Debatable hand

[aslowjoe]

I have 7500 blinds are 200/400 with 50 ante. i have AJo in mp2 Villan has approx same amount of chips

I open raise for 1200 get called by mp3 the pot is 3200
mp3 has been relatively quiet since I joined the table 1/2 an hour ago. I have been extremely tight and have only shown down 1 hand recently and it was a winner. I did open raise into MP3 when we were in the Blinds a couple of rounds ago.

The flop is K94 rainbow.
your move
Check
check raise
1/2 pot cb
push
other
Your move and why
another player and I have have been debating this hand for awhile. Some more feedback is appreciated

[Fiksdal]

C-bet t2500.

[durkahdurkah]

[ QUOTE ]
C-bet t2500.

[/ QUOTE ]

too big. t2000 is plenty enough to get the job done.

[Fiksdal]

I dont know. t2000 is certainly fine too.

[FortunaMaximus]

Depending on buyin...

Check-call, shove turn.

[DDBeast]

[ QUOTE ]
Depending on buyin...

Check-call, shove turn.

[/ QUOTE ]
How can this be better than a C-bet?

[FortunaMaximus]

Think about what opponent will bet on flop, when checked to on a K94r board. Fairly safe, he'll figure he can take it down light with 66-88, TT, the others would have spoken up PF. He should c-bet AQ some there to, and a flatcall of that bet will slow him going into turn.

Fire turn hard, not nec a shove if stacks are deep enough, he'll shut down there. Obviously, you're paying off the times he does have a K, and you see a turn card with a wary opponent (assuming he's thinking...) who should shut down a significant % of the time to turn strength.

But with those stack sizes, if you fire a c-bet at flop and it gets raised, you're beat, and have as much as half your stack in the pot. So this is a very risky c-betting spot to begin with.

Check-call, shove turn with those stacks, you'll be given credit for a set a % of the time, but it's an extremely high-variance play with shallow stacks and I'd feel better about it if I picked up extra outs or hit a pair on the turn.

That said, I loathe the 3BB open with antes, for AJo to begin with, because you can't c-bet and retain a good % of your stack if you have to fold it.

So fold it, raise to t950-1100 instead, gauge PF strength from later action, smaller pot on flop, manageable but just so, c-bet territory. MP2 is too early to be opening AJo for that much with those stacks, 5 to act after, a flatcall becomes problematic 2/3 of the time.