AQ SB Line Check

[Steroid Boy]

villain just moved to the table so no reads

Poker Stars, $5 + $0.50 NL Hold'em Tournament, 100/200 Blinds, 5 Players
LegoPoker Hand History Converter

UTG: 14,340
CO: 3,025
BTN: 6,815
Hero (SB): 11,546
BB: 4,712

Pre-Flop: (300) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG calls 200, 2 folds, Hero calls 100, BB checks

Flop: (600) 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets 400</font>, BB calls 400, UTG calls 400

Turn: (1,800) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets 800</font>, BB folds, UTG calls 800

River: (3,600)A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">Hero bets 1800</font>, UTG calls 1800

[Steroid Boy]

bump

[cheburashka]

I also would like to see opinions on this (sorry Steroid, the last thing you need on earth is advice from me).

I think I would raise pre. Someone once told me that an easy way to think about short-handed play is to lop off the first few positions. So, your UTG limp is about the same as HJ limp at a full table--i.e. it could be any darned thing. So AQo is likely best, and as you'll be playing OOP, I think you should make UTG pay to play.

As played, I think your flop and turn bets are very standard.

However, the river is where I always run into trouble. On the one hand, in a $5 tourney, there's no reason not to expect a call here from any Ace or any limpy pair (22-77). On the other hand, a set very often plays the same way (I can't tell you how many times I've had two top pair and just donked off stacks trying to scare away bottom set who kept calling and calling), and often a villain will luck into two pair with an ace rag. And to top it off, I had a very similar situation today where villain played pocket aces almost exactly this way (although he min-raised the river).

So if anyone has any wisdom on how to tell whether SteroidBoy is good on the river here, please chime in!

[Bond18]

Bet more on turn, like 12-1400. If players at this limit limp utg as much as i think they might, i may raise to 800 out of SB.

[McMelchior]

I count 40k in chips on your table; what kind of tournament is this - a 45 player?

Even though the blinds seem conspicuously low, you must be down to last two tables, that is FT bubble or FT bubble + 1, right?

In any case, PF I raise AQ here.

FT bubble (even if the 45 player only pay 7 spots) is a good place to be aggressive. There's no reason to put UTG on a slow played monster; and you'd much rather play your AQ HU than allow the BB to see the flop for free, and the stacks are deep enough not to be too worried about inflating the pot a little.

Chances are your hand is ahead of UTG's, so you don't mind getting more chips in the middle PF, even if you're OOP after the flop. And finally - there's always a chance that they both will fold to your raise.

[Steroid Boy]

it was a 45man i was 2 of 12

[Dunkman]

Pf is definitely a raise, you can bet this on 3 streets, bet more like 1200 on the turn.

[erc007]

I wonder if you could get more value by c/calling the flop then c/r'ing the turn? I don't lead much from the blinds, unless i have a strong hand, so isn't c/c more in keeping with just calling/not raising pre? I don't think any limper is checking behind on this flop after both blinds check, since it's so easy for him to rep an A.

Just a thought...

[hamnegger]

i think you played the hand backwards based on preflop decison not to raise (which i think is an ok deceptive play). now you check call the flop hoping a weake ace is there or a bluff. on the turn raise. as you played here i would have been concerned by the call by bb on flop.

[Steroid Boy]

in hindsight i lost the least amount of money on the hand, UTG turned up AKcc