NL50 - AJo Line Check

[22pajo]

No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.25/$0.50
10 players

Stack sizes:
UTG: $2.35
UTG+1: $45.15
UTG+2: $41.90
Hero: $45.35
MP2: $49.50
MP3: $105.35
CO: $37.15
Button: $35.30
SB: $48.10
BB: $48.50

Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is MP1 with J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
3 folds, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to $2</font>, 2 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds.
<font color="blue">I come from a LHE background where AJo is a marginal raise preflop in this spot. As its folded to me i open raise because, well because i just hate open limping. Plus i had not played many hands in the session and so my image was (or should have been) tight </font>

Flop: 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ($6.5, 3 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets $2.5</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to $6</font>, CO folds, SB calls.
<font color="blue">SB was very loose agro (62/19/4) and i'd seen him bluff raise into preflop raisers already without much success. So i raise hoping to force CO out and maybe even get SB to lay his hand down. With my 2 over cards i figure i have enough equity if i'm played back at. </font>

Turn: Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ($18.5, 2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.
<font color="blue">With the turn club i figure i'll take the free card </font>

River: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ($18.5, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets $1.75</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to $5</font>, SB calls.
<font color="blue"> So i get lucky and raise </font>

Comments on all streets please. I'm more interested in your thoughts on preflop, flop and turn.
From posting on some LHE forums a "line check" post was quite common. I hope that is the same here. Apologies if not.

[AFCBeer]

I think I just call the river here. He could call with a weaker hand but that Ace could just have easily given him 2 pair.

In limit this is an obvious raise but in NL you need to be a bit more careful. Villain seems like a bit of a maniac so I'd be reluctant to re-open the betting with a hand I'd like to showdown.

I think your preflop, flop and turn play are fine.

[RocketPiquette]

Same here, there is no way I raise this river.

[threads13]

I normally don't bother with raising AJo this early. I might raise it depending on table conditions though(which it looks like you didn't have with a loose SB). I will limp it also.

I don't know how the the raise is good on the flop here. I don't know that you are going to get the SB to fold often enough as loose as he is preflop. It is different if you have a read that he will lay down hands when he is played back at then. Since I assume he will call, you are really just heading down the path of building a big pot with a weak hand. I understand that you are trying to get the CO out, as well, but I don't think it is worth the price of admission. It quickly becomes a difficult situation to navigate when you are OOP with AJo.

The flop raise worked out as expected - so now you it checked to you. Your flop raise represented an overpair(or better) or maybe a flush draw, I think you need to bet here. You can fold to a raise because I don't think you want to get overly involved with this draw to the 3rd nut flush. Therefore, you don't really have THAT good of implied odds if you check.

I know it sounds contradictory to say that I don't like the flop raise and I also don't like the turn check but I think if you think you can get him to lay down a hand on the flop then you need to continue to represent a hand on this good turn card. I don't love the situation you are in by this point, but I think the best option is a bet... but probably not by much.

I do like the river if this guy won't bluff 3-bet and will call with a lot of weak aces. Against loose players like this I think there is a lot of value to raising this ~1/9 size bet.