Re: Top trips on the river. What are we doing?
I would call, for the following reasons:
1. Raising will not knock Villain out
2. The hand that will beat you are: any 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]'s, 22, 33, 99, A2, A3, A9. Of these, according to original poster, the final four listed, plus QJ[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], QT[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], and even Q8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] could explain Villain's betting pattern. Additionally, this person may play any small pair to the limit short-handed, pre-flop, so 22 and 33 are still dangerous.
3. Villain's hands you will win with that Villain may have been betting like that are: Ax (but not x=9,3,2; most likely AQ, AJ, AT, esp. if kicker is a [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]), and any pair other than those above.
For me, there are too many likely hands that could win for Villain, compared to the likely hands that will win for you. Not having been in the game, and having enough information on what the flop did for the Villain, I would call.
The only hands the river Ace helped you on (i.e. moved you from loser to winner) are two-pairs for the Villain; would Villain have capped pre-flop on 93, 92, or 32? The Ace also would have made Villain's Ax look better (but would not have helped him). Basically, it moved you from top pair with a good kicker to top three-of-a-kind with a good kicker, but also introduced the possibility of a 9's, 3's, or 2's, over A's for your opponent -- something that kills you.
So I agree the river Ace doesn't change this hand much. Not nearly as much as the flush-completing turn Ace.
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