50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

Villain is a TAG regular. I think he runs around 16/13. We haven't been playing together at the table for long. My image is TAG also.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.25/$0.50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker Hand History Converter

BB: $55.50
UTG: $32.35
CO: $49.90
Hero (BTN): $49.35
SB: $34.80

Pre-Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Ahttp://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG folds, <font color="red">CO raises to $1.75</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to $6</font>, 2 folds, CO calls $4.25

<font color="blue">Villain makes a normal LP raise. I go ahead and 3 bet. This is the first hand I have 3 bet him at the table.</font>

Flop: ($12.75) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Qhttp://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/club.gif 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
CO checks, Hero checks

<font color="blue">This is a somewhat of a bad flop for my hand. I suspect he would have 4 bet with KK, but possibly not. Certainly QQ is in his range, as well as JJ, TT, but I'm not concerned about those hands as much.

Some might hate the check here since the board is very drawy, but I'm not too worried about a flush or straight draw because I don't think he can have many holdings that would call preflop.</font>

Turn: ($12.75) 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
CO checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $8</font>, CO calls $8

<font color="blue">Okay, he checks again. I pretty much rule out QQ or any really strong hand because I believe he would surely bet here. If he has something like AK with a spade or a big pair with a spade I want to charge him.</font>

River: ($28.75) 6http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/diamond.gif (2 Players)
CO checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $12</font>

<font color="blue">At this point I pretty much still have him on the same range of hands, but am leaning toward AK. Board is pretty scary so I'm not sure how much I should bet. If he has something like JJ do you think he makes a crying call with this smaller bet? Looking back I wish I had bet at least $15. With the rake taken out the pot looked smaller I guess.</font>

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

Id Pot the river or something like it with this line. He never has a set here as the turn would have been raised with 3 spades on board I'm assuming. Maybe he has A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Qx. Either way you should bet more on the river imo.

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

Preflop: Fine (I like $6.50 instead of $6, but that's just me)

Flop: Definitely bet this, probably $9-10. AK/AQ all pay you off. Don't let his AKs/AQs draw for free.

Turn: As played, looks okay.

River: I like a $15 (~1/2 pot) bet here. If you bet too large, you're only going to get called by a better hand. He's showing a lot of weakness, so I expect something like AsQs or JJs. These hands only pay off a smallish bet.

Overall, you miss value on early streets imo and you're either WA/WB by the turn, so you should be looking to bet small enough for top pair/2nd pair type hands to call you.

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

Would like to hear some more thoughts on this hand. My main concern is, did I play this too cautiously? Remember that villain is a decent TAG regular.

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

I don't like the flop play. You have to cbet to define your hand and to extract value from AK. If you cbet and he raises, you shove cause you can't put hem on KK (4bets preflop. QQ seems unlikely too since they 4bet that mostly aswell. Furthermore there's a flush and straightdraw on the board but you stated correctly that any holdings drawing at this board seem unlikely.

Turn: after the check you should realise you have the best hand. Bet 10

River is a blank so value bet. As played the ammount is fine for a value bet but passiveness on earlier streets cause you to lose equity on the river.

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

More on turn and pot riv and get called by a bluffcatcher 88+ and AQ AK

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

If you wanted to play it cautiously, you lose less money if you bet the flop, because he raises with only one hand that you beat and you can get away from it. If you check to turn, are you really going to muck if he leads out?

Aside from that, turn and river are fine. I would usually just go 3/4 pot on each street. You're getting paid off by AK every time and most of the time by AQ.

Re: 50NL: AA vs TAG Line Check
 

On that flop you have to c-bet, I would guess you are c-betting most hands, so you have to keep that pattern up even when you have a big hand. AK or AQ are paying your c-bet, plus you are building the pot for further streets.

As played I probably bet $9 or $10 on turn, and about 60% or 65% of pot on river. I'm still trying to grasp bet sizing though, not the greatest with that.