Hey All Aces, question about quiz Part I

kalozdi

Hey All Aces,

I was reading your quiz on Dave's web site and had a question. You wrote:

QUESTION ONE.
It’s a $2/$4 game and you are in middle position with AhKc. The player to your immediate right just called pre-flop and you raised. The button re-raised and both you and the player to your right called. The flop came Ad Qd 4c. The player to your right checked, you bet, and both players called. The turn comes 9d. The player to your right checks and you check because a flush is now possible. (Both players called your flop bet, which means that one of them could have been on a flush draw, that just got there). The button bets. The player to your right now raises, making it $8 to you. What should you do?

Now I totally agree with your postflop strategy for this hand but I was curious why you wouldn't cap the preflop action. I would usually cap in this situation with AK just curious on your reasoning; perhaps I just found another leak in my game.

Thanks in advance,

Unknown

Great question.  I don't think capping would be 'wrong' at all, I just wouldn't play it that way.  AK is a great starting hand, no doubt.  But, it's a drawing hand; that is, it needs to make a pair to win (most of the time).  These questions assume that you are a reasonable player, and as such, the rest of the table will have pegged you as a reasonable, solid player.  Therefore, when you raise preflop, your opponents have to give you at least some credit for some kind of a hand.  When a player re-raises you, knowing that you are a solid player, you have to give him credit for a very good starting hand, because you know that he knows that you are a solid player, and he's chosen to re-raise you anyways.

What could he have?  AK, possibly.  AQ, maybe, but not really likely.  A pocket pair?  Probably.  You are currently losing to a pocket pair... you need to see a flop in order to define your hand.  When I get three-bet preflop in this spot, I assume I am probably losing to a pocket pair, and I don't like the idea of putting more money into a pot in which I am most likely currently an underdog.  So, I'd just call the re-raise, and hope to see a flop with an ace or a king in it.  If that doesn't happen, I'm outta there.  If it does happen, I hope that my 3-betting opponent doesn't have aces or kings. 

Hope that helped.  Where'd you read the quiz, by the way?  Pokerfan.com or CanadianPoker.com?  Or, an old issue of Canadian Poker Player Magazine?

esool

Hey All Aces,

kalozdi wrote:

I was reading your quiz on Dave's web site and had a question.  You wrote:

Unknown

Oh yeah. Oops.