$Freeroll NLHE MTT: A5s in the CO

[mariussica88]

How do you guys play this hand? Should i fold pre-flop or raise?




pokerstars - 125/250 Ante 25 NL - Holdem - 9 players


MP: 30,523 (122.1 bb)
MP+1: 7,910 (31.6 bb)
MP+2: 31,235 (124.9 bb)
Hero (CO): 23,715 (94.9 bb)
BTN: 31,506 (126 bb)
SB: 7,510 (30 bb)
BB: 30,870 (123.5 bb)
UTG: 43,979 (175.9 bb)
UTG+1: 8,275 (33.1 bb)

9 players post ante of 25, SB posts 125, BB posts 250

Pre Flop: (pot: 600) Hero has
UTG calls 250, fold, MP calls 250, 2 folds, Hero calls 250, BTN calls 250, fold, BB checks

Flop: (1,600, 5 players)
BB checks, UTG bets 250, MP calls 250, Hero calls 250, fold, BB calls 250

Turn: (2,600, 4 players)
BB checks, UTG bets 250, MP calls 250, Hero calls 250, fold

River: (3,350, 3 players)
UTG bets 250, MP raises to 1,000, Hero calls 1,000, fold

Results: 5,600 pot (0 rake)
Final Board:

 

[300HPGOD]

Pre flop depends on the people behind as we would not want to be raised here since getting in mutiway pots with small Ax can be bad if we are disciplined enough to fold when we are supposed to. However, you can always call here and then call a small raise should it happen or just fold to a large raise and not be losing much. Calling I think is fine with the desired result to be everyone to just call behind as well.

The flop has such a small bet and I think there could be some reason for raising if you werent in a freeroll. Since you are in a freeroll I think your fold equity is low and to me you dont have to semi bluff since more players are call stations and if we hit this later in the hand we can bet larger then and get paid off then. I would just call behind as you did and be happy that I have a chance to get an almost free turn.

The turn to me is where you make a large mistake. The board is paired but you hit your hand and as I mentioned villains are more than likely call stations so go ahead and raise here and raise very large. You will get called by worse, which will include a lot of pairs, 7x and maybe it being a freeroll even Qx with Q of hearts. Bet here for value and start to build this pot.

The river is a terrible card and with another small bet in front of us and then a raise to that bet our flush is meaningless to me. Cant really have a flush on a double paired board right? Even though the raise is small I just fold here and move on because much more likely than not I am beat. I know its 4 to 1 to call but are we good here even 20% of the time? I would say no

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
Never folding a suited ace to limpers, but just in general I always prefer isolating over limping behind, except with small pocket pairs, which I then basically take as a setmine.

Flop
Freeroll or not a min-bet look super weak, so I would raise this up and see, if I can take it down right now. If someone call, you have lots of equity, unless someone flopped a boat, which ok thats possible, but especially given the action highly unlikely. It looks much more like, they have maybe a 6 or just two random overcards.

Turn
While the passive line preflop and on the flop is somewhat a matter of stylistic prefrerence, slowplaying, once you made your hand, is a big mistake. The guy is betting 10% of the pot, and you need to get more value than that. You are playing the hand on their terms and letting them decide the size of the pot instead of forcing them to play on your terms by taking control of this hand.

River
I dont think, anyone has a 7, because then they would have put in more chips than this at some point in the hand. However as the action went down, its very likely, that someone could have a 6, which of course now beat you. I dont think, MP is raising a K or a worse flush on the river, and I dont think, he is bluffing for this size either. So I think, you are beat here most of the time.

On the other hand you are getting a very good price, and sometimes people just do weird things in a freeroll. To be honest I dont care much for this decision, which is at least close. The much more important point is to put more chips in the pot on the earlier streets, so that you dont get to the river like this. If you apply some pressure, maybe they actually fold a 6, which is a fine outcome for you.

 

[Matt_Burns88]

For me, this is played far too passively.

I would be raising pre-flop to around 1,300 - 1,500, looking to either take down the pot there and then, or play the rest of the hand in position.

On the flop, I'm raising this the majority of the time, especially to a 1bb bet. This screams pot control with a marginal made hand or a draw, which , you're already ahead of or very slightly behind. It also helps to disguise your hand when you get there on the turn.

I literally hate the turn call. While it's possible that you could be losing to a really weird played full house, you basically always just have the nuts here, but it's not totally infallible as you're about to find out.

The river is gross and pretty much the worst card in the deck for you. I think with the odds you're getting you have to make the crying call, knowing you are beat a lot of the time here by hands that would have folded to your pot sized raise pre-flop like A6s and 56s. It's important to recognise that you wound up in truly horrible spot with a very strong hand because of your passivity on the earlier streets allowed villain to come along cheaply.

Hopefully you won the hand, but also learned the lesson. My guess is you lost the hand and blamed bad luck.

 

[mariussica88]

For me, this is played far too passively.

I would be raising pre-flop to around 1,300 - 1,500, looking to either take down the pot there and then, or play the rest of the hand in position.

On the flop, I'm raising this the majority of the time, especially to a 1bb bet. This screams pot control with a marginal made hand or a draw, which , you're already ahead of or very slightly behind. It also helps to disguise your hand when you get there on the turn.

I literally hate the turn call. While it's possible that you could be losing to a really weird played full house, you basically always just have the nuts here, but it's not totally infallible as you're about to find out.

The river is gross and pretty much the worst card in the deck for you. I think with the odds you're getting you have to make the crying call, knowing you are beat a lot of the time here by hands that would have folded to your pot sized raise pre-flop like A6s and 56s. It's important to recognise that you wound up in truly horrible spot with a very strong hand because of your passivity on the earlier streets allowed villain to come along cheaply.

Hopefully you won the hand, but also learned the lesson. My guess is you lost the hand and blamed bad luck.

I lost the hand against 78o, and I blame my Stupidity .