AA in a freeroll

pkrfce9

I'm curious about this hand...

It's a freeroll so people are playing a bit looser and more aggressive than I'd expect in a regular MTT. On top of that, there are a bunch of Texan marauders that somehow got into the tourney and they seem a bit crazed.

Game #1118176237 - Tournament Lucky Lou - 25/50 No Limit Texas Hold'em - 2005/11/27-20:24:27.5 (CST) Table "Lucky Lou 3" (MTT) -- Seat 2 is the button Seat 1: pkrfce9 (1,220 in chips) Seat 2: all_in_rick (1,280 in chips) Seat 3: boyimstp (1,360 in chips) Seat 4: ryanandhaley (2,025 in chips) Seat 5: carmaker (3,815 in chips) Seat 6: bead99 (1,095 in chips) Seat 7: saz1313 (1,600 in chips) Seat 9: pokerfan100 (1,425 in chips) Seat 10: RedDeer40 (1,380 in chips)
boyimstp: Post Small Blind (25)
ryanandhaley: Post Big Blind (50)
Dealing...
Dealt to pkrfce9 [ Ad ]
Dealt to pkrfce9 [ Ah ]
carmaker: Call (50)
bead99 : Call (50)
saz1313 : Fold
pokerfan100: Fold
RedDeer40: Fold
pkrfce9 : Raise (150)
all_in_rick: Fold
boyimstp: Fold
ryanandhaley: Fold
carmaker: Call (100)
bead99 : Fold

First of all, with 2 limpers, should I raise more? I mean, ideally I want a caller, maybe 2? I think I raised a little less than optimal here.

Secondly, what kind of hand would it take UTG or UTG+1 to call the raise? For the big stack, how much of a raise can I expect him to call?

*** FLOP *** : [ 9h 7c 6h ]
carmaker: Bet (400)

Thirdly, what do you make of the UTG bet on the flop? Basically he bet the pot. Up to this point, he's played a pretty solid game. He's picked off a couple of guys who were out of line when he had good hands. If he is who I think he is (Geoff from Tyson's games?) then we have played each other in home games on occasion and are aware of each other's style - me pretty tight and unimaginative, him a bit looser I think and maybe a bit more creative. What sort of hand does he put me on? Would he think I'm making a play from LP? What sort of hand could I put him on? Could he possibly have T8 or 85? What about 76? Maybe 99, 77 or 66? What about AA-TT? Or maybe A9s, or anything with an 8? 88? 2 hearts? The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Fourthly, what is my response? God knows I've posted before about being beaten by two pair or a set in these same circumstances. Is my hand too strong to lay down? Am I already behind or is he on a draw? If I call, I'm pretty much pot committed.

Share your thoughts and I'll post the results later.

Tigerscott

1st making it 200 or 250 pf is fine any more and it gives your hand away

2nd It's a freeroll I'd put him on anything from AJ up.. lol I'd expect medium pair or higher and big paint suited or offsuit

3rd with no read on this guy he can have anything.. But have to worry about a set

4th you still have 1k in chips? Would he make this play with A9 A7 or A6? Does he get aggressive with 2 pair or a set? need read to make the call.. I push ) but I hate going broke with a pair and I can't lay aces down!

sinc

I make it 250 pf here, I usually do my standard 3xBB +1BB for each limper when I'm raising. On the flop I would expect him to have something like A9 to see where hes at. I definetly go broke on this hand especially in a freeroll if he has me beat.

the_main

I dont play many freerolls but I definitley bump it up to more than 150. I think your best bet with low buy in and freerolls is to overplay your big hands preflop as so many people are intent to see a flop once they have any money invested. 250-300 sounds about right.

magithighs

1.  I don't think the amount of the raise is the iimportant thing here.  It's what you're trying to accomplish.  Obvioulsy, you want to thin the field.  However, in a freeroll with aces, I primarily want position AND action.  With the wacky texans, I may want to make a 3x raise to encourage them to come over the top.  So, if this was in your mind, I like this raise.  Also, if you feel the 3x will kill the action behind you, and keep the action ahead of you, then I also like the raise.  I generally go 4x in late position and 3x in early position, to narrow hand ranges down to pairs and big suited connectors -- but that's in regular $$ tournaments.  In a freeroll, I think 3X is pretty much the same as 4X.

