AA in first hand of a tourney

OneByPhi · #1 07-17-2007, 10:26 PM

First hand of the tourney at a local casino. $50 buy-in, 35 players, mixture of skill levels, but most not all that good. Starting stacks are 5000. Blinds start at 100/200 with 12 minute rounds. Due to the relatively short stacks and quick rounds, this tourney tends to be shove-fest.

Action is folded to me in the cut-off seat, where I pick up A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] . I just bump it up to 600 because I want a caller. Button and SB fold. BB, a 50ish woman I've never seen before, calls. Flop comes A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] . She bets out 600. I think for 30 seconds or so. There are flush and straight possibilities, but I have a set of aces and she may be betting KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, AT, KT, A-rag, or even a small pair, so I decide to just call, hoping a blank comes off.

Turn is J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] . She bets 1200. I think about a minute. If she has a flush draw, I know I should shove because if she misses, she may very well check-fold on the river, and I won't make any more money off a flopped set of aces. I have no idea what hand she has me on. She might think I was blind-stealing pre-flop and is hoping to push me out, or she may have me on the same range of hands I thought she probably had after her flop bet (although she clearly isn't worried that I have a Q unless she has one too). I decide that she probably wouldn't fire another bullet into that scary of a board on just a draw. Now I have to decide whether she is already there with a Q in her hand or is playing 2 pair. I know I have a redraw to a boat or even quads, and just can't get away from my set of aces here. Finally, I just call.

The river is the 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] . Damn. If she was on the heart draw, she got there. She insta-shoves. I still have the set of aces, but any Q makes a straight, and 2 hearts make a flush. I crush anything else. Call or fold?

Comments, please about every decision. If you would recommend any different play at any stage, I'd love to hear your reasoning. Thanks.

ItalianFX · #2 07-17-2007, 10:41 PM

All-in on the flop. She could be doing that with the exact range you put her on, but also the flushdraw is out there, so take that away from her. Make her pay. You have the best hand right there unless she is holding QJ. If she is, it just wasn't your night.

I highly doubt that she is bluffing or making any advanced moves.

SonofDjugashvili · #3 07-17-2007, 10:48 PM

She's got AK. Collect chips. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

supair · #4 07-17-2007, 10:58 PM

Unless she has QJ she doesnt have a queen. She raises QQ preflop, and doesnt lead it post flop. She doesnt lead any other queen post flop except AQ, which she checks after the turn, cos she wants to get paid and you cant call with anything when the jack hits. So its either QJ, a flush which is highly unlikely, a set of tens, or my favourite, AJ. To be honest though it really depends on how good she is, Ive played many hands like this where youll consider folding a set, only to see A6 turned up by some retard. Horrid board I agree, but i cant give her credit for having the straight.

Id definatly 100% agree about raising (obv shoving) the flop, your probably ahead and will probably get called by someone leading this flop, whos drawing slim.

supair · #5 07-17-2007, 10:59 PM

[ QUOTE ]
She's got AK. Collect chips. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

AJ. AK raises preflop, its teh nuts [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

woohoo88 · #6 07-18-2007, 02:01 AM

I think you need to raise the flop/turn here. You will still get called by most of the range she bets here and though there aren't a LOT of cards that peel we are worried about there are definitly a lot of cards that she might shut down on.

River as played is almost never a flush (unless it's AhXh but whatever). This could be AQ (only one ace left though)/KQ/QJ/QT even, but I think it's still a call on the river given all the other two pairs/TT/random crap.

One thing I wanted to comment on was that while it's sometimes good to consider what your opponents think of your hand range, it can be more detrimental than helpful against someone who is not on that level. Most people at these type of games just think "I have two pair here I'm going to get this guy to double me up".

kniper · #7 07-18-2007, 02:11 AM

you have to raise this flop. there are a lot of cards that kill your action and or make things difficult for you. that is a red hot board. raiiiiise

8Adam8 · #8 07-18-2007, 03:04 AM

raise flop

Tackleberry · #9 07-18-2007, 03:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Unless she has QJ she doesnt have a queen. She raises QQ preflop, and doesnt lead it post flop. She doesnt lead any other queen post flop except AQ, which she checks after the turn, cos she wants to get paid and you cant call with anything when the jack hits. So its either QJ, a flush which is highly unlikely, a set of tens, or my favourite, AJ. To be honest though it really depends on how good she is, Ive played many hands like this where youll consider folding a set, only to see A6 turned up by some retard. Horrid board I agree, but i cant give her credit for having the straight.

Id definatly 100% agree about raising (obv shoving) the flop, your probably ahead and will probably get called by someone leading this flop, whos drawing slim.

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent explanation imho! Only one thing I disagree with. A person - as described here - would surely valuebet the turn. I would rarely expect a check here.

Anyway, I shoved the flop. As played I had definitely shoved the turn. As played I had called the river - expecting to win the hand half of the time against AK, AJ, TT and losing the other half against AQ, QJ or AJ[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], AT[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

OneByPhi · #10 07-18-2007, 10:24 AM

Thanks to all for your feedback. I see now that raising the flop is probably the theoretical best idea. For any who are curious, her actual hand was Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], so she flopped the straight, and nothing I could have done other than folding was going to keep me from getting stacked. That's poker. I just wondered if more experienced players thought I should have known I was beat after the turn bet.