AK 3 handed,is this just being too fancy?

[kenny7]

This is a live $125 tournament.

We are down to 3 players,so all ITM,payouts are approx 4k, 2,5 for 2nd and 1,5 for 3rd. Blinds are 2/4k w 500 ante,stacks are pretty even w just around 125k each,button a little shorter,BB covering.

Button is older guy,pretty tight,hit some good cards and was pretty big chipleader for awhile,but both me and BB have been chipping away,most hands won without showdown.

BB is super aggro guy in early 30's,my image is probably TAG,altho I've been pretty aggro at the FT. Would like to say I'm the best player left,but I'm not!! BB has played really well all tourney.

I have A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in SB.

Button limps,I limp. BB has raised alot in limped pots,and I would be very happy w a raise here. My thinking is to try and get some chips in this situation. I figure if I raise he'll fold and button will fold as well,so I limp trying to induce.

BB raises to 16k,button folds,I make it 45k,BB calls.

So I got my raise but did not expect the BB call

Flop comes Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Now what??

[SuperUberBob]

Awful preflop limp. Seriously, what are you thinking? Raise this to at least 20K.

Since you did limp and got raised by BB, I shove over the BB raise immediately, especially given your read on him.

[BrandiFan]

I don't think the limp is awful if you're planning on the BB raising and then reraising him. I like to see alot of checp flops from the sb and if I get a guy to my left who is raising every time I limp (when it's folded around), I like to limp strong and then resteal. I just think you didn't raise enough. Your stack is fairly large wrt BB, but shoving is still easily +EV.
As played, shove flop. You turned it into a "go and go" which I'd prefer to do with junk as opposed to AK sooooted, but there's just too much in the pot to let him take it away.

[Coz]

Ok, so I like your preflop move I don't think it is too fancy, this is how you play against an aggressive player. Lets look at his preflop raising range, it is probably A2+, 22+, KT+, and some suited connectors. (before your raise) After the raise he has to be folding the majority of his hands, I estimate his range to be something like TT-AA, he could have also called some suited connectors or something planing to push any non A or K high flop which is a risky play but can pay off. I honestly don't think he would call with AQs because that is a push or fold hand against your aggression and I am betting alot of players would fold AQ to your raise but it is a possibility. I am thinking he called TT-AA because he is leaving himself with only an M of 12 which means he is probably pulling the stop and go, he is pushing any flop, the pot on the flop will be over 90k, and he will be shoving around 80k. I think this is a spot where position wins the pot, he played the hand very well, and I think you just have to check fold to an all in on flop. I do think you are beat the majority of the time in this situation, that call should set off warning bells. If he shoved his range could be widnend but that call means he isn't to scared of very many flops, and his bet size also leaves him with the oppurtunity to get away from his hand if an A or K flops.

[BrandiFan]

you can't stop n go if you're acting last.

[usha]

I like your move, given the read on BB, although I think you need to shove over BB raise PF, because there is 16K+8K+1.5K = 25.5K in the pot already which is 1/5 your stack.

As played, I think you have to shove here, as you might get villain to fold TT-JJ and maybe awfuly played AK. There is 95,500 in the pot and you have about 85K left behind.

[Pokerfarian]

If your going to limp, & I don't hate that, just shove over his raise, after you're implied call of his raise the pot is 38K and you have 110K left --- that pot is huge

[tomek322]

I bet like 70k, looks like you want a call. I think you are behind here a good percent of the time. But I can't see c/f with sooo much money in the pot.

[PantsOnFire]

What was your plan this hand? You seem to have it right at first by limping and expecting a raise. So far so good. But now you repop to 45K leaving you around 80K behind.

So what was your plan for a call or a shove? Actually I presume you would call the shove but what were you going to do if he called? You'd be looking at almost a 100K pot, 80K behind and a 66% chance of no A or K on the flop.

It sounds like you got caught off guard by his call. And now you are in a very tough spot. I think you have to shove here and hope, the pot is just too big to give up.

In the future, when you create a pot preflop, you need to assess what stack to pot ratio you will be facing. If you had KK or QQ here, then you would be happy him calling your 45K raise and shoving any flop. But with a drawing hand like AK, lots of flops will miss you. So it is much better to avoid this sort of thing and re-raise all-in pf to give your drawing hand a shot at seeing all five cards.

I feel one of the keys to NL holdem is to avoid being in situations where you could make a big mistake. Your decision on the flop in this pot is such a sitation. Limping might be a small mistake by losing some value. Shoving to his pf raise might be a small mistake, if at all.

But folding that flop with the best hand or shoving with the worst of it are much bigger mistakes. Playing huge pots with A high out of position is a big mistake all in itself.

[BlueEcho]

PantsOnFire said this-

[ QUOTE ]
re-raise all-in pf to give your drawing hand a shot at seeing all five cards.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is clearly the key to playing AK with these stack sizes against this villian. AK needs to see all 5 cards inorder to be flipping with a pair if he calls you. Otherwise you just take down a nice pot pf and make it hard for him to raise your limps in the future.