Playing Aces Under the Gun! (1 Viewer)

[AdamAAAA]

I think I played this sub-optimally, so I'd like some advice on how I could have got more value from my Aces. I usually hate playing pairs, would much rather suited connectors or one gapers. I know it's a leak in my game and I'm working on it as much I can, hence this post. I just usually see over cards and panic.

The blinds are 70/140 with (21) antes

Hero is UTG and looks down at Aces. The table has been very active, and although we're early, the player to my right (wowa9120) in the BB has been coming over the top a lot and his stack has gone up and down. The other players have also been quite active winning a lot of pots. No real reads on any of them really except they seem to be quite active and have been showing quite a wide range from all positions.

Hero flats 140

I know this is probably my first mistake. But I'd seen so many three-bets I was certain someone would raise me here and I could then look to four-bet. Bad plan now thinking about it as I'm out of position and really don't want to be playing with people on wide ranges with a pair. Anyway, thoughts on this play welcome, although I know you're all going to tell me I should have raised.

It folds around to the button.

Button calls for 140
Small blind calls for another 70
Big blind checks

4 handed headed to the flop. Checks to hero.

Action on hero
What sort of bet should we be thinking about putting out here?

 

[Kyle]

Pot it immediately because that's what online players do.

 

[DrStrange]

The check raise plan was sound if your table read is right. It gets you to a fine SPR where you can't be effectively outplayed post flop.

As played, Hero has second best position. My plan is bet flop with a normal sized bet and the proceed carefully.

 

[AdamAAAA]

I bet 495 and it folds to the BB who calls. The turn is the 8s and it is checked to me again.

At this point, being in the BB with him having checked pre-flop and called on the flop I'm struggling to put him on a range here. I exclude high pairs maybe 88+ and broadway cards as I think he'd raise with those. He could have a rag ace in there and I guess some of the time he could have some connectors but the board doesn't seem to hit that. I'm not sure he's checking a K or J in this spot either.

Action on hero
What's the play? I think I'm ahead here, and probably by a lot. I want to keep him interested, but also a little wary of the two hearts, but think it's hard for him to have two hearts, but really he could have anything I guess...

ot is now

 

[Kyle]

Pot it. He is on a draw or has a pair. Hopefully top pair.

 

[Jimulacrum]

Yes, I think you should have raised preflop, especially with such loose and wild players in the hand. Oh well.

Flop bet was pretty standard.

On the turn, it's hard to know what to do because BB's range is so wide open. BB could call a bet of 1,500ish on the turn and then shove a wide variety of rivers, and it would be a really tough call because he could be stealing, or any river card could quietly put him ahead of AA.

If he is on the wild side, however, a check back on the turn could be right. Checking controls the pot size and may invite a river bluff if BB misses. That river bluff stands to cost you about the same amount as the turn bet, except that doing it this way protects you from being bluffed off the hand before showdown (in fact, it harnesses the bluffs for value), while limiting your loss when you're behind. And if he checks a blank on the river, he may have something with showdown value after all, and a bet of 1,000 to 1,500 could buy some value.

 

[Adam Crowley]

Raise pre. When someone limp raises from EP it is almost always AA.

Flop is fine.

I would bet fold turn a little larger then half pot for a few reasons.

1) your hand strength is disguised and you can get value from more hands then usual.

2) by checking you allow your opponent to realize their equity for free

3) you give your opponent the lead in the hand which is a little problematic in this spot. Your hand looks weak, your opponent could bet his hand for value on the turn and get you to fold the winning hand by betting any number of scary cards on the river.

 

[AdamAAAA]

Yes, I think you should have raised preflop, especially with such loose and wild players in the hand. Oh well.

Flop bet was pretty standard.

On the turn, it's hard to know what to do because BB's range is so wide open. BB could call a bet of 1,500ish on the turn and then shove a wide variety of rivers, and it would be a really tough call because he could be stealing, or any river card could quietly put him ahead of AA.

If he is on the wild side, however, a check back on the turn could be right. Checking controls the pot size and may invite a river bluff if BB misses. That river bluff stands to cost you about the same amount as the turn bet, except that doing it this way protects you from being bluffed off the hand before showdown (in fact, it harnesses the bluffs for value), while limiting your loss when you're behind. And if he checks a blank on the river, he may have something with showdown value after all, and a bet of 1,000 to 1,500 could buy some value.

I almost always raise when I have AA, KK, AK. I guess that's a mistake I'll learn from.

I like the thinking about checking back and calling a river bet which, as you say, essentially costs me the same as a turn bet.

Raise pre. When someone limp raises from EP it is almost always AA.

Flop is fine.

I would bet fold turn a little larger then half pot for a few reasons.

1) your hand strength is disguised and you can get value from more hands then usual.

2) by checking you allow your opponent to realize their equity for free

3) you give your opponent the lead in the hand which is a little problematic in this spot. Your hand looks weak, your opponent could bet his hand for value on the turn and get you to fold the winning hand by betting any number of scary cards on the river.

As it turns out I did bet the turn, 1,087 into 1,718 and he folded. I guess in this spot we're happy to see a fold here? I wasn't sure I've I could have maybe got more value by playing it differently.

 

[AlPresidente]

I never open-limp, but if you open-limp with weak hands, it's important to sometimes do it with strong ones too. If we had opened, 500 would be good imo.
Flop is a must bet. 500 seems good here too.
Flop's too wet to not bet the turn imo. 1200 seems fine to me.

I think you played this fine so long as limping aces is a rarity. If it's your standard play, that's definitely wrong.

 

[AdamAAAA]

I never limp aces, ever. I only did it on this rare occasion as I was first to act on a very active table. Typically to balance my range I might limp some low pairs of broadway cards, but never high pairs.

 

[DrStrange]

There are several good reasons to purposefully limp with aces.

1) for balance. This does not really apply in this situation, but in a game with regular players it is very handy for people to treat your limps with some tiny bit of respect. It also confounds the hand reading villains.

2) Sometimes a limp is called for to create the optimal SPR. This doesn't apply strongly in this hand, but Hero is deep enough to give marginally acceptable set mining odds because he will be close to pot committed on a "safe" flop.

3) If Hero can reasonably hope to get a check/3-bet in if he limps. This does apply in the hand presented here. I read the description of the table and the specific read on the BB as there being a sound chance to capture a lot of dead money through a limp / re-raise strategy. Not only does this offer Hero a low variance play to gather in a bunch of chips, but it also insures a minimal SPR situation where hero can't be outplayed due to skill differential or position. It does have costs when the expected raise never comes, but I think the potential reward is well worth the risk of open limping pocket aces.