1/2 NL How would you have played this hand?

Wiggin · #1 05-11-2007, 06:41 PM

Hero ($650) CO+1
Villan($1500) FP

Late last night at Harrahs, 10 handed 1/2 at a fairly action table. Villian limps from FP, 2 others limper, I raise to 16 CO+1 with AKo. CO folds, then a tight, skilled player on the button reraises to 40. SB cold calls and the 3 limpers all call. I call to complete. ~$240 in the pot.

Flop comes K84 rainbow and is checked around to me. I check and button checks.

Turn is Kd and puts 2 diamonds on the board. SB goes AI for $38 and Villian calls, 3 folds. I raise $130 on top. Villian cuts out the call, and moves it to the side of her chips, dealer says that the call is $3 more and she says hold on, she's not calling yet. She then asks me what I have left. I tell her $400 and she cuts that out as well, then just pushes in the call.

River comes Jd. She puts in $300 bringing the pot to around $576.

Any advice on how I should have played this hand differently?

Albert Moulton · #2 05-11-2007, 07:20 PM

[ QUOTE ]
then a tight, skilled player on the button reraises to 40.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I'd fold AK preflop if this is really true. At best, you are looking to flop TPTK OOP vs a guy who probalby has QQ/KK/AA/AK + position post flop.

Next, if I'd called preflop instead of folding, then I'd stab at the pot on the flop for at least $150 and fold to a push from the tight guy on the button.

Finally, I'd wish I could fold to her river bet, but I'd probably make a crying call and kick myself for it. What could she have that AK beats? Most likely she has a flush. She could also have a full house. I suppose Kx is possible, but her line for Kx doesn't make sense unless he has (or caught) a full house by the river.

So, here in the post, I'd say fold to the $300 despite the ~3:1 pot odds. If I was there, I'd probably call.

What'd you do?

whorasaurus · #3 05-11-2007, 09:22 PM

bet 150 on flop. Raise >200 on turn. I always call this river live. Tough hand.

zman2245 · #4 05-11-2007, 09:29 PM

I think I would have raised more on the turn. Why did you only raise a bit more than 1/3 pot?

Wiggin · #5 05-11-2007, 10:28 PM

Yeah I wasn't calling the raise thinking I had the best hand preflop, I was certain the button had a least QQ, but with 5 people already in for 40, and just another 24 to me, I figured i'd just call and dump if I didn't flop a monster.

Dima2000123 · #6 05-11-2007, 11:15 PM

I'm not sure about the flop, this is a very tough hand, but the turn raise is a blunder. You're not just giving her implied odds if she's drawing, you're actually giving her regular pot odds to draw.

I think pushing the turn is the best here. It's an overbet, but betting anything substantially less is going to give her correct implied odds, and if you do make a larger raise, you're not going to be folding on the river.

nation · #7 05-12-2007, 12:58 AM

Fold river. I fold this preflop a lot too. I just don't like having AK in a reraised pot multiway.

Dima2000123 · #8 05-12-2007, 03:16 AM

I agree about folding pre-flop. AK is really not a good hand in multi-way action, because it's easy to make a second best hand with it when so many people see the flop, with at least one person obviously holding a big hand.

What are you hoping for here? A, K, or A and K on the flop could all spell disaster for you, not to mention the usual danger of sets, flushes, or straights that multiway pots present. You might feel compelled to protect your hand, but actually wind up building the pot while being a big dog.

You're in a very bad position on all three streets, not knowing where you are, and this will frequently be the case when you play AK in huge multiway pots.

Wiggin · #9 05-12-2007, 02:52 PM

Yeah that was why I didn't bet the flop even with TPTK, because the PFR was behind me to act. He could easily have KK or AA. Any bet I put in would have to be a decent sized one, and I was folding if he came over the top.

The reason I bet so little on the turn was to see where I was at. I didn't want to do it on the flop with the PFR, but now I was only worried about the Villian having a boat. Since she limped then called a $38 raise with others in, I was worried about 88. I was thinking any larger bet and I'd be pot committed, and this gave her a chance to come over the top if she had the boat. I completely agree with you about AK multiway, I was almost done with the hand as soon as I called preflop, giving up on it early definately influenced the way I played it.

I ended up going into the tank on the river, almost folded a few times, but luckily she ended up talking and that and the odds made me call. She showed KcTc and the AI for $38 had TT, button had QQ.

I definately think I played the pot wrong, just so many different ways to play it out there. Unfortunately, I was low on cash this week and I had alot behind on the table, so I'm sure that influenced me not wanting to just test the waters with a $150 on the flop. This is the first really huge pot i've played, and I don't like to put that much money in w/o close to the nuts. If I bet anything larger on the turn, I definately think I had to go AI because i'm pot commited. On the river I was absolutely certain she didn't have the flush, I didn't think she'd bet it into me that big with a paired board. I knew there wasn't alot I could beat, i'm looking for a split at best, or possibly KQs.

Thanks so much for the advice guys, definately made me think.

Dima2000123 · #10 05-12-2007, 04:42 PM

Thanks, OP, it's a very educational hand.

Coming back to the turn, is it ever a good idea to just call $38 to keep the pot small, with the intention of making a normal-sized crying call on the river no matter what hits? I'm not sure I have the answer to this, this is really a minefield of a hand, any action could either be very correct or a big blunder depending on what cards the opponents hold.