Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (6 handed) Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

BB ($9.25)
UTG ($8.20)
MP ($9.95)
CO ($10)
Button ($9.50)
Hero ($21.85)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, K.
UTG calls $0.10, MP raises to $0.2, CO calls $0.20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.3, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP raises to $3.2, CO folds, Hero calls $1.75.

Flop: ($6.65) 8, K, 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $6.95 (All-In)


Stats are what really stood out: 23/15/1.3 over 450 hands. His AF is what stopped me from pushing preflop. I was either going to fold this preflop once he repopped or call just to see the flop and see how he acts on the flop.

1. Does this look like AA/KK?
2. How would you play it differently? Or would you play it the same?

He minraises - I reraise - he min-raises again.
Right away I thought in my head *MONSTER*

What do all of you think?

AK, or AA/QQ. Not KK here. The all in shove makes me think QQ for some reason. Did you call and did he show AA?

Preflop, against a TAG out of position, I would fold. There isn't much that he is going to re-pop you with and I think you are either 50/50 or behind to all of it.

Flop: Well, if you are not going to call his AI on THAT flop, fold preflop.

I don't want to respond just yet. I want to hear more people's thoughts and how might they read this opponent and what hands they put him on.

I HIGHLY doubt he has KK, I can't remember the last time i saw someone bet the nut top set (esp KK) on a dry board, when checked to in a heads up pot in 10NL. I think AK, AA, and QQ (maybe JJ) could all possibly make this play. (in order of how frequent I think he'll have these hands)

I hate your flat call preflop. If you really put him on AA or KK, then dump your hand preflop. If you think QQ or JJ could be played like this, then get it all in the middle before any cards come. Flat calling his reraise sucks.

That being said, you obviously thought there was a chance he doesn't have AA or KK. You hit the hand you were trying to hit. Get it all in here.

like said earlier, what kind of flop are you hoping for if you call pf? ldo

If you call PF, you've put in 1/3 of the effective stacks, so there is no way you can ever fold flop if you make TPTK or better. I'venever played NL10, but even at NL50, it is rare for people to 4bet without KK+. BTW, his 4-bet PF was not a min raise, but granted it was on the small side.

Well what would you guys do here? Would you honestly dump your hand to a smallish raise?


I checked flop to see what he would do, and yes, of course I called. I told myself preflop if I get a flop I can work with, I'm most likely going to have my stack in by the end of the hand.

small raise? I got outplayed on this hand though, he knew what I had (assuming I hit the King) and I sort of knew what he had. I could not let it go on the flop, I got what I wanted :\

It's true I never really considered what this opponent is capable of 4betting with. I should have probably ignored the size of the raise since it looked sort of tricky and considered what could he be 4betting with? He was obviously pricing me in for a reason.

An unknown did this to me with A4s yesterday.

With zip FE here I play hand as above and call flop. Cheap getaway if he's got AA/KK. AA/KK doesn't make as much sense as weaker hands given bet-size.

He wasn't an unknown. Against an unknown I'll call/push all day, everyday. This was solely player dependent for me. And I still couldn't let it go

I had the right "feel" on the hand, just didn't go with it.

Ugh, you can't just call 1/3rd of the effective stacks in the middle pf with AK, I mean you hit the flop 1/3 of the time, are you going to check/fold the others? Terribly EV-. Either shove or fold to his 4-bet, AK's equity lies in getting to see 5 cards. In NL 10 (and 25) I'd fold this quickly pf, people don't generally 3-bet loose and they sure as hell don't 4-bet loose.

Whatever you do, don't put a big portion of your stack in pf with an un-paired hand unless you're all-in.

Are you saying folding > calling his min bet.

I agree that ak strenght lies in seeing 5 cards. I'm all in or fold pre-flop.

I find AK a pretty hard one to play in aggressive hands. Maybe a good post for a better player that myself to write.

Note that in this situation there is most likely no FE. If you shove pf, the only hands that may ocassionally consider folding are JJ, maybe QQ; and those hands are at best, worse than a coinflip. You are completely dominated by AA/KK obviously.

Imo, this hand played as well as it probably could have. I can see JJ/QQ shoving it in on this flop (sensing weakness) more often than AA/KK (for value reasons obviously).

I think OPs arguement for folding pf is reasonable but as played looks fine.

I know what you mean re: feeling. We all remember the hands where we shoved KK and villan turned AA but we pay little attention to the 95% of the time that we were ahead in the same situation.

I made a similar post about gut-feelings and facing minraises/min-4bets pf a little while ago and got a hard time for it. People stuff around with an array of hands and FPS at 10nl so I'd make a guess that altough you got stacked, this is not a huge leak in your game.