A2s in the big blind (1 Viewer)

DrStrange

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Playing 1-2 live, eight handed. We are mid-way through a normal session. The table is in a good mood. Lots of horse play and trash talking with chips flying around. Tonight we are playing with the ceramic Hard Rock Café Albuquerque set.

Cast of characters:

Hero has the big blind with $400 in play. Hero has been chipping up all night having never lost a major confrontation (but has been caught bluffing with nine high,)

UTG has $275 and is having a slow start to his session. He is a profitable semi-TAG Really more a semi lose / semi aggressive fit-fold guy.

UTG +1 is our young LAG playing $700. This is his first good session in months and he is in full LAG mode.

MP is our ultra sticky calling station. Loose, passive and just hates to fold. Playing $400.

The hand:

UTG semi-TAG limps. Young LAG raises to $7. Only the calling station calls, which is a little surprising. Action on Hero who holds :as: :2s:. Should he call $5 more? Raise (if so how much)? or fold.

DrStrange
 
Call - will spew less chips if you end up chasing a flush
 
I see no benefit to raising here. Very likely you get calls and then have to play a tough hand oop.
 
*** OK so we are agreed ***

Hand is too weak to raise and too good to fold. So Hero calls as does UTG. Four players going after a $29 pot.

Flop:

:ah: :2h: :5s:

Action on Hero, check or bet? If betting, how much? If checking, is Hero planning a check/raise or check/call? (The young LAG is aware of flop texture when making bluffing c-bets. This is a wet ace high flop with multi-way action and not as easy to bluff into.)

DrStrange
 
I think this is a leadout. With the ace and four players most drawing hands will probably check behind for the free card. You may get a player with a pair of aces behind you but they will call or raise your initial bet anyway so no reason to check to them. Don't like checking and giving a free card with the heart draw and the lowest possible second pair. The deuces can evaporate really quickly.
 
We have the near-nuts; I think representing a probe bet is in order. If we bet $10-12, it looks like we have a weak ace and want to see where we stand. Hopefully this is red rag to a bull and LAG raises.
 
We're likely ahead at this point and I want people to pay to see more cards. Lots of cards are really going to scare you on the turn and the river and we are out of position. I would make a pot sized bet 25-30$
 
I'd 3-bet preflop here pretty often (maybe 20-25% of the time - this is a good spot and hand for a "light" 3-bet for range-balancing purposes.) Calling would certainly be the default though.

Flop - lead $30, ship it over a raise. LAG is likely to raise us with a lot of hands we beat - C/R sucks if it checks through, and is more likely to cost us the further action we want from AK/AQ/some draws.
 
Hero gets a SPR of 13+ playing a speculative hand multi-way out of position if he calls. This is marginally ok in my mind but if Hero were playing $200 rather than $400 then Hero gets a SPR of 7 which is at the edge of the domain of top pair hands.

If Hero raises preflop it should be with the understanding that Hero's hand has turned into a multi-street bluff the 90+% of the time he doesn't flop two pair+ or a flush draw. Hero's SPR would likely be in the 5 - 7 range with c-betting almost required for the raise to be profitable. It isn't likely Hero is going to get all folds from a preflop BB 3-bet at this table.

DrStrange
 
For this hand, I'm thinking our best target is not the LAG, but the "ultra sticky calling station" in MP. I'm betting $25 here because I want to get 3 streets of value out of MP and don't want to rely on the LAG c-betting (not with 4 people in the hand and this particular flop anyways). If the LAG happens to have a little bit of something and wants to play too, so much the better.
 
*** and on to the turn ***

Hero bets $25. UTG calls, the rest fold. $79 in the pot, two player left.

Turn: < :ah: :2h: :5s: > :3s:

Action again on Hero, check or bet, if betting how much? ($243 effective stacks)

DrStrange
 
*** and on to the turn ***

Hero bets $25. UTG calls, the rest fold. $79 in the pot, two player left.

Turn: < :ah: :2h: :5s: > :3s:

Action again on Hero, check or bet, if betting how much? ($243 effective stacks)

DrStrange
Our read on the other player is a fit or fold TAG. He will most likely make us for the ace. My question is if we fire a bet out here and he has a flush draw or weak ace do we feel he is capable of raising and representing the four?
 
ur read on the other player is a fit or fold TAG. He will most likely make us for the ace. My question is if we fire a bet out here and he has a flush draw or weak ace do we feel he is capable of raising and representing the four?

lol, I didn't even consider that. Hence, I'm a mediocre player.......

love all of these strategy threads!!!
 
