Quote:
Originally Posted by kimchipanda1
Hero should never check Ax here, correct?
Checking means surrendering 100%.
If your strategy means that checking means you're 100% surrendering the hand then you have a problem. Your observant opponents will start taking advantage of you by betting every time you check, regardless of what they hold.
So, for example, if I were opening this pot from hijack preflop I could have any suited ace and any offsuit ace down to AT (depending on the situation). So I'm going to have a lot of AX on this flop as well as a lot of other strong hands and decent draws.
Nevertheless I'm going to have to check some hands I opened preflop (99-22 and various suited connectors that totally missed). If I don't check these hands my cbet range becomes obviously too wide and weak. If I'm checking hands I won't continue I must check some hands I will continue.
Thus I'll check some weak top pairs (AX), KK, second pair and some draws. Occasionally I'll check a strong hand too. Then if villain bets after my check I can call some hands and raise (for value or as a semibluff) with others. That protects my checking range from cheap exploitative attack.
This is necessary against any modestly observant opponent vwith any poker ability whatsoever.