Problem: Big Slick Spikes an A on the Flop

[Ricky B]

All, would like to get some input on a hand played recently that I just can't shake. Let me know if/when I went wrong in this hand...

1/2 NL Live Game in Vegas

Early pos limper (I read as average skills at best)
Middle pos limper
I'm in SB w AdKd, I only call the $2
BB RAISES to $8 (pretty solid player, but I've seen him over-value a couple of hands like KJo preflop & try to steal the pot from limpers)
Early pos calls
Mid pos folds
I considered coming over the top, but chose to see the flop instead & only called the reamining $6

Three to the flop w ~ $25 in the pot

Flop comes A-T-6 rainbow

I check (I check often out of pos)
BB also checks
Early pos bets $15 (I put her on a weak A)
I raise to $45
BB calls the $45 (and he did something here in his betting motion that I can't really explain, but sort of a nervous hitch I read as indecision as whether to call.)
Early pos is clearly frustrated & reluctently lets her hand go.

I'm now sure Early pos had an A (she later said A-9), so BB cannot have AA.

Now heads-up, approx $120 in the pot

Turn makes the board A-T-6-T rainbow

I feel as though I need to fire at the pot or else I'm conceeding it to him. I know opp's AT is a possibility & I thought about TT, although with two T's on the board that's fairly unlikely. With the indecision he showed on the previous bet, I put him on AJ or AQ, maybe AK.

I fire $50
He raises to $100

I quized him about this hand now in order to try to get a read. He was somewhat talkative, but a little nervous (young kid) about the questioning. There is now about $270 in the pot & it costs me another $50 to call. I don't see how I can let the hand go for that price - although I know his remaining ~$70 behind is also going in on the river ( I have him covered by a little).

River is a brick & the board reads seomthing like A-T-6-T-3

I check, he moves in, and for $70 I cannot fold my two pair to a pot of over $450 - although I'm nearly certain that I'm beat now.

He turns over 66 for 6's over T's boat & scoops the pot. (The indecision, as I'm sure you can tell by now, was whether to smooth call or raise, not whether to call or fold.)

Any suggestions on how to play differently???

[Hosehound25]

If you're correct that hes a solid player I think you know you're beat on the flop when he calls a raise and reraise. I check fold on turn unless he gives a rediculous discount.

[_TKO_]

Definately raise preflop, AKs is a great hand and you want to build a pot worth winning, even though you're out of position. Your flop play is fine, and I might have checked the turn, b/c BB's play is very weird here.

[Ricky B]

TKO... I appreciate what you're saying about the raise pre-flop & agree it's probably the better play. But anything but an oversided raise here is not going to chase BB off his pocket pair. He's going to be looking to flop a set & take down a big pot.

I think I was destined to get stacked with that flop no matter what.

Agree?

[_TKO_]

[ QUOTE ]
anything but an oversided raise here is not going to chase BB off his pocket pair.

[/ QUOTE ]

You don't want to "chase" him off his pocket pair. Line these hands up preflop several times and any time that he doesn't flop a set (a lot of the time he won't), he's likely folding to any you make, whether you pair up or not. You make money by him calling preflop when he doesn't have many ways to win, so raising preflop is for value, not for bluffing. He makes money when you both hit and the board doesn't help you lay down your hand. You have to think about what he can possibly check and then coldcall a raise with on this relatively dry flop. It's more often than not a hand that can beat TPTK.

Many people continually go bust in this kind of spot (myself included), but it's something we're all trying not to do. Recognize the signs of a big hand.

[Ricky B]

Well stated... in the grand scheme of things, I completely agree.

I just keep beating myself up about this one particular hand & keep trying to find ways I could have gotten off of it before all the money went in.

'Preciate the feedback.

[lefty2432]

I think it would have been a little easier to say that you were destined to go broke in this hand if you had raised it yourself preflop. But the way the hand played out, it was fairly obvious that the villain had a big hand. If he had raised out of the BB with AJ, AQ, etc. he would have continued betting on the flop. hands like JJ, KK, QQ are not going to call 3 bets cold on an A high flop, so you can narrow his range down to AT or better, which indicates that you are beat. You said that you thought about TT but couldn't put him on it because there were 2 T's on the board, but you can never rule them out. Quads do happen and it seemed like an easy c/f on the turn.