UTG ($60ish)- huge calling station
MP1 ($100ish)- LAG
MP2 ($50ish)- calling station
Hero (CO) ($50+)
Button ($60ish) - a friend, tends to not think about kickers, tries to steal on the river on dangerous boards - knows a bit about how I play since we talk
SB ($30ish)-tight weak, but chases draws
BB ($40ish)-very LAGy, raises in position often, c-bets often, attacks uncontested pots in position often.

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, Q
MP2 calls, Hero raises to $3.00, Button calls, MP2 calls, BB calls4 folds

Flop: ($12) A, Q, K (4 players)

2 checks, Hero bets $8,

I'm hoping any of the other two-pairs (except AK) call or even better raise me.

, Button calls, two folds.

I'm a bit surprised. With only the straight draw, I'm wondering if he holds stuff like QK,QJ,KJ,AJ,T9,JJ,TT,etc. and was hoping for callers behind.

Turn: ($28) T (2 players)

I really don't like this card, mostly because I'm OOP AND wasn't watching him closely when he dealt the card out - I was just watching the flop.
I decide to check and see what he does.

Hero checks, Button checks (huh?)

Now, I'm really confused. I remember thinking he still holds one of the 2 pair hands I listed above (maybe including AK) and is scared of the 4 straight.
I am also thinking he did hit the straight with AJ or something and feels like can get me to call something if he waits until the river.

River: ($28) T (2 players)

Wonderful. Now anything that was hoping for a jack to come is beating me. Again, I was watching the card come out and not him.

Hero checks, Button bets $15.

I've seen him in the past make oddly small bluffs in the 1/3->1/2 range relative to pot on the river. This amount is fairly large in an absolute sense for him and I am surprised he didn't just shove. My hand is a bluff catcher now and he only needs to be bluffing 25% of the time at this for me to call. I talk to him a bit about how he could call with AJ and catch the T, but I don't feel he has it.

Hero calls.

What could I have done better here? Bet the turn to try and take it down and try my fold equity against AK and everything but a straight?

You're just being result-oriented with the hand.

Short of turning your AQ into a uber-bluff and over-bet the turn, there's probably slim to none chance that you would get QQ to fold in this spot.

Just be glad that villain value bet like a girl on the river and lost at least $5 worth of value there.

Remember AK is a hand everyone plays. So a hand like this your 2 pair can be second best. Just a bad flop for your hand given that villain had a set of queens.

Flop and turn are fine. River, I can't fault a call, but understand that you are losing very frequently, he isn't betting anything for value that you beat, the only way you win is to pick off a bluff, which will be rare.

WP, all streets. You prob lost (haven't read spoiler, but advise against including results, even spoilered, in OP), but should be good often enough to make the call correct.

.25/.50 ????

Yes, he posted a .25/.50 hand. What was tough to understand about this? I've posted some of these myself, in games featuring better players than games 2/5 you might see in a casino at times.

Lose the attitude tough guy...forum is LIVE play. Do you always talk down to people? Pretty sure you wouldn't do it in real life...

Not sure if srs

This hand is from live. He clearly says 'wasn't watching him closely when he dealt the card out'

So your .25/.50 remark did seem harsh

All I said was .25/.50??? How is that harsh? I didn't think they offered such low stakes in live games. If that is the case all he needed to say was it's a live hand and not post like he's talking to a child.

And it's a live play hand. If you had basic reading comprehension skills like everyone above the age of four, you'd have realized this. I only talk down to people who can't coherently speak or think, but offer their opinion anyway. You posted something silly, I posted back.

If "they" equals casinos or underground poker rooms, yes, "they" don't offer this stake game. I would imagine that OP was at a home game, where these stakes are commonplace, as are stakes higher AND lower. Not difficult to figure out. Your initial post, while short and non-detailed, obviously served to come down on OP for playing .25-.50, which is silly. I could find games at this level which have more money on the table than some 1/2 games pretty easily.

Yeah, I posted in the correct forum. Yes, it is a home game - it's hard to get these guys to play any higher limits like $1/$2 or $.50/$1, but I'd really like it if they did!

I also know of another .25/.50 live game that really almost plays like $1/$2 since the table is all young aggressive guys that are drunk, high, you name it.