AQo on the Button Live 3/6

[BigAlChicago]

3/6 live at Potawatomie Casino Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. Table is the usual LP preflop with a couple of older gentlemen who never seem to raise preflop, and a couple of LAGGY types in the 7 and 8 seats who raised about 90% of the hands they played preflop (including mid-range suited connectors and A6 suited.)

I am in the 4 seat with A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. 4 limpers to me on the button, and I raise. Both blinds and all limpers call.

[14 sb] K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Five players check to the CO who bets. What do you do?

[Niediam]

I call.

If you raise you incrase the chances of you winning when a A/Q hits but in this situation I'd rather let people in and hopefully win a larger pot if you make a big hand.

I play it this way because even though the pot is big I fear that even if you knock some guys out that hitting your A/Q will often just make you a 2nd best hand. If I thought it was more likely that pairing would give you a winner then I'd say raise.

[earlytimes1]

we have the opportunity to face the field with 2 cold; I'd take it and raise. we can sometimes make better hands fold (tens, mid pairs) and we may have the option of a free card. the subsequent action will also often tell us a lot about whether we're against a made flush or nut draw. the pot's big, let's be aggressive with position.

[Ricks]

[ QUOTE ]
I call.

If you raise you incrase the chances of you winning when a A/Q hits but in this situation I'd rather let people in and hopefully win a larger pot if you make a big hand.

I play it this way because even though the pot is big I fear that even if you knock some guys out that hitting your A/Q will often just make you a 2nd best hand. If I thought it was more likely that pairing would give you a winner then I'd say raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like this. I think that we are better off preserving our implied odds.

[BigAlChicago]

I guess not as straight forward as I thought...

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
I guess not as straight forward as I thought...

[/ QUOTE ]

There are positives and negatives to calling and raising. In the end if you play well post flop I like them both equally, I determine how I will play based on the opponents who are yet to act, and the player to my right (who almost never has a flush here at these limits). I will think abbout the opponent to my right's likelyhood of calling down or betting the river lightly. If I call the flop, my intention is to raise the turn - but that may not be wise vs a large field in players call behind me.

So many variables, i really think nobody can answer this question except for yourself - as long as your plan isn't to call the flop, call the turn, fold the river unimproved heads up I'll probably like it.

[BigAlChicago]

I did raise the flop, hoping for a free card on the turn (for which I figured I had about a 95% chance given this field, especially in light of the preflop raise and the K on board) and for whatever protection it might provide.

The rest of the hand was fairly straight forward as I got one or two cold callers plus the original opener on my right called.

A red A hit the turn, giving my TPTK. It was checked to me, I bet, one or two callers. A blank hit the river and I got one caller for my river value bet. MHIG without the caller showing his hand.

I posted because a couple of the middle to late position players (seats 1 and 2) were muttering about a "strange raise." I didn’t think that the raise was that strange given draws that I had and the ability to take a free card, if needed.

[Tryptamean]

[ QUOTE ]
I posted because a couple of the middle to late position players (seats 1 and 2) were muttering about a "strange raise."

[/ QUOTE ]

People do this all the time because they are retarded and can't comprehend why someone would ever raise a hand that is unlikely to be best currently.

[TheCount212]

Although highly unlikely, the flop raise has the added advantage of perhaps scaring off any extremely passive holder of the Ac with a rag.. but I'm guessing that your river caller might have been holding out for the nut flush.

The doubters probably thought your raise was strange because of the flush board.. and that it apparently didn't scare anyone off.

[ChuckyB]

With the gutter and the 2nd-nut flush draw (though it's only one card), I like a raise here.

With a pot this big players will call two. I'm not sure which outcome is better, but I don't think we are really bothered if people call or if they fold.

Plus, since I have such a super-tight image (for the game I play in) raising on the come pays dividends even if I don't win the hand.