Preflop; good or bad play? Flop; good or bad play?

Cerberus

So, playing in the nightly $5.50 2R1A tourney on Stars. The RA period is over and this hand pops up with me in the BB.

PokerStars Game #33326866223: Tournament #196490302, $5.00+$0.50 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (50/100) - 2009/09/26 21:33:53 ET
Table '196490302 26' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: HerrC1970 (10105 in chips)
Seat 2: McAusland (7290 in chips)
Seat 3: chiefofchips (9765 in chips)
Seat 4: mexikano69 (30135 in chips)
Seat 5: nikhsame (12540 in chips)
Seat 6: jackdog (8150 in chips)
Seat 7: debitt (6230 in chips)
Seat 8: HelenKeller1 (7780 in chips)
Seat 9: ripwell (10980 in chips)
HerrC1970: posts the ante 10
McAusland: posts the ante 10
chiefofchips: posts the ante 10
mexikano69: posts the ante 10
nikhsame: posts the ante 10
jackdog: posts the ante 10
debitt: posts the ante 10
HelenKeller1: posts the ante 10
ripwell: posts the ante 10
HerrC1970: posts small blind 50
McAusland: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to McAusland [As Jh]
chiefofchips: folds
mexikano69: folds
nikhsame: calls 100
jackdog: folds
debitt: folds
HelenKeller1: raises 400 to 500
ripwell: calls 500
HerrC1970: calls 450
McAusland: ???

At this point, I'm getting about 3.5 to 1 to call, but I'm 100% certain that the limper will call too, so let's call it 4.5 to 1 for arguements sake. Good enough odds to see the flop with my current stack? I felt it was, so I called.

nikhsame: calls 400 (NOTE: See, told you he'd call too.)

*** FLOP *** [Ad Jd 9c]

Yippy! Ok, now what...

HerrC1970: checks

McAusland: ???

I'm thinking that HelenKeller is going to bet out, so I'll check it.

nikhsame: checks
HelenKeller1: bets 2000 (Two for two on good reads for me)
ripwell: folds
HerrC1970: folds
McAusland: ???

I really don't see HK folding as she's either got AK or AQ, so I figure the check raise shove will work.

nikhsame: folds
HelenKeller1: calls 4780 (Yeah, that's 3 for 3)
*** TURN *** [Ad Jd 9c] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [Ad Jd 9c 4d] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
McAusland: shows [As Jh] (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
HelenKeller1: shows [Qh Ac] (a pair of Aces) (And 4 for 4 :D )
McAusland collected 16150 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 16150 | Rake 0
Board [Ad Jd 9c 4d Kh]
Seat 1: HerrC1970 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: McAusland (big blind) showed [As Jh] and won (16150) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Seat 3: chiefofchips folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: mexikano69 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: nikhsame folded on the Flop
Seat 6: jackdog folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: debitt folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: HelenKeller1 showed [Qh Ac] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 9: ripwell (button) folded on the Flop

So, I'm just looking to see if there were others ways to play this. Were the odds good enough to justify the preflop call? Should I have flat called the flop to try string another person along or was the shove the best way to get any possible flush draws to run away?

JohnnieH

Looks fine to me.

DrTyore

Agreed..

Given your reads, if you're putting her on a AK / AQ preflop, you're getting the right odds to call dominated... as long as you can get away from an A-high flop where you don't 2 pair...

Mark

Cerberus

DrTyore;198404 wroteAgreed..

Given your reads, if you're putting her on a AK / AQ preflop, you're getting the right odds to call dominated... as long as you can get away from an A-high flop where you don't 2 pair...

Mark

As I was calling, I started saying out loud "I will not bust myself on a pair of aces, I will not bust myself on a pair of aces. It has to be 2 pair or better, it has to be 2 pair or better... JACKPOT!" My wife was extremely confused.

philliivey

JohnnieH;198394 wroteLooks fine to me.

+1

i like it, i like it alot:)

88Fingers

+2

Well thought out and played.

Meistro

My cold calling range is probably aces. I think in general if you can eliminate calling from your game you will prosper. Hold'em is not really a flop game - which is not to say flop play is not very important, but the flop is mostly irrelevant, it's just luck. In other words the flop is just a short term fluctuation. You need to start before the flop with better cards then your opponents. AJ does not fare well against a single raise, let alone a raise and a reraise. Post flop play here was fine, ofc, it's ez to play monsters - but they are also irrelevant. How would you have played top pair here? Or middle pair? These are the crucial hands because they occur so often.

blackmagicz

Well played based on the flop. You were able to maximize chips based on reads. But as posted above the real test will come when flop comes A59....what do you do there???

Richard~

I lead on that flop. Check raising gives people a chance to get away and AK/AQ might even 3bet you. Looks good this way as well though

(same with a flopped set)