Ace Jack LIVE

[obi_wang]

Live $3/6 game. Table loose and very passive, except for villain who was very aggressive postflop, taking some pots down uncontested, but also mucking a couple river bluffs.

I am UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and raises. Villain calls from late position, as does the button and the big blind.

Flop: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I bet, villain raises, 2 other players fold. I 3-bet, villain caps, i call.

Turn: J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I check/call turn.

I check/call river blank.

[Harv72b]

I am utterly baffled as to why you'd 3bet that flop. The rest of the hand becomes relatively standard given the inflated pot size and your read on the villain, but I don't see how he doesn't have at least a crappy Q after all the flop action.

If you have an ace high that you think might be good (or might have enough outs to continue) in a heads up pot against a LAG, you're generally much better off taking the cheapest route to showdown and giving him the opportunity to continue bluffing off chips to you.

[obi_wang]

usually, i will bet/call flop, or check/call flop.

but when he raised me on the Q/crap/crap flop, i thought there was a high likelihood he didnt have a queen, might have a small or middle pocket pair, but thought there was also a high probability he had absolutely air and just didnt give me credit for a queen, Kings, or Aces.

I thought a flop 3-bet and turn bet would win the pot outright, but obv his flop cap messed that plan up and then i got sucked in for two more bets when the J hit.

[Harv72b]

It's often useful to remember that a bad player, or even many mediocre ones, transcribe their own tendencies onto their opponents. Or in other words, if this guy is overaggressive and tends to bluff a lot/try to bull people out of hands, he's always going to be suspicious that another player is doing the same thing to him. And, therefore, it's generally not a good idea to do just that with ace high, a draw, or a weak made hand.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]

I thought a flop 3-bet and turn bet would win the pot outright, but obv his flop cap messed that plan up

[/ QUOTE ]

What makes you think it would have won the pot? generally when someone c/r a ragged board like that he has a piece, and is not going to fold.

[Grease]

Why on Earth did you 3-bet the flop?

I call the flop raise and see what happens from there. I might c/c the turn after spking a J given your read, but given the fact the board is quite drawless, you're probably looking at a Q or better here.

[Lunatunez]

"It's often useful to remember that a bad player, or even many mediocre ones, transcribe their own tendencies onto their opponents. "

Harv, you da man. That's going straight into my brain.

[Man of Means]

I don't think there's any real point to 3-betting the flop once it's heads up. (Value?) You're out of position - no free card, which you won't usually get vs a LAG anyway. You may discourage him from bluffing a mediocre no pair hand and encourage further raising with a made hand.

Just take it to showdown.

[Hair_of_the_Dog]

[ QUOTE ]
"It's often useful to remember that a bad player, or even many mediocre ones, transcribe their own tendencies onto their opponents. "

Harv, you da man. That's going straight into my brain.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you read this somewhere?
It sounds right to me. I know that I tend to think 1st about what I would do and have to force myself to think "what who he or she do?"

[Harv72b]

As far as I know that precise wording is mine, but the underlying thought is pretty much the basis for "The Psychology of Poker".