How should I have played this? NL10

[Jailblazers]

Poker Stars, $0.05/$0.10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker Hand History Converter

BTN: $9.40
Hero (SB): $10.60
BB: $13.10
UTG: $10.70
MP: $3.75
CO: $8.90

Pre-Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] dealt to Hero (SB)
2 folds, CO calls $0.10, <font color="red">BTN raises to $0.30</font>, <font color="red">Hero raises to $0.70</font>, 2 folds, BTN calls $0.40

Flop: ($1.60) 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets $1.20</font>, BTN calls $1.20

Turn: ($4) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets $2.20</font>, <font color="red">BTN raises to $4.40</font>, Hero calls $2.20

River: ($12.80) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, <font color="red">BTN bets $3.10 and is All-In</font>, Hero calls $3.10


I don't know how else to play this hand different against villain. I can't really find a spot where I could've folded. It seems the most ideal place would've been after the minraise or on the river, but I was getting like 5-1 to call anyway. Thoughtss?

[Gelin1]

Firstly, raise more pf! I would've made it around 1.5 It makes a lot easier to play the hand

As played, I don't know. It looks like he has AJ/A10 or maybe a set. He might even have 98s. Only hand you beat is AQ imo

[ev_slave]

[ QUOTE ]
Firstly, raise more pf! I would've made it around 1.5 It makes a lot easier to play the hand

[/ QUOTE ]

This is very true, but there's even more reason than Gelin gives to make this play. The standard 3-bet size in 10NL is $1.2. I know you raise by $0.4 where the minraise only bumps it by $0.2, but here they're just about the same because they both offer great odds and get almost nothing to fold out. As played, the pot is $1.2 and he has $0.4 to call: he's getting 3:1. The implied odds are much much higher. If you raise to $1.5 he has $1.2 to go in a pot of $2.0 and will be getting less than 1.75:1. Further, your stacks will be much smaller, making his implied odds go down drastically. A lot of the times you'll see him fold here, which is a good result since you're OOP without a made hand anyway.

After the flop, you c-bet a whiffed flop, get called, improve to what you think is the best hand and bet/call, and then call of the rest of the effective stack. The turn minraise is probably where you should get suspicious indeed. A minraise (anywhere other than PF) is usually indicative of real strength. Most villains if nothing else check their hand to see if they can beat top pair (in fact, I think most consider how they are against exactly AK most often). Villains range on the button is very wide and includes a lot of KQ, JT, A7, 77, 89 type hands that we're in big trouble against. We could be dire straights on that flop, and if that's not bad enough we could be dead to a Q on the turn.

I think the key to this hand is to realize after your flop bet that "now we're getting into playing for stacks." You start to commit yourself by betting the turn, and he definitely commits by raising, but he also gives you a way out. At this point you then ask "do I want to play a $18.80 pot with TPTK?" I've found that typically the answer is no.