Live 1-2 NL deep stacked AK

[scatthecat]

How nitty is this??

Hero is MP with ~500
Villian 1 in EP with ~1,000 Solid player, I haven't seen him make any tricky plays in the two hours or so we've been playing. We are two of the better players at the table and have mostly been avoiding confrontation.

Villian 2 in BB with ~400. Looks like a typical 1-2NL donk, I've been anxious to play more pots with him. Unfortunately this isn't one.

Hero is dealt A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

UTG calls
Villian 1 calls in EP
EP2 calls
Hero raises to 12
Folds around to BB who calls
UTG folds, Villian 1 calls

Pot ~41

Flop
A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Check
Check
Hero bets 30
BB Folds
Villian 1 reraises to 75

Hero . . .

What is my plan at this point? If I call here, he has taken control of the hand, and if he fires out big on the turn, I'll be committing my entire stack with TPTK - I don't always have a problem with this in these 1-2 NL games, but not for 2 and a half buy-ins against a solid player.

I thought a raise here would probably be too risky because if he calls or reraises it, then I'm almost certainly facing a better hand. By that point I'd have lost about a third of my stack.

I was debating against a call here, hoping this would slow him down on the turn / river, or a fold. The raise would be a much better option if I felt that he were trying a semi-bluff or a steal here, but I hadn't seen him make any moves like that up this point.

My thought process here might be flawed - I feel like the my game can become too nitty and exploitable when playing deeper stacks in NL.

However, most of my opponents at these levels probably don't actually realize this exact weakness - and I have a tough time figuring out whether opponents are playing off this weakness, or are really playing a big hand. At 1-2NL i often will give my opponents way too much credit.

Anyway, thoughts on this hand, or playing AK deep stacked in general?

[Fistdantilus]

Villain could easily have AQ/J/T here. You're most certainly not folding getting ~4:1, and villian looks like he can't bet a hand to save his life. Which means at *most* you'll be calling 150 on the turn if he bets. Call, re-eval on turn. I'd call another 100-125, and fold to a 3rd barrel depending on reads.

[happyjaypee]

Would'nt you expect to see Vilain 1 raise with AQ/AJ type of hands, first in Preflop? If the anwser is yes, then you have a clear and easy fold. Because now, is range of "Limp calling" Preflop prety much srinks to suited Ace, pocket pairs and suited connectors.

So the Flop c/r would be a two pairs hand like A5s, A6s or 56s, middle or bottom set, or, just maybe, the only draw out there: 78s (with or without a backdoor flush draw).

Now, your read of him says is is'nt too tricky, but is he the "bet, 3-bet a set" or a "c/r flop with a set" kind of straigh forward player? That might help you narrow his range or help you fold.

Plus is bet size really makes me think he wants a call more then a fold. I know he is givving you great odds but to me, that looks like a pot building bet that will allow bigger action down the line.

And don't worry about feeling "nitty" with deeper stack. It's part of a ballanced strategie, just like loosening up vs smaller stacks. Make those fold. Just make sure you, in turn and in the right spots, put the pressure back on those other big stack to make them fold too to balance it out, and get it in with a real hand.


-Happy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]