Live 1/3, 100-150 BB effective.

UTG raise to 15 with AA. All the loose players fold. Two textbook OMCs in the blinds call with hand ranges which are 95% QQ-55/AK/AQs. What's your basic plan for the hand?

Why fold A5ss pre for $8 more? I'd understand if it was 45dd, or 65dd type hand but with an Axs shouldn't I we atleast see a flop to see what develops 100bb eff...

Calling pre is fine IMO

Because the best thing we can hope for is flopping an obvious draw. We're not going nuts with top pair.

I'd be inclined to call if the players in the hand were super weak but generally MW and OOP, I'm ditching the small suited aces.

If we end up against the 150bb stack, the SPR will 10, where we can bet/fold small over 3 streets. If we end up against the 100bb stack the SPR will be 6.5, where we might have to consider pot controlling (which I'd also consider if both called the flop). So I'd probably bet small on the flop (no more than 1/2 PSB) and see what situation I'm in.

GcluelessNLnoobG

- Since when do Low stakes player (often) don't pay off obvious draws?
- I don't have any problems playing A5s MW, in fact that's my preference to win a large MW pot
- And I never mentioned anything about the players other than they're unknown. So this can mean they're solid or weak....
- And lastly, i mentioned my plan for the hand if i flop an ace, instead of the draw I am looking for with this hand.

b/b/jam on King high flops. 30, check behind turn o/w.

Well, for one, you have no reads. Hard to justify the call without some sort of exploitation plan.

That's a fair point.

But I don't see what's hard about calling 4 more BB's with a hand with that has potential. C/f when we don't hit is exploitation as well, not just exploiting by extracting money.

I find many players loath paying off flushes nowadays. I try to use it to my advantage by repping a flush if the stars are aligned just right.

If your exploitation plan rests on the confidence that you're significantly better than your opponents, I'd feel better about your plan if I knew you had a good understanding of why the call is shaky, and a better explanation on why you're essentially readless after nearly an hour.

Anyway, some of the problems:
- Getting paid on flushes OOP isn't a slam dunk.
- You're only 15:1 to make a flush by the river.
- You'll often have to pay more to see the river or never get there.
- Occasionally you'll make a flush and lose.
- Your Ace offers some nice RIO.

Anyway, you're OOP, marginal hand, lacking the initiative, and have no reads. Skill edge better be huge. GL

- Villain's didn't flip over any significant hands to get reads on. I could've stated they seems to be on the tight/passive side, but there was a reason I mentioned it's a new table. It's likely they were trying to get reads themselves or just tight/passive and/or nitty
- You're right, getting paid on a made hand isn't a slam dunk.... but you can make the same case for any other hand. However, this is low stakes and how often you see players station top pair on 3 to a flush boards? Maybe your game is different than the one I play in
- Occasionally I will make a flush and lose... but occasionally I'll make a full-house and lose, make a straight and lose, make top pair and lose.... should we muck those hands PF as well?


- And, lastly, yes we're oop, and don't have the initiative... but doesn't that make playing this hand oop post flop easy? And didn't we take the initiative when both players checked (i.e. utilizing our skill advantage in this spot?)

Thanks for the response

1-2 NL, plays bigger, lotta LAG villains. I've been getting snapped off frequently lately, FWIW.

I bought in for 200 and grinded up to about 300 (I have Villain barely covered) when I get AA in MP.

I must have limped pf (knowing someone would raise), because very laggy villain in LP makes it $15 and then there were two callers before me, so I pop it to $60. Villain calls, as do the other two limpers.

Flop ($240) is K84.
The two limpers go check check to me.

My action? I know I need to get it in here, because the likely best Villain can have is AK (I suspect he would re-pop PF with KK; I guess a set is possible).

So I'm about to bet, but villain grabs his chip stack as if he's about to bet. So I check, and he shoves. Two limpers fold.

I think for a bit, but call my last $250 into the now $500 pot.

He turns over QT.

Flop: A

This makes his flush, but gives me a set (boat draw) and a higher flush, which I whiff on the river.

OK, well, any chance he calls if I shove first? He said he didn't think I was that strong, so

1) By shoving, I get fold equity, and maybe win it outright.
2) By checking, I get his chips in the pot while I'm ahead

Comments on how I played this?

What's the problem exactly?

I'm not sure. I lost, but that's results oriented (which I guess is your point?). Should I have done anything differently? If we played with our cards face up, does it play out exactly the same?

It seems that there should be some value in deception, but did I get too fancy by limp-reraising pre flop, or checking post-flop? Or did I play this perfectly and he just caught one of his 8 outs to beat me?

the goal of poker is to get as much money in while you're ahead. If you really want to change this hand to get him to fold, then you need to review the basics.

Put another way, if you really wanted to win this hand at all costs, you could have just shoved preflop. That would have REALLY maximized fold equity.

Well OK this is why it's in the low stress thread. If I played it perfectly and lost, no big deal. If I could have played it better somehow, then I would like to hear how/why. I feel like I'm playing my hands "face up" lately and it's been hurting me, by winning small pots and losing big pots (e.g. my KK vs. 96o, flop 992 etc.). So I'm trying to figure out how to be more deceptive while not getting too fancy...

There is value in deception. But I like playing my strong hands strong, and a few other hands strong also. Now AA is hidden, and we're still getting the "big hand, big pot" thing happening.

Yes, although my re-raise to $60 pf to me screams strong. Getting 3 callers was sort of surprising. Big hand, big pot, and someone caught up. Move on to the next hand, I guess.

it does seem strong. Fishy players say "ooo, he's got a big hand, let's see if I can crack it", and call with junk

Hand is fine. Given the runout the money was all going in no matter how you played it.

You can make an argument for raising bigger when it comes back around to you, but as you see you got a very advantageous position postflop even with the 60 raise size.

Let's imagine you had open raised instead. QTcc is obviously not folding and maybe he'd put enough pressure on you on the flop to get you to fold your aces incorrectly. This is a worse result than what you achieved with the line you took, getting in for stacks as a nearly 2-1 favorite.

Two Ac in deck?

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No I had a different ace, the A showed up on the turn.

You should be betting this flop to get value from AK, KQ and flush draws unless you have a read that villain plays flush draws aggressively.

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Preflop is fine if you have the proper reads. Might make it a bit more than 60 though. Might give away that you have AA, but if theyre brainless it doesn't matter.

On the flop, I would be hesitant with the tell you got. A lot of time people grab chips consciously is order to act like they are going to bet if they want you to check. I would bet ~80-100 on flop and jam almost any turn.