Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.50/$1
5 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $167.35
Matrix: $100.30
Button: $100
SB: $154.25
BB: $123.75

Pre-flop: (5 players) Matrix is CO with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
UTG folds, <font color="#cc0000">Matrix raises to $4</font>, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds.

Flop: 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ($9, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets $4</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Matrix raises to $18</font>

Villain is a 30/15 donk and this is the first time this session I've raised the flop rather than calling planning to raise the turn.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

Standard for me. I raise these donk bets a lot with air.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

this is fine.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

I do this quite often, although not nearly as often as I c-bet. File this under plays that make for easy decisions on later streets. I find a donkish Villain will usually fold a bluff, but will call down with any piece of the board, any pocket pair, and any draw. I like the play to pick up a small pot now, or to buy two free cards. If he calls the flop, Villain is almost never betting turn or river without a real hand, but will call with trash quite often when you spike a pair.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

looks good.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

I'd much rather do this with a small-medium pocket (2 outs) than with 6 outs to TPTK and the backdoor nut flushdraw/backdoor straight draw. Just call here. Bet a blank turn if he checks, check behind if turn gives you additional outs.

Calling and raising most turns is really spew. You call because your hand has decent equity against his range and the odds are great, not as a bluff.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

eh.. its fine everyonce in a while... depends a lot on how often he is betting the flop when he missed/hit a draw. i think AJ-JT are all likely holdings, and unless you think he is folding something as good as JT, you're going be getting called here a lot, and when you do your A and K are often making his two pair. if you insist on pursuing the hand i like calling here and evaluating the turn to see if you can take it away. if you call the turn and hit ur pair and he bets anything significant i like calling the turn and river, playing rope-a-dope/not going broke against his two pair, probably betting the river if you hit the turn and call his bet, then he checks a blank river

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

I automatically fold and don't think twice. I even mentally thank villain for not taking my cbet. Am I mad?

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

no, but you're a weak/tight nit.

It's a weak lead into a raised pot OOP. This is such an easy raise it's not even funny. Bad players like the villain in this hand make these weak leads with any 2 hoping the original raiser had AK, is a nit, and will fold.

Re: Whiffed AKs - standard or spew?
 

I like it. Folding is not an option unless opponent is a nit, and he's not by stats.