25NL AA - Comments please

maca9 · #1 11-25-2007, 08:07 AM

Hi

I know some may be critical of the min raise pre flop....other than that is this hand ok?

Should have i been happy to get all in on the flop with AA when he effectively pushed?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

BB ($46.65)
UTG ($36.70)
UTG+1 ($50.85)
MP1 ($7.75)
MP2 ($5.75)
CO ($5.05)
Button ($24.65)
Hero ($14.65)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
5 folds, Button raises to $1, Hero raises to $2, 1 fold, Button calls $1.

Flop: ($4.25) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets $1.5, Button raises to $10.25, Hero raises to $12.65, Button calls $2.40.

Turn: ($29.55) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: ($29.55) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: $29.55

JFM · #2 11-25-2007, 08:40 AM

This is a perfect example how not to play AA. If you want to be sneaky, just call the btn. This is a dangerous flop for you and your weak lead just invites a reraise. As played,Hoped he had KQ or or a SD/FD.
If you are ready to commit your stack then just push to protect your hand against the draws and mayby get a call from a K or J depending on villan.
Otherwise bet close to pot and fold if he puts you AI.

maca9 · #3 11-25-2007, 08:42 AM

Why is the flop so dangerous?

Do you mean I should have lead the flop with a bigger bet?

Kos13 · #4 11-25-2007, 08:46 AM

Reload. PF is gross. Flop lead is way too small. As played, get it in...you didn't even have 60 bets at the start of the hand, it's a 3bet pot, and you have AA, so this is a no-brainer.

JFM · #5 11-25-2007, 09:07 AM

Since the btn was the first to raise in the pot he don´t need much of a hand. QTs, T9s KJ, AT most pairs and of course big hands AQ, KK, QQ JJ that he decids to take a flop with position. Your bet on the flop screams weknes and gives him the posibillity to both call with FD/SD (haveing the odds to so) and raise like i would have done. You need to protect your hand and cut down on the pot odds and the implied odds. If you are preperd to commit your stack, when i think you should push since the same hands that you beat will call you almost always anyway and hands like T9 dosen´t get the odds to call you, or makes an incorrect call. If the btn is decent though you only beat KQ and are pretty even aganst a combo-draw

Specialwon · #6 11-25-2007, 09:20 AM

Ask yourself, what does that minraise preflop actually achieve, aside from getting one extra measly dollar in the pot?

Basically it is almost never right to slowplay unless you can justify the move. Because:

a) by minraising you tip your opponent off that you have a big hand, but without protecting yourself - you have just given a set miner a perfect opportunity to stack you here. You won't get any action post flop unless they have a hand that beats you.

I love it when I get minraised like this because I call with any pair knowing that you almost certainly are ready to stack off if I hit my set, I fold just about everything else and thank you for the cheap warning. I fold flop if I don't hit.

So, if you got stacked by JJ or 55, it serves you right. Next time raise 3-4 times the previous bet.

b) the weak flop bet, as others have said, any draw can just call cheaply here and suck out on you. Hands that raise probably have you beat except maybe KQ or AK if you are incredibly lucky. Small pairs that didn't catch will mostly fold even to your weedy bet.

As played, obviously push but you made this pretty hard for yourself.

Brimstead · #7 11-25-2007, 11:34 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Why is the flop so dangerous?

[/ QUOTE ]

because there are straight and flush draws out there, plus the possibility of 2 pair. there are a number of hands you are now only marginally ahead of therefore u cannot give them a good rice to draw.

PF is awful. min raise gives opponent good odds to outdraw you, gives away your hand, and fails to build a pot that u can get AI easily against hands u dominate.

the flop bet is miserable - make a proper bet and cut the implied odds so that if u r called your opponent is making a mistake. as played, it is u who is making the mistake.

there isn't much point in getting tricky at the micro stakes with AA/KK unless u know your opponent well, the majority of players are simply not observant enough for plays like that to be +ev. on a short stack with AA just make it $5 PF then shove the flop.... u will win most of the time

maca9 · #8 11-26-2007, 12:54 AM

Thanks for all the comments!!

Really helpful.

For those who are interested he showed K 9 so I won this one....but understand from the comments the things i should have done differently.

Cheers all

Dennisa · #9 11-26-2007, 11:52 AM

With OP's stack size, I like the mini raise. Puts the SPR at 4 and all OP needs to think about is getting his stack all in on the flop. 4 is a perfect spr for AA which makes either a set or an overpair. Pot is going to be heads up. I would prefer a bigger bet on the flop, so if he just calls, you can get it in on the turn. As played, its an insta call to the re-raise.

Jeff76 · #10 11-26-2007, 01:04 PM

Question for OP: Why the minraise?

If the answer is "because it will build the pot, give me a good SPR and keep villain in the hand with a miserable hand which he might stack off with because his stack is so short" then the minraise is good.

If it was because you saw AA and though "I want action and I don't want him to fold", then your reasoning was flawed.

I think the minraise is fine here because it accomplishes everything a larger raise does (forces villain to commit his entire effective stack with a weak hand on the flop) while avoiding the drawbacks of a larger raise (which is that you are essentially telling villain you want to play for stacks). If villain has a hand he's willing to play for stacks with, the result will be the same no matter what the hand. If he has a hand like KJ, though, you'll get more value by minraising. Though to be honest, probably a 1.5 raise would be a little better because he's going to still call with most of his hands and it'll be a little easier to get stacks in when he makes a 2nd best hand.

For the people saying that a minraise allowed KJ to draw out on you, KJ is getting nowhere near the odds to call against AA with these stack sizes even with a minraise. And what is KJ going to do when he flops top pair? So yeah, he'll get your stack the fraction of the times that he flops two pair or trips, but the times he flops top pair, and sometimes even middle pair, you'll get his stack.

As for set mining, this really isn't an issue at this point. Yes you will stack off if he has a pair and hits his set and he will not have made a mistake. However, there are so many other hands in his range from which you can get value by minraising, sets should not be the main concern.

As played, on the flop it's time to start building. Bet 2/3 the pot and force him to commit. Get the chips in the middle. Either he has a hand he's willing to commit with or he doesn't. With an SPR of 4 you should be happy enough to get it in.