2. Any pair, AK-AJ perhaps ATs, perhaps suited connectors down to 54s, and suited one gappers down to the same amount.  With a big stack, I think it's a huge range.

3.  You have a big dilema.  Do you want to commit all your chips at this point.  I think you can't fold here and there's only one raise you can make -- all in.   Why would carmaker bet the pot.  a) made hand, b) flush draw, c) flush + str8 draw, d)  bluff?  The size of the bet kind of indicates he wants you to fold and doesn't mind picking up the pot.  I have to weight it evenly between all the choices.  Your only behind a made hand that's a set or two pair.

So, I have to believe your ahead.  But, the question is "do you want to commit your chips at this point".  With position (and after getting smacked at foxwoods) I'd be inclined to smooth call.   The reason is that I can get the same amount from my opponent at the turn, so I don't have to commit right here.  So, the reward is the same and I can reduce my risk by smooth calling here and pushing at the turn if there's no scare card -- players don't care much about odds on freerolls (and home tournaments) they just want a chance to win the hand.  However, if the flush card hits the turn or the straight card hits, you can fold on an alll-in bet -- don't fall for the old check, as I would check a scare card on the turn.

Now if a non scare card comes on the turn like a Kspades, I get all my chips in.  If he's got a set, he's got a set.  It's a freeroll and the stacks are short.  Can't do anything about that.

Cheers
Magi

Wolffhound

"Freeroll" is a bit misleading in this case...considering there's 4 guys at your table (yourself included) that are what I consider solid above average players. 

If Carmaker (and you are right, it is Geoff), is coming in UTG but limping, I'd say he had a mid pair or AK/AQ, I wouldn't consider A9/7/6, it just doesn't strike me as likely holdings for him.   

His pot size bet on the flop could be AK thinking that it missed you as well and he is simply being the aggressor and doesn't want you drawing at the flush with AKs or something of the like.  Would he pot size the bet with a set?  I doubt it, even with the two suited cards out there, he could have picked a smaller bet and still punished you for drawing (if in fact you were)

I say you are ahead, I'd push.

I like your pre-flop raise, I did that myself twice the same night...once all folded, the other I got outplayed by A6o  (i'll post that later)

pkrfce9

Thanks for your feedback. It provides some very good insight. I have to admit at the time of this hand, I was distracted by a number of things going on at home so I didn't really think this over too carefully. I was thrilled to see AA in LP with a couple of limpers in front of me. Had I really thought about it, I think I would have gone to 200 or 250 but I know I would have hated it if both limpers had folded. But ya, 200 or 250. I think I still would have been called.

I was perplexed by the lead out bet on the flop. I saw the two hearts and I thought maybe he was on a draw. I also thought he could have completely missed the flop and wanted to put some pressure on me to fold. I didn't think he had 2pr. Looking at it now, it is quite plausible he had mid pairs and could have hit the flop big time. But then why the large bet? Perhaps he's trying to protect against a flush or straight draw! Unfortunately, this wasn't stars and I couldn't activate my time bank to look at it this deeply. Lou's suggestion here to smooth call is pure genius. All the upside and none of the downside!

Here's how it played out:
pkrfce9 : Raise (950)
carmaker: Raise (1,100)
pkrfce9 : Call All-in (120)
*** TURN *** : [ 9h 7c 6h ] [ Qc ]
*** RIVER *** : [ 9h 7c 6h Qc ] [ 4h ]

I tried to raise all-in but under time pressure pushed what I could. Carmaker thought about this for the longest time I thought he would time out. I'm not sure if that was for dramatic effect or if he really had a tough decision. Did he think I had 99 or 77?

Once again, my big pair beaten on the flop. It would be nice to be able to get away from these hands. In this case, I don't think there is much I could do. There are just too many hands that would play a similar way that I beat. I think if the stacks were deeper things might have been different but I wonder if I could actually lay my hand down against a flop like this.

Flint Bones

I am guessing, did he have 66? Or did I miss where you told us?

pkrfce9

Yes. Yes he did the lucky bastard. He played me like a fiddle.