I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

I really think one of the weakest areas of my game is handling situations like this with TPTK.

Should I have raised the flop here? I feel like raising the flop to "see where I'm at" is a MAJOR spew. What is the cheapest line to figure out if you are ahead here or not?

Can I call this turn bet? Should I just fold?

Really looking for some sound advice here.

Thanks

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.10/$0.25 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker Hand History Converter)

SB: $22.65
BB: $24.30
UTG: $19.70
CO: $33.15
Hero (BTN): $26.30

Preflop: Hero is dealt http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/As.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/Jh.gif (5 Players)
UTG calls $0.25, CO folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $1.25</font>, <font color="red">SB raises to $2.25</font>, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.00

Flop: ($5) http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/Jc.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/9d.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/6c.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">SB bets $3.25</font>, Hero calls $3.25

Turn: ($11.50) http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/Jc.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/9d.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/6c.gif http://www.legopoker.com/hh/images/cards/color/3d.gif (2 Players)
<font color="red">SB bets $6.00....

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

Fold pf. Seriously.

He needs to have a really wide range for 3-betting pre (even min like this) and be really atrocious post for you to be +EV with this hand oop. Think about the reverse implied odds wherein if your A is good you make no money and if your J is bad you lose a lot, and these are merely the times you actually hit one of them. And I really assume from your post that you don't think he's a spewmonkey who will always fire 3 barrels when he 3-bets AK and misses.

The turn betsize is strange and suspicious no doubt but you're still in a bad spot and will probably end up calling another small bet when you're beat here, which will often be the case. This is why I just fold pf in spots like this against unknowns and don't put myself in this position.

*Edit* Whoops just noticed you are in position. I'd probably call then but the turn still sucks. Call the turn I guess and see what he does on the river. He's gonna milk you for probably like 8 on the river with AA/KK/QQ if the river is a blank, and probably check any worse hand which I really think he rarely has here. I think the turn bet means he does not have AK (unless he is just awful) which he might have had on the flop. Therefore you are really only beating a very small % of his hands.

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

Your not in this spot because of the flop or turn.

If you find yourself in the spot often, then its a big leak. The preflop decisions put you where you are.


Ret

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

What if he had just called my pf raise and taken a similar line?

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

[ QUOTE ]
What if he had just called my pf raise and taken a similar line?

[/ QUOTE ]

If he donks into you on this flop in that circumstance I would raise. If he 3-bet flop I would usually fold depending on read. If he calls you have to evaluate the turn card to decide what to do. If he calls then checks blank turn I'm firing always.

The thing about a 3-bet pot is that not only is his range tighter, yours is too (for instance, if you had openraised A9o and he 3-bet you'd probably throw it away). Therefore, whereas in a normal raised pot, he might donk out KJ into you on the flop thinking it's good a good % of the time, in a 3-bet pot, if he even manages to have KJ, he is feeling much less confident about it. This really starts to polarize the hands he will fire multiple barrels at you in a 3-bet pot with between bluffs and hands that are better than yours, and since most ppl do not 3-bet often at 25nl, his range is already way ahead of yours preflop, then on the flop, you might have caught him if he has AK, but by the turn it is back to looking very much like you are beat. (taking merely the data about his range for hands he would 3-bet pf then fire multiple barrels with and the fact that he DID BET the turn; ignoring the weird betsize which is often a red herring at 25nl imo). (I play 25NL almost exclusively btw).

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

[ QUOTE ]
Your not in this spot because of the flop or turn.

If you find yourself in the spot often, then its a big leak. The preflop decisions put you where you are.


Ret

[/ QUOTE ]

Solid advice.

Fold preflop

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

One other thing. Hands like AJo are probably among the very worst to just call a 3-bet with against all but the most maniacal players. I'd much rather have 57s or J9s (facing this min 3-bet that is; I'd instafold both with 100BB stacks to a normal-sized 3-bet). And against a normal-sized 3-bet, you'd often be better off 4-betting AJo than calling with it. Not to say that folding isn't best, but calling just puts you in a terrible situation very often. You're almost calling hoping you DON'T hit the flop with these types of hands, against competent players.

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

I agree with fold pre-flop unless he is a habitual 3better...then you could make a case.

Re: I need advice playing TPTK in these spots...
 

I think the advice to fold pre-flop is a very good one, because AJ will be really tough to play post flop. From my experience, this small reraises are usually big hands. Anyway, I must confess I call too much in these spots IP with these hands too, just saying to myself I can´t fold to such a small reraise. But really AJo is not the hand to do it, the way to exploit this is calling with PP and SC with position and excellent odds and stacking those big pairs he will show up most of the time.