Two misplayed AAxx 50/100 hands.

[Shabamabam]

#1

Villain is decent. Haven't seen him get out of line, chasing naked lows and such. He insta-called flop and hesitated and checked turn/insta-called. Should I have checked turn? River ok?

Full Tilt Poker
Limit Omaha Ring game
Limit: $50/$100
7 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (7 players) Hero is Button with 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
3 folds, <font color="#cc0000">CO raises</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero 3-bets</font>, 2 folds, CO calls.

Flop: J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (7.5SB, 2 players)
CO checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets</font>, CO calls.

Turn: Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (4.75BB, 2 players)
CO checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets</font>, CO calls.

River: Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (6.75BB, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">CO bets</font>, Hero calls.

#2 - Villain isn't that great imo. He limps a lot and bets any low/any piece hard and has 3-bet with just the nut low and no possible high on occasion. Pre-flop raise bad? Turn makes things difficult. Fold right there?

Full Tilt Poker
Limit Omaha Ring game
Limit: $50/$100
7 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (7 players) Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
3 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, CO calls, SB calls.

Flop: 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3SB, 3 players)
SB checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets</font>, CO calls, SB folds.

Turn: 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2.5BB, 2 players)
Hero checks, <font color="#cc0000">CO bets</font>, Hero calls.

River: T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (4.5BB, 2 players)
Hero checks, <font color="#cc0000">CO bets</font>, Hero calls.

[berserk]

I'm not really sure how you could play either hand very differently.

I like your line on hand 1 better than check turn call river as it seems more likely that he's chasing a better low and currently has a worse high. By the river, the pot is big enough and any flop 2 pairs got counterfeited. It's a very likely spot to bluff as you're likely to be holding draws.

Hand 2, the pot might be small enough that it's not worth fighting for oop. Bet/fold or check/fold seem like decent options but I'm likely to take your line too even when I know its very weak.

[Buzz]

Shabamabam -
Hand #1: You miss low on the river and Villain bets as though holding a queen. However, Villain may put you on a pair of aces plus a wheel card for your play. If so, Villain could be betting without a queen, hoping you will fold to the pressure, since you're unlikely to hold a queen yourself and since you missed low.

I think you're stuck calling on the river. I have no suggestions for earlier betting rounds.
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Hand #2: You're out of position and the turn card just ruined any chance you had for low. Ugly! Now your opponent could have low locked and be free-rolling you for high. In other words, the turn card is a total disaster for you!

However, the board has to look very scary to an opponent without the wheel or a full house. And Villain probably has neither of these. Can you convince Villain the turn has made your hand (instead of having ruined it)?

In any event, in my humble opinion, check/calling the turn is not your best play.

Instead, if you plan to play the hand after the turn, I think you bite the bullet and bet it yourself. Otherwise, check/fold it.

This is a place where I think you should mix up your play, sometimes betting and sometimes check/folding.

Since I'd hate to bet this turn and then get raised, I'd check/fold more often than I'd bet.

Buzz

[TStoneMBD]

theres no other way to play hand #1 imo. turn is a definite bet and folding the river would be very fundamentally flawed. i mean, if you had a read that he just has to have a queen then thats one thing, but as far as playing optimally is concerned, folding is not optimal. also, its possible that hes betting this river with a jack figuring that theres no hands you could have that would raise other than Qx and he might as well bet the jack rather than let you check down a smaller pair.

hand #2 is just tough. i think you should see a showdown as youre still drawing to a wheel/6 and could still have the best high hand. its also very easy for villain to not even have a low yet. the question is whether you think you should checkcall or bet/fold. i dont think bet/call down is a good line. if you think theres a chance villain could raise this turn without A4 or trips then i think checkcalling down is good. against most players however, if you bet the turn and they raise you can safely fold knowing that your hand is currently no good for high and at best youre probably drawing to 1/4th of the pot for low (assuming he always has an ace in his hand which is likely if he has 5x or a boat).

however, there really isnt any value in a turn bet because villain woudl have to be crazy to call down without a low and a pair of 3s or whatever. there is also very little danger in giving away free cards. i think for these reasons checkcall down looks good.

[Bullet_Dodger]

hand 1: not sure what the fascination is with betting the turn here with just an overpair. i check behind here. preflop and flop are fine. on the river i have trouble folding getting ~8-1, as a missed nut low draw will bet this often enough.
hand 2: check/fold the turn.