Rounders hand

cristi

I was playing PartyPoker 1/2 NL . I'm in the big blind and I get :ac :9c everyone folds. Small blind doubles the bet to $4. I'm thinking, this guy is extremely tight, the fact that he called alone tells me he has at least a face card, let alone the raise. He has played 2 out of about 30 hands . I watched him very closely because I believe you make the most money from the people to your immediate right. He has a stack of $65 and I have $126. Flop comes down :ad :3c :6c . Great flop for me. Paired my aces, and have nut flush draw. I bet $6. He calls. ok.... Turn :9d . Two pair, if he was slow playing AK he just got burned. I bet $15 (the pot), he calls. River :9h . perfect full house, i was looking for the nut flush and got a full house. I bet $15, he moves all in. I call, only to see him turn over :ah :as . I wasn't that mad cause I had enough money left, but did i play it wrong, or did he pre-flop? He only doubled the big-blind. What would you have done in my situation, could I have gotten away?

beanie42

cristi wrote:

I'm thinking, this guy is extremely tight, the fact that he called alone tells me he has at least a face card, let alone the raise.

I think he played it incorrectly, although he did end up getting all the money in the middle. However, based on your read of him being so tight, I'd be thinking more than just a face card, more likely a pair. When the A flops and he calls your bet, you have to think he either doesn't believe you or he's got trips. If you consider him not just tight but decent as well, you have to give him credit for not being afraid of the A and assume trips. IMO the 9 on the turn didn't help you and you need a club, so I'd check and call/fold depending on whether you have odds to draw to the flush. However, once you got to the river I'd assume I was good as well - his play is just too bizarre for A's, and I'd lose everything at that point as well.

And to the rest of the forum, yes, I did just say to fold A9 at the turn .

ScottyZ

In a battle of the blinds with AA on the SB, I think that limping in is the superior play. Making a 3x or 4x raise to start building the pot is maybe okay, but I don't like letting the opponent get away from the hand so easily. It depends a lot on the opponent. Some opponents will defend their BB so often that you could raise here with little worry.

Doubling the blind is probably the worst option. It's about risk and reward. You're risking too much (i.e. risking the opponent dropping his hand pre-flop) for too little reward (an extra $2) if called.

As for the river play, it depends on how deep the stacks are. The AA wants to get maximum value from the hand, so moving all-in is only good if it is a bet size that has a reasonable chance of being called.

A flop slowplay from the AA is reasonable, but I'd be more inclined to start getting some more money in there on the turn with the 2-flush on board, and with plenty of ways that the board has connected with (or make a drawing hand for) a somewhat random BB hand.

As for the A9, there is no way I'm folding the hand on any street. The reaction that you could have somehow "gotten away" from every hand you have lost is generally unsound. In poker, you're going to make a lot of correct river calls and still lose those pots. The opponent's probable range of hands matters when analyzing river calls, not his actual hand. Your opponent could just as easily have had 33 or 66 here, or even some ridiculous holding running a stone cold bluff.

ScottyZ

cristi

I agree with both of you. I definitelly wouldn't double the blind with AA , that's why i thought it was such a weird play, especially with the two clubs on board. In my opinion I played that hand better than he did, although he won. I never made a crazy bet, only a feeler bet, like i said i was looking for the flush, and thought even my two pair was good, because he didnt raise my bet on neither on the flop or the turn, he merely called a pot sized bet.
I found this hand funny just cause it was so close to the Rounders scene, i'm glad it wasn't high stakes nor an important tourny that this happened though, i probably wouldn't have taken it as well as i did at 1/2 NL.

Thanx for your replies, they were both very helpfull.