NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Villain on the button is loose preflop, something like 45/10, and seems somewhat aggressive. Hero has $194 and Villain covers. Preflop raisor in this hand is shortstacked ($74) and raises light.

PokerStars 6-max Blinds $1/$2

Hero is dealt A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the BB. UTG folds. UTG+1 raises to $6. Villain calls $6 from the button. SB folds. Hero calls $4.

Flop ($19): 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Hero checks. UTG+1 bets $12. Villain calls $12. Hero raises to $68. UTG+1 folds. Villain pushes all-in. Hero has $120 left. Hero?

<font color="blue">The bet from the PF raisor feels very weak. Betting not even 2/3 pot on this A high flop with a flush draw. Villain's call doesn't feel strong either since he should want to protect most hands that hit this flop. So I decide to raise enough to put shortstack all-in and make button pay if he's on a draw.

UTG+1 folds as expected but now button goes all-in. WTF? I put him on either a draw or a set. Can't see him having a better A here since he definitely would have raised the flop, and maybe also reraised preflop.

Call or fold?
</font>

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Fold.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

I never want to play for stacks in this spot. Just call the flop and play a medium size pot with your medium strength hand.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

fold. flop raise ($68) seems too big.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Raising the flop is gross. Charging draws is overrated .

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
Raising the flop is gross. Charging draws is overrated .

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Yeah, I realize the flop raise was what put me in this awkward situation. Seemed like a really good move att the moment, but I guess it wasn't...

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Raising the flop is gross. Charging draws is overrated .

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I realize the flop raise was what put me in this awkward situation. Seemed like a really good move att the moment, but I guess it wasn't...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just curious. Is your flop raise a bluff or for value?

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

I don't think the check-raise is that bad. If you make it though, it doesn't need to be so big. I know you were putting villain AI, but that's just showmanship.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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fold. flop raise ($68) seems too big.

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Is the fold really that simple if I can narrow his range down to a set or a flush draw?

If I give him a broad, but likely, range of drawing hands I have almost 48% equity in the pot according to PokerStove. On the other hand I have to be confident that he could play a flush draw this way or else 77/33 is just so much more likely.

Board: 7c 3h Ah
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 47.9515 % 47.95% 00.00% { AdJh }
Hand 2: 52.0485 % 52.05% 00.00% { 77, 33, KhQh, KhTh, Kh9h, Kh8h, QhTh, Qh9h, Qh8h, Th9h, Th8h, Th7h, 9h8h, 9h7h, 8h7h, 8h6h, 7h6h, 7h5h, 6h5h, 6h4h, 5h4h }

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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I don't think the check-raise is that bad. If you make it though, it doesn't need to be so big. I know you were putting villain AI, but that's just showmanship.

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Ok. What would you raise to? A pot sized raise would be $55. Just felt that putting shortstack all-in for $13 more wouldn't make that much of a difference between me and him, but giving me a slightly better chance to fold out the button.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

A little bit of both I guess. I wanted to put shortie to a decision, and I think he might put me on a draw and call me with a PP like KK/QQ/JJ or a weaker A like AT/A9.

Also wanted button out of the way, since from his flop call I put him on a draw as most likely hand.

Don't know if I'm thinking the wrong way about something here though...

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Don't worry about putting shorty to a decision, you should be fine getting it in vs him, though usually you want to give him rope instead of make him call.

restove it with some a7a3 other ax hands for villain. As played looks like a call, though we don't like it too much.

Lead flop is fine here, call if shorty pushes, go with read once see what other villain does.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Ok, I added the possible two-pair combinations w suited aces, and also AK/AQ even if I think those hands are very, very unlikely. My equity drops to 35%.

Board: 7c 3h Ah
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 35.1148 % 34.61% 00.51% { AdJh }
Hand 2: 64.8852 % 64.38% 00.51% { 77, 33, AQs+, As7s, Ac3c, As3s, KhQh, KhTh, Kh9h, Kh8h, QhTh, Qh9h, Qh8h, Th9h, Th8h, Th7h, 9h8h, 9h7h, 8h7h, 8h6h, 7h6h, 7h5h, 6h5h, 6h4h, 5h4h, AQo+ }

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

I think I would have called. The only thing that makes sense with the call, reraise is a draw. But then again donks usually do things that don`t make sense...

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think I would have called. The only thing that makes sense with the call, reraise is a draw. But then again donks usually do things that don`t make sense...

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At the time playing, I made a rough estimation that he'd have a flush draw 50% of the time and a set the other 50%. Of the 50% he has a flush draw he'll draw out on me 1/3 which means I'll drag the pot about 34% of the time.

Getting 2.4-to-1 odds I called. He showed 77 and MHING.

Felt like I donked away my entire stack for no reason... :-(

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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Raising the flop is gross. Charging draws is overrated .

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Interesting. Do people agree with this pov?

The question of charging draws v. not charging them and letting your ok hand go if one hits is one that's been on my mind recently.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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I never want to play for stacks in this spot. Just call the flop and play a medium size pot with your medium strength hand.

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flop raise was not a little too much since ur hand strength doesn't realy reflect it...u don't want to get too deep with AJ even though villian showed some weakness by just calling on the flop...

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

what bruin said, do not play this hand for a stack unless you want to get stacked

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

"Felt like I donked away my entire stack for no reason"

Sounds like you had some pretty good reasons. Just because he had 77 and you lost, doesn't mean you made a bad call.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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"Felt like I donked away my entire stack for no reason"

Sounds like you had some pretty good reasons. Just because he had 77 and you lost, doesn't mean you made a bad call.

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I didn't mean that the call of his push was the worst part. I was more irritated for putting myself in the situation in the first place. Still not sure that just calling the flop instead of raising is a brilliant play either. And betting with the intention of folding to a raise doesn't seem that good either. Being OOP with a medium strength hand totally sucks...

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

Why raise the flop? It is 3 way and you have a difficult, moderately strong hand to play. You have excellent relative postion, why don't you use it? Call and re-evaluate the turn.

As played, I think the range you give him is far too wide. At best you are against the nut flush draw, and he doesn't have that often enough to warrant a call.

Re: NL200 6m - Playing AJ for stacks
 

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A pot sized raise would be $55

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A pot-sized raise is to $67. The pot is $55 when you've paid the $12 pot bet, so to raise pot you need to put in $67.