Another basic blind question...A4s

[Oink]

First of all: Folding here is BAAAAD!

Whether to raise or call down depends on villains tendencies. For calling down to be optimal villain needs to be capable of bluffing all 3 streets. If this is not the case and if villain may fold say KT or other 6 out hands I like a 3 bet more. If villain is somewhere in between, i.e if he wont bluff all 3 streets and wont fold a 6 outer on the flop I like calling the flop and raise/folding the turn for a free showdown and maybe folding better PP's.

[kurosh]

Hands like this - you have to look at the big picture. It depends on that.

[StellarWind]

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The problem is that even his bluffs have 6 outs. The possibility of folding a 6 outer (which has about 25% equity on the flop), combined with the possibility of folding a better hand makes me forgo the opportunity for further value extraction. More often than not, it also allows me to save money against a better hand.

[/ QUOTE ]
If a better hand folds on this deal it will be yours. No one is folding an overpair to the four. On the other hand you are in real danger of being blown off your hand by a smaller pair or AK.

The sensible play is to call down. I wouldn't try anything else without a sharp read.

An important metagame issue is that you cannot call down everytime someone checkraises this flop. It's really lucky to have a decent hand instead of wondering what to do with K8 (51% flop equity vs. two random cards). If Villain is bluffing he must be made to pay. You cannot tip him off before he sinks a lot of money in the hand by continuation betting the big streets. Otherwise you will never make up for all the times he bets you off the best hand.

That's why I usually call this checkraise with AQ, K4, 22, K8, JT, and anything else that looks remotely playable on a flop like this. He's only putting 2 SB into the flop in an attempt to scoop up 5.5 SB. You have to call most of the time to deny him an immediate return on his investment or he will start checkraising any two cards and clean you out.

Now the burden is on Villain to either bet the turn and risk walking into an expensive trap or start giving free cards that allow me to score a lot of those weak hands I called with. It's his choice but I will realize the value of my cards versus his enormous preflop hand range.

But none of this will work if you make a habit of issuing warning raises everytime he is in trouble on the flop. If all you have is a bluff catcher then let him hang himself and avoid an unpleasant reraise. With a strong hand let him further commit himself before you put in the double-size raise.

If you don't learn to do this you can never move up. The mid-stakes LAGs will take you apart.

[bbbushu]

stellar, you've gotten more concise

i'm having a lot of archive deja vu lately.
bbbushu

[Sushiglutton]

[ QUOTE ]
stellar, you've gotten more concise

i'm having a lot of archive deja vu lately.
bbbushu

[/ QUOTE ]

Thnx stellar for two interesting posts and bbshuhsshu for the link