Yes, UTG is capable of that type of bluff. UTG may also think hero is on a semi-bluff with his own draw.

Of course Hero has nine flushing outs, four full house outs and two or three chopping outs - something around 30% equity vs the wheel. So Hero isn't going to be in a folding mood.

DrStrange
 
Yes, UTG is capable of that type of bluff. UTG may also think hero is on a semi-bluff with his own draw.

Of course Hero has nine flushing outs, four full house outs and two or three chopping outs - something around 30% equity vs the wheel. So Hero isn't going to be in a folding mood.

DrStrange
I wasn't asking because I was thinking of folding. [emoji2]

With two pair and four to the nut flush I'm hoping to get UTG to make a play for the pot. I think we look like a big pair of aces. My hope is a bet induces him to bluff the four. Honestly I think him having two hearts or an ace of his own is far more likely than the four and as you stated there's plenty of good cards for us even if he has it.

I want to reinforce the notion we are betting a solo ace. I think a smaller bet is more suspicious than a big one which looks like someone who doesn't like the way things are developing trying to close action. I bet pot to just over pot and hope for a jam.
 
Well now that's a tough one. Villain having a 4 (or 33) is far from preposterous - he limp-called pre and just called a decent flop bet - 44, 54, 64, and 33 are all in his wheelhouse. The 3 is an action-killer against hands we beat as well - if he just has an ace or whatever, he can't really continue now. He still could have hearts but I think we need to check here for pot-control (and hopefully to induce a bluff - much more likely if we represent weakness by checking than if we lead with a pot-sized bet) - if we bet and get raised, we aren't folding but we definitely aren't happy about it.
 
Post flop, I'm of the mindset to C/R the LAG. He was the pre-F aggressor, so allow him to C-Bet. If the hero has a read that Mr. Lag will check it down most times, then lead out. I tend to play in flow, and would assume a lag would c-bet. If not, lead out any turn.

As played with UTG, we lead out $50, Call when the Lag jams, and hope to bink the river :4s:
 
UTG isn't a LAG, he is a profitable semi-TAG really more a semi lose / semi aggressive fit-fold guy.

The Young LAG folded on the flop after Hero's bet and UTG's call.

DrStrange
 
Against an unknown I bet 60/call on the turn. If he has trouble with AJ/AQ type hands then I bet more like 80-90. I'm never checking that turn, your hand is too big and too unexpected.

Also, pf this deep, raise about ~30-40% of the time with hands like this vs opponents who have a fold button pf and about ~15% against villains who don't.
 
*** and now the river ***

Hero bets $50 and is called. $179 in the pot, heads up. $193 effective.

River is < :ah: :2h: :5s: > :3s: :jc:

Four options: check/fold, check/call, bet/fold, bet/call. Which do you recommend to Hero?

DrStrange
 
If he calls with worse shove. If he bets with worse but doesn't call with worse check/call. If he is so passive that he only bets better and never bluffs then check/fold.

I default to a check/call bc I want missed hearts to bluff at me.
 
Check-call. I think we have the winner most of the time as most hands that beat us probably raise the turn, but I'm having trouble seeing how he's going to call a 3rd barrel with worse (maybe if we make it really small - maybe not even then.) I'd rather give him a chance to bluff.
 
Check-call. I think we have the winner most of the time as most hands that beat us probably raise the turn, but I'm having trouble seeing how he's going to call a 3rd barrel with worse (maybe if we make it really small - maybe not even then.) I'd rather give him a chance to bluff.

I agree with this logic, check-call.
 
At this point I think heart draws are the minority of his range: 56, 910, 10J, JQ, Q10, K10, KJ and KQ - 8 combos

Losing hands are pretty much A10, and AQ. - 16 combos

Winners/ chop are 22, 55, A2, A5, A4, A3, AJ and 34 + 45 of hearts - 36 combos. (We can reduce this a bit by assuming he doesn't limp with AXo)

Given how passive/scared he has played, I don't see villain either betting or folding most of his winning range ( wants a cheap showdown). But he might bluff with his losing range. Check/call
 

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