$1/2 Live NL (Borgata)

H - UTG ($600) - WMAFG (white middle aged fat guy). Been somewhat active at the table. Managed to get it all in limping AA (and losing a 3 way main pot to TT) earlier. Topped back off and been grinding it back up.

V - BTN (covers) - BD (british dude). Seems to be tight ABC, aware of position, bet sizing and has generally been winning pots with cbets, or check-calling with showdown value. Has put most of his chips into a rack, and appears ready to leave soon.

Preflop:
H dealt AQ and limps
a couple more limps to
V (BTN) raises to 17, a standard for him sized raise.
H calls
rest of the table folds

I'm calling hoping to catch the nuts cheaply and win a huge pot. I think there are people that will pay off, or at least fire the whole way if I catch. I range BTN on ATs, 55+.

Flop($35): A K T
H checks
V cbets $35
H calls
I think he's cbetting almost 100%, and I'm calling a large portion of the time.


Turn ($105): A K T - J
H checks
V bets $90
H tank calls
I expected him to check. I don't think he bets the nut flush (made royal/made with a royal draw). Then I realize that I don't put any made flush draws in his range. I do think he bets 2pr, sets, straights.
I almost snap folded when the flush card hit, and he bet. Then I considered his range and once I knew I was going to call, I considered raising. I think I'm ahead, but dread putting in too much without the nuts, so I call. He can have the Qd and I'm getting freerolled.

River ($285): A K T - J - 8
H checks
V bets $100
H calls

The river doesn't change anything. I don't think that he has me beat, but I don't see him calling a raise with worse. He might have snuck in with the royal flush, but TBH, I don't see him raising QTs or worse even on the BTN.


Thoughts on each street are welcome. Thank you.

By limp/calling you are unable to define your opponents range and your just guessing whether he has a flush, a Q or something else.

Sack up and raise pre.

I can understand why your limping UTG. I play at Borg, I know the player pool. You can get to see flops for cheap, but it's just bingo poker. You never force your opponent to make wrong decisions because they see the flop and they know their 85o is no good. Raise and make them pay to see the flop...

Fold ott. Calling to chop is a horrible proposition. Also, you expected him to check. Continuing when you're expectation of the hand doesn't happen is also a losing proposition.

And I'd fold pre, which I know almost no one will agree with. But there's like no chance you play this hand IP with a raise or a limp.

Don't know what's going on here. Why are we limp-calling raises out of position and hoping to hit? That's not generally a good plan for winning poker.

If you want to nut-peddle, do it in late position if the table allows you to see flops cheap and they're too sticky to raise and get lots of folds to c-bets.

there are tables that i certainly agree with this. it's table dependent. AQo is probably the bottom of my UTG open range

Raise pre is mandatory

I don't mind your line at all.

AP... Otr just call. The price is right.

Folding AQo from utg pre is fine in many places.

Raising AQo from utg pre is pretty loose, but can be +ev with the right table lineup.

What games are you playing where raising AQ UTG is pretty loose? Just because everyone else plays like nits doesn't mean we have to. I've never played a game where I would remotely consider anything but raising AQo from every position.

The games I play the most in are Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun and Los Angeles.

At FW and MS, opening AQo from UTG is probably not going to be very profitable. At the average table lineup, I'm not doing much from EP.

At LA, opening top 25% from UTG is standard. Folks routinely stackoff with worse Ax and Qx hands.

FW 1/2 is too tough to open AQ UTG???

Kinda goofy hand. I prefer a raise pre. Other than that I think the line is okay. Raising river bad bc not gettin called by worse often enough. Turn you can't fold, and again a raise will have a tough time getting called by worse I Imagine. Flop seems okay too.

FW (and to a lessor extent MS) is the nut-low for live poker in America, imo. Seattle is a close second.

The average player in the pool just isn't dumb enough. Folks are capable of folding AJ on a A43r8r turn. TPGK just isn't strong enough to play out of position, when TP is the A.

I'm not saying there isn't an edge to be had, certainly there is, its just that at best its a small edge.

Part of that small edge is playing disciplined in position.

But hey, I haz the sux at this game, don't play like me.

Thank you.



Johnny - Re: sacking up
I'm aware of how my game changes when stacks get deep. I'm reluctant to ship too much in without a very strong hand. Keeping the pot from getting bloated and playing OOP was my goal. If I raise there, it's to 12. Then if BTN calls, I have less info than him raising. If he pops me to $35, then I'm playing a larger pot OOP and once again expecting a cbet nearly 100% of the time and in the same spot with more at risk. If I pop his $17 to $50 and then get a call, the pot is even bigger. I still think I might want to pot control. If we have hands to get stacks in, it will be me with the nuts and him strong. If I take a 'normal' sized pot, so be it.

Eldiesel -
It was almost a snap fold, but for some reason I gave him credit for being too tight to raise QJs, and no other flush draw is made. Worst case is that AxQd that I'm now getting freerolled on. With optimism, I thought a 2nd call would slow him down.
At that table, I can't fold that pre. Table was too weak loose.

eyurus
Agreed. I'd like to be the one punishing the limping donks. Having previous good sessions this trip and playing well gave me a feeling like I could outplay anyone at the table.

MB
I thought there was a chance of trapping and being tricky. Normally, I raise that pre and cbet. In this case, if I raise and get called by BTN pre and on the cbet.... whats the plan for the turn?

Lapidator
Thanks. I can't think of when I'd fold AQo UTG, but I do think maybe I should be raising it more often pre (now).

Progress
Thanks. I suppose I could raise river, hoping to chase a chop. I really didn't see him with a flush here, but did see lots of ways he could have a Q.

Re: playing with the nits and rocks... If they are folding TPGK, I may sack up and run the table over for a while. In a case of reinforcing bad play, I was able to stack a reg aggro old guy who couldn't fold AK when I check-raise shoved on an AJxx board (I had AJ and it held up).