10 Questions to playing AK when flop misses in MTT

[moritzey]

Just went out of a tournament with AKo, and didn't particularly liked the way I played it afterwards (regardless of winning the hand or not), was wondering how other people out here would play it. Here it goes:

Blinds are 100-200, 60 left, 20 get paid.
Me in UTG+1 with 5,000 chips (about average), have played quite aggressive over the last two levels, working my stack back up from 300 chips after a nasty SB v BB confrontation earlier.

Me ( ): bet 500 to 700 total
LP (9,000 chips): calls - has played solid poker so far, semi-tight. Got all his chips in a 77 v AK v AK v AK fourway a while ago where he held the pocket sevens.

Blinds fold

Flop comes:

(1) What now? Check-Call, Check-Fold, Bet?

Decided to bet 800 to see where I'm at, and am smooth-called

Turn:

(2) Hooray, but what do I do now? With a pot of 3,300 and 3,500 behind me, I decide to bet 1,500, thinking that any AJ or QQ might give me a spin, not buying the King ... again, I am smooth-called.

River:

Like the card, as it gives me two pair and I would beat any dodgy J6. Anyway, I make the mistake of committing my remaining chips and am called by pocket Jacks. So here's

(3) What do I do on the river?

A couple more questions as the answers to 2 and 3 will probably be along the lines of 'wrong, do something else, namely ...'

(4) If I check the turn, what do I do if I am bet into, faced with an all-in, if it is checked through behind me
(5) If I get to the river after check-calling on the turn, what now? check-call again?
(6) If I get to the river after check-ceck on the turn, what do I do? Value bet?
(7) What range do I put my opponent on (a) after the flop (b) turn (c) river
( Should I be prepared to lay down my AK to anything after the King arrives on the turn?

To make up ten questions
(9) What's your favourite colour?
(10) What's the capital of Mali?

Would appreciate if some of you could find the time to answer those questions.

[divingduck]

 The only definative answer i can offer is Bamako (fav colour depends on my mood).

[moritzey]

The only definative answer i can offer is Bamako (fav colour depends on my mood).

Not looking for definite answers. I'm happy with some pointers

[thetank]

The flop bet is good. (Does anyone remember what we called these before the continuation bet term was coined?)


Turn, I think when you hit, you have to bet.

If you get raised, whether to call or not would factor in the following major factors.

- How crazy your opponent is.
- The structure of the comp, how important is it that you have chips now.
- How top heavy the prize structure.

Crazier the opponent, faster the structure, the more top heavy on 1st, would all lean you towards calling.



River, after being flat called. I think you gotta check call, unless your opponent is really passive and you are quite sure he has AJ. (Where you should obviously value bet)



Books could be written about AK. These are just a few scribbled thoughts.

[totalise]

push the river... its not likely he has a second best hand that will push the river, but he sure might have one that will call (given the fact that he called the turn and the pot odds will likely be too much for him to refuse). The flop was super dry, so you cant be too hopeful that he will try to bluff off a busted draw... and if you intend to check/call, then you might as well push in this spot, given that its a 6,300 pot and you have 2k behind, and given the fact that if he has you beat, then he will push, and you are going to call anyways. Save the snapping off of bluffs for spots where they might be more likely to a) have a hand that needs to bluff and b) when the pot/stack size is such that a bluff might work for your opponent.

The only time I would check this river is if I intended to fold.

As for the rest of the hand, I guess I would play it pretty much the same, and would rarely get to the river by checking the turn... and yes, if the turn is a blank you should be giving up on the hand more often then not.

[boldie]

push the river... its not likely he has a second best hand that will push the river, but he sure might have one that will call (given the fact that he called the turn and the pot odds will likely be too much for him to refuse). The flop was super dry, so you cant be too hopeful that he will try to bluff off a busted draw... and if you intend to check/call, then you might as well push in this spot, given that its a 6,300 pot and you have 2k behind, and given the fact that if he has you beat, then he will push, and you are going to call anyways. Save the snapping off of bluffs for spots where they might be more likely to a) have a hand that needs to bluff and b) when the pot/stack size is such that a bluff might work for your opponent.

The only time I would check this river is if I intended to fold.

As for the rest of the hand, I guess I would play it pretty much the same, and would rarely get to the river by checking the turn... and yes, if the turn is a blank you should be giving up on the hand more often then not.

yeah I'd agree with that. the bet on the flop was nice...and you hit the turn so...not a lot you can do there. and your reasons for being happy with the 2 on the river are sound aswell. AK is tricky to play at the best of times...this was sound enough..the guy just happened to play JJ like i do and slow play the hell out of them.

