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Wondered how you'd play this - felt i got myself into a situation post flop where I had no room to manoeuvre.

NL cash, $0.50/1. I'm in EP with AA and about $110. MP has me just covered, BB has about $75 or so.

I raise to $4.50, MP calls and BB calls.

Flop 3 9 T, two clubs and one spade.

BB bets $7, I raise to $22, MP calls and so does BB.

I don't much like this - there's so many cards I don't want to see on the turn, and I've only got $80 back with the pot at $80.

Turn is a Q of spades, making the board 3 9 T Q, two clubs two spades.

Checked to me, I shoved, they both called. I assumed I was dead in the water, but actually won the hand. Can't remember what the river was. MP had some rubbish club draw, dunno what BB had.

Obviously I was lucky i this case to have some loons give me their money - but was there a better way of playing this? Or was there nothing else I could really do?

Thanks for any thoughts.

I actually like the way you played this. Most likely hands when they call your re-raise on that flop are A10/K10 hands, QJ, or club draws. On the flop a set is what you are worried about, but on a 2 clubs 9,10 board a set probably wont give a free card versus 2 players, ESPECIALLY given both opponents have have an opporutninty to re-re-raise. The Q of spades isnt such a bad card for your hand. They most likely didnt call a preflop raise with a J8 and when they both check to you you can rule out a 2 pair hand like Q10. Shoving negates any odds they have and the pot is big enough at this stage to take down.

p.s. you werent lucky, but i find its always useful to think about what your opponents have- and what they are afraid of.
 

OK, thanks. Yeah - now you put it like that, I'm happier with it. Think I'm in quite a negative frame of mind at the moment, probably not taking the time to think about what others might have precisely enough, and assuming too often that it's all just gone wrong again... Need to get more positive and think more. Cheers for the reply.

I agree. There's nothing more you can do in this hand really. The only thing that would concern me is that someone had spiked their set as soon as they both call on the turn.  You played it well, you didn't slowplay a big hand on a potentially dangerous board.
The guy with the club draw could be forgiven for being in there (assuming he had a half decent one and maybe a bit of a straight draw aswell? say he had the J of clubs with a rag club?) as he was getting odds to call with that other fellow in there.
Shame you don't know what the other guy had but I'd make a note on him he very likely (absolutely) shouldn't be in this pot.

You missed out a fairly important piece of info, i.e. How many players were at the table? This can make a big difference.

A brief note: BB is drawing or has a lower pair than you 99% of the time here. (Surprisingly very, very few players at cash tables with these stakes lead out with a set into a pre-flop raiser.) So, your only concern is the MP player. Your notes on him, and your "read" from how long it took him to call on the flop should also be considered. (A quick call here typically indicates a drawing hand, or worse hand than yours, whereas a long dwell and a call should be more of a concern.)


Anyway, here's a hand of mine from tonight demonstrating an alternative way to play AA :) :)

Full Tilt Poker Game #2277179455: Table Horizon Lake - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:33:33 ET - 2007/04/24
Seat 1: Cynicism ($264.40)
Seat 2: Camoscio ($203.35)
Seat 3: TwistedDonkey ($197)
Seat 4: ArtieRufio31 ($170)
Seat 5: Villain ($402)
Seat 6: Narena ($501.55)
Seat 7: DonTreEdthis ($91.25)
Seat 8: bjorndogg ($197.80)
Seat 9: SilverStud ($140.85)
Narena posts the small blind of $1
DonTreEdthis posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Narena [Aspades Ac]
bjorndogg folds
SilverStud folds
Cynicism folds
Camoscio folds
TwistedDonkey folds
ArtieRufio31 folds
Villain raises to $7
Narena raises to $501.55, and is all in      :o
DonTreEdthis folds
Villain calls $395, and is all in         :o :o :o :o :o :o
Narena shows [Aspades Ac]
Villain shows [Kc Ks]
Uncalled bet of $99.55 returned to Narena
*** FLOP *** [5h 9h 4h]
*** TURN *** [5h 9h 4h] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [5h 9h 4h 9d] [9s]
Narena shows a full house, Nines full of Aces
Villain shows a full house, Nines full of Kings
Narena wins the pot ($803) with a full house, Nines full of Aces
Villain is sitting out

lol

Good point, though from recent experience I'd say 99% might be a bit much - I've seen the weak lead with a set into a pre-flop raiser a few times recently at this level. Though if he had a set I'd have probably expected him to reraise all-in on the flop when it got back round to him, given that he's the shortest stack in the hand. I think he may also have had a club draw since he typed something despondent in the chat box when it got back to him after the turn - don't think he really wanted to call but also didn't want to let go of the pot by this stage. It was 9-handed by the way.

Like your alternative way of playing AA  - certainly avoids the need for post-hand analysis lol.

Assuming no knowledge of your opponent, do you think calling with KK is a long-term winning or losing play here at 1/2? Any different at 0.50/1?

This is something we recently discussed on the Betfair forum, and the general concensus was that it is +EV to call.

However, I guarantee that to call a pre-flop all-in with KK on a $1/$2 full-handed cash table when you are both deep (100BB+) is -EV.

I'd consider the call only with less than 50BB.



(Regarding the hand I posted, I don't usually play AA like that of course. However I know that opponent well. He rarely raises pre-flop and can't lay down high pairs. Also, 5 minutes beforehand he hit a 2-outer against me (AA v QQ all in) on a different table so I figured the move would look "tiltish.")

I do love the shove with aces v a tight player. Folding kings preflop @ 1/2 is a hurdle that, once passed, takes your game to a whole new level.

I call or pass depending on opponents stack size nearly all of the time.