with everyone hangin in to see he flop, guaranteed someone will hook a straight draw or a flush draw...this is way too risky..I think a minimum of 3BB or more...if it was me i'd go anywhere from 800-1000..then get most to fold out...and still get your money's worth..If you flat call there's a huge chance you may even lose if there are 5+ other callers

 

[BluffYou123]

Chances are one of the short stacks will go all-in if they have anything half decent.

I would pot raise it, but if you want less action, maybe go a BB or 2 more to get some of them off their hand.

Hope this helps and GL on the tables...

 

[bobphilallo]

Raise to about 150-200 and then you eliminate some people. After that depending on the flop you either push or bet/raise to maybe 3/4 of the pot. But I'd recommend to push all-in.