preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

So I'm on the worst run of my life and I just want to make sure I am doing these little things right that are now standard for me.

5 handed stars 25/50 ( the last 25/50 session i played, and the last one i will play for 2 months!).

The game has teacup, h@ll who seems to be playing awful lately, a buddylist player, and an unknown. The unknown is the villain in this hand. This is like 20 hands in, and not much has happened yet. This guy seems pretty TAG and has cbet a few times but nothing out of the ordinary, so basically no read. I have raised all buttons i have had so far, and prob all opens from the CO.

I open to 200 w/ AKo on the button (I have 6200, villain covers), villain raises to 650 in the sb, bb( h@ll) folds. I raise to 2000 w/ the intention of calling a shove... boring/ standard right?

How often are you calling here? Since folding is clearly not an option, do you prefer raising or calling here? I think there is a lot of merit to both, but given how light ppl are 3 betting pf these days I have been 4 betting light as well and it seems to be a good strat. Anyways, just let me kno if I'm way off or way standard or w/e.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

the problem with 4betting in position when you open on button is that you are likely giving away your hand in the process - this is often an AQ/AK kind of hand. do you ever 4b QQ+ here? i would doubt it because it doesnt make all that much sense and it is certainly not the most optimal line.

so, if for nothing else, i call AK here pre to balance and plan on messing with him on a few flops that i miss as well as playing for value.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

I 4bet AK all day here but make sure to do the same with QQ+ enough that JJ and TT have a tough decision

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

100% standard

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

jfish,
your thought process is valid but not 4 betting in 10/20+ games these days is kind of crazy since there is so much preflop aggression; as such, yea, most people who play this high are DEFINITELY 4 betting with KK / AA fairly often. They're also 4 betting as a bluff rarely etc. Though it might not be the most effective way to play KK / AA in a vaccuum it is necessary since never 4 betting would suck vs most opponents.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

[ QUOTE ]
100% standard

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Probably a basic question I should know the answer to, but why is raising to 2K w/ intention to call a shove better than shoving? Are you expecting AQ and less to shove, or are you hoping to get some calls from those hands? My standard is to shove, to occasionally fold the TT or AK that doesn't like calling 6000 more hoping to flip a coin.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
100% standard

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably a basic question I should know the answer to, but why is raising to 2K w/ intention to call a shove better than shoving? Are you expecting AQ and less to shove, or are you hoping to get some calls from those hands? My standard is to shove, to occasionally fold the TT or AK that doesn't like calling 6000 more hoping to flip a coin.

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I do it because if somebody's 3-betting me light I like to 4-bet light. But since a push and a pot comitting 4-bet are often interpreted the same way, when I'm 4-betting light I like to risk the minimum instead of pushing as I think it's just as effective. But obviously if I do that, I have to play AK/AA the same way.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
100% standard

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably a basic question I should know the answer to, but why is raising to 2K w/ intention to call a shove better than shoving? Are you expecting AQ and less to shove, or are you hoping to get some calls from those hands? My standard is to shove, to occasionally fold the TT or AK that doesn't like calling 6000 more hoping to flip a coin.

[/ QUOTE ]

what do you 4bet to when youre 150bb deep? 200bb deep? shoving in both situations is kinda gross with a hand like AK. do you just make a standard 4b there?

magicninja,

i understand what you're saying, but i tend to not 4b much when i have position. id like 4betting more if say i opened CO and button raised when i had AK/AQ, QQ+/whatever. its probably just a difference in playing style, though its possible im playing suboptimally.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

I used to never 4 bet in position. If you play higher it seems like you are getting 3 bet so light that you have to.

Also 2k is significantly better number because we won't always have AK here; i think its basically same thing in a vacuum obviously.

Re: preflop checkie cause i have lost every pot in the last 7 days,
 

cero_z,

I think 2k is superior to to shoving, because it at least gives the impression of folding equity. I'm not saying that it WILL make a difference, if he has say.... AQ, but w/ this we at least give him a chance to shove whereas if we just shove I think he basically never calls a shove. Overall I am either folding, calling, or raising to 2k with any of my hands here, and basically never shoving.

If anyone has anything to say, especially regarding that last sentence, I think it'd be a good discussion.