[matt674]

Unless you have an unbelieveable read on your opponent you will struggle to get away from this.

You've raised with AK and missed the flop - you put in a bet and you are smooth called, if you check in this situation then your opponent will check behind you (i very much doubt he's going to bet top set on a unco-ordinated rainbow flop).

You then hit your TPTK on the turn and you are out of position so your caught between a rock and a hard place, you want to try and maximize your winnings if your TPTK is good but minimise your losses if you think your opponent is slowplaying a set. Without being at the table i wouldn't know how your JJ opponent normally plays, more often than not i'd fire out on the turn and if slow played again probably fire out on the river and go broke

[AndrewT]

The flop bet is good. (Does anyone remember what we called these before the continuation bet term was coined?)

Bluffs?

As for this particular hand, once the King hits you're not getting away from it, given the pot and what you have left. You could have if you didn't cont bet, but never cont betting these situations is major -EV in the long run.

The fact he has JJ makes this hand less interesting, as he's never going away. In fact, with TPTK on this uncoordinated board, any hand which beats you is sticking around.

A more interesting situation would be if he had something like AJ - could you ensure your double up?

[moritzey]

The flop bet is good. (Does anyone remember what we called these before the continuation bet term was coined?)

Bluffs?

As for this particular hand, once the King hits you're not getting away from it, given the pot and what you have left. You could have if you didn't cont bet, but never cont betting these situations is major -EV in the long run.

The fact he has JJ makes this hand less interesting, as he's never going away. In fact, with TPTK on this uncoordinated board, any hand which beats you is sticking around.

A more interesting situation would be if he had something like AJ - could you ensure your double up?

Well, surely that shouldn't affect the way I am playing the hand, as there is no way for me to tell whether he has AJ or JJ? So in doubt I should try to get all the chips into the middle once I hit the turn? But then I suppose it's a bit of a 50/50 with hands I beat (QQ, AJ, maybe even QJ) and hands that beat me (JJ, AA and (very unlikely) KJ)?

I suppose I can narrow his range more or less to those six after he smooth-calls me on the flop, so what about trying to keep the pot small? I.e. either check-calling from the turn onwards or alternatively, sticking in 800 bets rather than 1,500s on the last two streets, and hoping for smooth-calls?

[matt674]

Well, surely that shouldn't affect the way I am playing the hand, as there is no way for me to tell whether he has AJ or JJ? So in doubt I should try to get all the chips into the middle once I hit the turn? But then I suppose it's a bit of a 50/50 with hands I beat (QQ, AJ, maybe even QJ) and hands that beat me (JJ, AA and (very unlikely) KJ)?

I suppose I can narrow his range more or less to those six after he smooth-calls me on the flop, so what about trying to keep the pot small? I.e. either check-calling from the turn onwards or alternatively, sticking in 800 bets rather than 1,500s on the last two streets, and hoping for smooth-calls?

so your caught between a rock and a hard place, you want to try and maximize your winnings if your TPTK is good but minimise your losses if you think your opponent is slowplaying a set.

and this is what seperates the average players and the top class players, the ability to put your opponent accurately on a hand (and quickly when playing online) then having the courage to stick to your instincts regardless of the consequences.

Hopefully the more you play the game the better you become at reading the situation

[tantrum]

calls - has played solid poker so far, semi-tight. Got all his chips in a 77 v AK v AK v AK fourway a while ago where he held the pocket sevens.

Don't you think then that his smooth calling on flop and turn is suspicious?

So many players can't fold top pair,

What were his actions before this hand? is this what he does - calls everything down to the river? You say that you were pretty aggressive so if he has a set and then he will not bet into you as you can do the job for him. The king is his blessing as you and many others will put all their stack on the river. 

[Rooky9]

Being smooth called on a non striaghting or flushing board at a decent level is scary. The turn and river are hard on you though.

[moritzey]

Being smooth called on a non striaghting or flushing board at a decent level is scary. The turn and river are hard on you though.

Well, I agree. But what do you do about it? Make small bets on turn and river, trying to keep the pot small but big enough to stop him from raising you? Well, he'd push on the river in that case - fold? Or just check-call turn and river, hoping he'll make small bets? Or actually give the hand up?

[dino1980]

As played i think your line was fine. I probably check-fold (if he bets) the flop though. Nothing wrong with a bet to find out where you are in this spot but with my stack size and position in this spot i'm inclined to check 75% of the time and lead out 25% of the time.