Help with this AA play?
So here I am at a 2/5 NL game @ UTG +1. I have $30 left and get AA.
The UTG calls $5
I raise to $30 all in. fold fold fold and I win $12. I wish I had 1 or 2 callers so I could have doubled or maybe tripled up.
My buddy said I played to poorly being a short stack. He says I should have limped or min raised it. That way I get more people in the pot. I agree with him I need to maximize my gain, but I thought that if I limp in then I'd have $25 left. Now if 6 people were in the pot that would mean I'd raise the flop with $25. Let me remind you that this table is 10 handed, with some fairly loose players and chasers. I saw a guy play 9 2 suited because of pot odds (there were 5 players already in for $15) so he decided to call.
Anyways back to the hand. If i bet $25 into a $30 pot, I'd get people who chase their flush, straight, or whatever. never mind them possibly flopping 2 pairs.
So, I thought I played these right and should have hoped for 1 caller. Plus a $30 raise was not large for that loose table. I hate getting busted on aces.
Any thoughts?
The UTG calls $5
I raise to $30 all in. fold fold fold and I win $12. I wish I had 1 or 2 callers so I could have doubled or maybe tripled up.
My buddy said I played to poorly being a short stack. He says I should have limped or min raised it. That way I get more people in the pot. I agree with him I need to maximize my gain, but I thought that if I limp in then I'd have $25 left. Now if 6 people were in the pot that would mean I'd raise the flop with $25. Let me remind you that this table is 10 handed, with some fairly loose players and chasers. I saw a guy play 9 2 suited because of pot odds (there were 5 players already in for $15) so he decided to call.
Anyways back to the hand. If i bet $25 into a $30 pot, I'd get people who chase their flush, straight, or whatever. never mind them possibly flopping 2 pairs.
So, I thought I played these right and should have hoped for 1 caller. Plus a $30 raise was not large for that loose table. I hate getting busted on aces.
Any thoughts?
Comments
he's has an article on playing AA on his site.
Sounds like you were on your way to going broke as it was...I would have limped with them, and taken my chances
getting my money in on the flop. If your intention was to triple up...why scare everyone out of the pot pre-flop?
Though applying this tournament poker maxim to a cash game is bizzare, if this is actually the case, moving all-in is fairly clear. However, your exact goal in terms of "staying alive" matters.
For example, if there is some great incentive to play the next hand specifically, folding the AA may be correct. However, if you strongly prefer to stay in the game for a few hours (and have no additional buy-in), being able to survive several rounds of paying the blinds is required, so you probably should go ahead and simply maximize your EV in this hand,1 which is the standard cash game practice.
Was there some incentive to remain in this game for a specific amount of time (without buying-in again)?
ScottyZ
1It's certainly a valid question how exactly to go about doing this.
You want to go to showdown and can potentially double or triple up as players who partially hit the flop call you for your pittance of a stack.
huh? It's a cash game. Either walk away from the table or rebuy when you get that shortstacked. You picked up aces and probably lost $200 in equity.
I think either a limp or a move-in is fine. The limp is *probably* slightly higher EV and higher variance. But, the difference is quite small. You got unlucky that nobody had a hand that could call.
NL is about implied odds, not effective odds - I'd push pf (you get called by someone with ak/aq/kk/qq/jj/tt/99 often enough to make it +ev over limping it)
A small bet may have let weaker cards in, wouldn't you be upset if your AA got smoked by a 9 high flush or a set of duces?
Like someone else said, you only had 6x the big blind and if the players are really loose you may get the call you want.
I think its fair to say that AK, AQ, AJ, and pocket pairs were not even in the hand as they all folded. If you got the call by any pocket pair, are you really that well off?
I am not a big money player so I know what its like to get down to the bottom of your bankroll and have to claw your way back above board. I think you did the right thing.
Just a thought.
A: Push all in, and let them try and "keep me honest" - though I would usually go with this only if I have my reputation as a "raise with anything" kinda guy, or a table full of nutcases who think "These cards MUST be live.. I'm calling"
OR
B: Smooth call, hope someone gets cute, and then hammer back the re-raise all in. I don't like this as much, because if nobody raises, you're stuck with what, maybe 4-5 players? Dangerous for aces. Like I said, I normally raise if I'm in a hand, so this play actually usually makes people MORE scared...
Bottom line: Either play is respectable in my mind, $30 isn't a huge amount of cash at these levels, so you may have gotten a caller or two. And besides, you still make a 1/3rd of your stack, and that's not too shabby... I'm a big fan of take the money when you can.
Mark