Villain is new to the table. He literally just sat down and did not even have his chips yet because the chip runner was not back yet. He bought in for the full $200.

I was sitting with about $380.

Hero is UTG +1 with A J
UTG folds and I raise it to my standard of $15.

Everyone folds around to the Villain in the BB.
He looks at his cards and thinks for about 10 seconds and then calls.
Pot is $30.

Flop comes A J 9

Extremely good and dry flop for me.

Villain is first to act and donk leads for $20.
This was a surprise but at the same time I have no reads on this new player to the table on his first hand played and I am fist pumping inside.

I have the A and J blockers so pocket AA and JJ are pretty much eliminated from his range as I also feel he would have re-raised with AA and possibly JJ.

So the only hand that beats me is pocket 99.

Anyways, villain leads into the $30 pot for $20.
Pot is now $50.

I re-raise to $65.
Pot is $115.

Villain looks a bit surprised at my re-raise but also seems to have some sort of a smirk on his face...
Villain has $165 left.

After about a minute or two he shoves.
Pot is now $280.

So what is my play? Call or fold?

xTrav

Because board is fairly drawless, and villain has already led for a decent amount (i.e. it's not as if he's giving himself awesome odds for his draw), plus we have position (i.e. no danger of turn checking thru for a free card), I think I'd rather go into calldown mode from the flop. Due to stack/pot sizes, all the chips will be going in by the river, but I'd rather let villain's range be super wide when that happens (i.e. by raising we probably fold out all his bluffs, weaker hands, etc. that probably woulda committed themselves by river).

As played, once we raise I think we have to call. We're being beat by 99, and unlikely AA/JJ (due to preflop and fact we have those cards), so welcome to Coolertown if that's the case.

GCoolertown,justdowntheroadfromRunsHotVilleG

I have read and liked your comments to previous posts, but I disagree with your line here. I don't like the preflop raise. AJs from early is a speculative hand with which you want to take a cheap shot at flopping a monster. If the table is passive, you can limp. Otherwise, fold. This is a good hand with which to lose a lot of money if you overplay it.

Limping lets AK and AQ raise you off your hand for a total cost to you of $2. Occasionally, A10, KJ or KQ will raise you off but the opportunity cost of not playing the matchup OOP w/o intitiative does not justify staying in.

Limping will also let smaller aces in. If an ace hits after no one raise you off pre, you can be confident that you have the best ace. Prepare to give up TPGK easily in a large multiway pot.

I would have flat called the flop. There are no draws of which to be afraid and your opponent is betting for you.

I don't think he is leading out on this flop with 10's or below. He would have raised pre with JJ's or above. His probable range is AK-AQ (small chance of AJ) and 99's.

If he has AK-AQ, he may commit himself with a double barrel on the turn. If he then checks the river, you river bet will look weaker b/c it may have been induced by the check. Given stack sizes and the likely size of the pot after his second barrel, he may call a river shove. If he checks the turn, he will almost certainly call a reasonably sized turn bet.

If he has 99's, you are in trouble. I don't think you can get off this hand without knowing he is a nit. Needless to say, I would call his shove as played. I wouldn't like it, but absent reads I think it is the play. He may be shoving because he thinks it is all going in anyway and he might as well have FE.

Regarding preflop comments above ^^^, I think I'm cool with limping in as well. However, in the end a raise got us HU in position (which is always a money winner, IMO) so maybe you know your table.

What do you hope to accomplish by raising on the flop? As mentioned above, there's no issue with getting stacks in if that's what you wanted to do. All a raise did was to minimize your potential win and maximize your potential losses.

Yes. Raising to maximize value.

I do realize now in hindsight that I misplayed this hand big time.

But at the time of the hand, this is how I played it.

I think most of what you say here assumes a much better player than an average 1/2 guy who randomly sits down. There is just as good a shot that villain has absolutely nothing when he shoves & is just bluffing.

Hand is played fine. I would raise smaller on flop to keep in hands that are drawing basically dead in. You can raise to $47 on flop, $55 on turn, $80 on river and get stacks in. If hero had some bluff here, and made it $65 on flop, guy called, and hero then double barreled turn all in, we would be yelling at him for spew and saying how villain will call with any ace.

I'm sure villain showed a set here, but at 1/2 guys are gonna have AQ-AK and A9 here even after the shove way too often to ever fold.

Villain's worse hands don't have to consist of Ax (which I agree are most likely calling a raise and eventually getting it in). Villain could easily have any other pair / ******ed draw, which he'll probably fold if we raise but perhaps barrel if we show weakness (i.e. I love it when villain's attempt to represent what I actually have).

If stacks were such that we'd have difficultly getting them in by the river then I'd be more for a raise on the flop, but I don't think that's the case here.

I see what you're saying. I just don't want people donking into me, period. I raise enough in LP that I am not gonna have a hand on the flop all that often. If people are constantly donking into me, I'm gonna have to fold hands that I could have c-bet and won with, or c-bet, gotten called, and double barrelled and won, or c-bet, gotten called and realized my equity on the turn or river.

Also, I think if villain has A8, there's a good chance it goes check/50/call on turn, and then on river check/115 allin/fold where he might not be able to fold to the miniraise, 40% 40% line.

If he donked with QJ or QT, is he gonna just fold that to the miniraise on the flop? It seems like he would at least one time it, allowing us to recoup most of the value from him leading turn too, which he doesn't do all the time anyway after we call flop.

Not folding here for 100xBB stacks. He can have A9s or J9s here, occasionally QT, or the other AJ. If he shows up with a set, that's the game and there's not much you can do. You also already have $80 of a $200 stack invested with top 2 when you're the preflop raiser, not the time for a hero fold IMO.

In his mind, any two pair hand is the nuts since HE is liable to be putting HERO on an AK/AQ type of hand a lot of the time.

Snap and fist pump when he rolls over ak!

You're not raising to fold, ever. I prefer flatting in this spot unless villain is stacking off with Ax since you'll be under-repped and can rep a pot-controlling hand that he'll barrel off weaker for value/bluffs.

there are a lot of interesting comments in this thread. first thing I'd like to say is, this is a snap call without hesitation, especially given the stacks, the history (or lack there of) and the fact there with your hand on this flop, there are so many worse hands he could jam here...AK, A9, J9, AQ maybe even depending on how clueless he is. If he has 99 it's a cooler. I mean, if you had AK and played it the same way and the flop was AK9, or AK2, what's the difference. you can't fold.

Also, to those saying to limp in with AJss, I don't agree. While sure I think limping is fine depending on table conditions, I think raising in this spot with this hand is also fine depending on table conditions. Especially since at these limits you are going to get a lot of calls from hands like Ax, K10's, low pockets etc. It's 1-2 Live.

Top 2 100bb deep. Get it in. To those suggesting limping utg with AJs, please stop.

I agree