Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

Poker Stars, $0.05/$0.10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $14.45
Hero (BTN): $9.60
SB: $8.90
BB: $6.80
UTG: $13.70
MP: $5.95

Pre-Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG folds, MP calls $0.10, <font color="red">CO raises to $0.30</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to $0.70</font>, 3 folds, CO calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.65) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 Players)
CO checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $0.40</font>, CO calls $0.40

Turn: ($2.45) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
CO checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $1.10</font>, <font color="red">CO raises to $2.20</font>, Hero calls $1.10

River: ($6.85) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">CO bets $3.50</font>, Hero calls $3.50

<font color="white">Results: $13.85 Pot ($0.65 Rake)
CO showed 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (a straight, Four to Eight) and WON $13.20 (+$6.40 NET)
Hero showed A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (a pair of Aces) and LOST (-$6.80 NET)</font>

Since this is my first real post I think I should let you guys give your input before I say what I was thinking on all streets?

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

You need to work on your bet sizing. Your preflop 3bet was way too small. It should be at least $1 and as much as $1.20. Your flop bet is also too small; Make it at least $1 here and preferably more to build a pot and charge draws (I realize you're not worried about hearts because you have the Ah, but you can get them to call a lot more than $.4 so you should). Your turn bet is also a little too small. Villain's line on the turn is scary, but you could possibly still be ahead and if not are getting a cheap price to draw to your nut flush. I want to say that you should fold the river, but I know that if I'm at the table I make a crying call here (possibly a leak of mine) so whatever.

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

Ok there is a lot you did not do well this hand.

Lets start preflop. The 3bet is good but you aren't raising it up enough. Make it around 1.10 next time.

You want to be betting this flop, which you did, again however, your bet is to small. I probably would bet about 1.30 on the flop.

Again your bet on the turn is to small again (see a pattern?). Bet closer to pot. I also don't mind checking behind on the turn here.

River you should probably fold. I think with the line villain took he has &gt; 1 pair every time.

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

You didn't bet enough on any street. Make it like $1 or 1.1 (you can raise a little less since your IP). Make a real bet like 1.3 on the flop (40 cents does not count)
Bet like 2 on the turn.

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

Ok here is what I was thinking on this hand:

Preflop - standard preflop 3 bet at this table was $.7 so I went along with it because I was worried about the initial raiser folding. Looking back on it, trying not to be results oriented, I agree that I should have bumped it up to ~ $1.

Flop - On almost all other boards I would definately put in around a 1/2 to 3/4 pot size bet (hopefully thats right?). This was clearly a very good flop for me. I figured due to his raise preflop he either had a middle pocket pair or two high cards. Besides the 7 I was really not afraid of any hand, because it would require a either two outer or running cards. In short, I bet small because I wanted to keep him around. But now I also agree that I should have bet more here(because he would be calling a bigger bet anyway).

Turn - I should bet more here to get more money into the pot, I know. But I lost control of the hand when he raised me. I figured it just to be 99 or TT raising because the villain thought that hand was good. Looking back at it now, I feel the best line would have been to minraise his raise. I know people dont like minraises but I think this would give me a lot of information. If he goes over the top of my raise I can easily lay down the hand. Also, I could most likely check down the river if he only called. Again, I agree I should have bet more initially.

River - I definately got a little lost here. I figured the chance of him having a set or a 7 was lower then 50%, making the call profitable. Looking back on it, the way he played it sort of indicates he would have greater then a pair. I don't believe folding strong hands is one of my weaknesses, like many microstakes players, but I didn't think folding pocket aces here was profitable. It is clearly close.

Please critique my thinking as I am definately only starting to grasp some major concepts in poker. Thanks to those who have replied.

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

[ QUOTE ]

Preflop - standard preflop 3 bet at this table was $.7 so I went along with it because I was worried about the initial raiser folding. Looking back on it, trying not to be results oriented, I agree that I should have bumped it up to ~ $1.


[/ QUOTE ]

If everyone else at the table minraised pf, would you go along with that too? Make the right play, not what the rest of the table is doing.

[ QUOTE ]

Flop - On almost all other boards I would definately put in around a 1/2 to 3/4 pot size bet (hopefully thats right?). This was clearly a very good flop for me. I figured due to his raise preflop he either had a middle pocket pair or two high cards. Besides the 7 I was really not afraid of any hand, because it would require a either two outer or running cards. In short, I bet small because I wanted to keep him around. But now I also agree that I should have bet more here(because he would be calling a bigger bet anyway).


[/ QUOTE ]
This is flawed logic. Yes, you have an overpair with the NFD, but that doesn't mean your hand is invulnerable. People always say that you win small or lose big with big pairs, and betting 40 cents on the flop is a big step towards this. You cannot raise "to keep him around", you must raise a normal around, and make him pay to stay around.

It seems like you know how you should have played the hand, even as you were playing it, and yet you made small bets and raises in an attempt to keep him around, never realizing that he had outdrawn you.

Re: Good or Bad AA play? NL10
 

Agreed with the above. In general, you must hold an absolute deck-crippling monster to slow down so much. When you slow down like you have, you are not keeping him around so much as you are allowing him to draw at you profitably in general. You only have an overpair and a flush draw. Minimum for slowing down soo much imo is top-set with no-straight-draws/rainbow flop. Otherwise, bet bet bet.