AJs in MP3, $10 single table

[hagbard celine]

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t15/t30
8 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is CO with J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
2 folds, MP1 calls t30 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was t45)</font>, MP2 calls t30 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was t75)</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to t150</font>, Button calls t150 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was t255)</font>, 4 folds.

Flop: 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (t405, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">Hero bets t250</font>, Button calls t250 <font color="aaaaaa">(pot was t655)</font>.

Turn: 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (t905, 2 players)
Hero???


How do you play this hand? The table was very weak tight in general, so I felt comfortable raising 3x BB + 1BB/limper with the AJs.

I CB the flop, and get called. He doesn't raise, so I don't think he has a nine. I have been raising a lot, and not getting called, so he might just be looking me up to see if I bet the turn.

How do you play this turn after being smooth called on the flop?

[Kibby]

PF - limp, you don't need to raise here against weak tight opponents. tight = they're playing good hands AJ isn't great there

post-flop - as played, shut down after the C-bet. You're beat.

[hagbard celine]

I may be beat, but with what? What is Villian holding here?

[Kibby]

77, 99+, A9, A7.

All those holdings are more likely then anything you're beating. The only thing I can see him calling with that you're not beating is Axc which, in almost any combination, he now has a serious flush and straight draw that he's not folding unless you push. You can't push because of his other possible hands.

[Oxota]

Well I'm split on the preflop raise, sometimes I limp sometimes I raise... anyways checkfold after your c-bet is called, it's very unlikely that he's dolding anything that you beat here. His most likely holding is a pocket pair, although it's very possible for villain to continue with a hand like AQ that he limped in EP. Anyways, you're rarely ahead.

[hagbard celine]

I don't think I'm ahead, but if he's calling with overcards or a middle pair, can a bet on the turn get him to fold?

[Kibby]

In the early part of a SnG, your goal is not to bluff your opponent out of decent hands cause of fear you might be huge. 2 reasons for this 1- it doesn't work enough 2- you seriously damage your chip stack when it doesn't work. Your goal in the early stages of a SnG is to get paid off as much as possible on your big hands and to spew as few chips off otherwise. This will get you to the point in the game where you have the biggest advantage over your opponent, when the blind to stack ratios have become smaller. Then, those chips you've conserved, become much more valuable since you have folding equity.

The only bluff you should be making early in a SnG is your C-bet. Shutdown after that. Especially in low limit sngs, there is no need to get fancy.

[Oxota]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think I'm ahead, but if he's calling with overcards or a middle pair, can a bet on the turn get him to fold?

[/ QUOTE ]
It's a 10 dollar sng. I don't think most villains wither think much about your particular range...so in short, no. I guess you could fold out AQ, but I don't see why risk a significant portion of your stack this early

[hagbard celine]

you're both right.

I can't defend the 500 bet I put in on the turn, I was thinking beyond the table.

Villian folds on the turn.