Help with a hand from a live 2/5 NL game.

[way_too_tight]

Blondeites,

  Hello !   I'd appreciate your thought and criticism's of the following hand (live play and a while ago so I'm a little sketchy on the exact numbers :

The game is 2/5NLH, I'm UTG + 2 and get dealt  [ ]. I've got around $400, maybe a little more. I've been playing tight-ish and I've not shown down anything less than 2 pair.

UTG limps for 5, He's a decent player, as far as I can tell, and he's just waiting for a seat in the 5/10 or 10/20 NL game. (He has around $600)

UTG + 1 folds, I call (good, bad - I'm starting to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea, but I'm not planning on losing a bunch of money on an pair of aces Q kicker)

MP calls, aggressive player, seems to be good, hasn't been at the table that long though, has taken a semi-bad beat a couple of hands ago when his AK meets A2, he seems unfazed though, he still has over $500 left.

Button calls, blinds call and check :

6 players : pot $30

Flop : [     ]

Checked to me, I bet the pot $30, MP calls after a moments consideration, folded round to UTG who also calls.

3 players : pot $120

Turn : [  ]

UTG checks, I bet the pot ($120), MP calls, UTG grins and mucks his [    ] face up. Dealer tells him not to do it again.
I'm a bit nervous now, MP keeps calling me and it's not like there were a lot of draws available. I have no idea what he's holding and I'm out of position.

River : [  ]

Ok, that looks safe but I've got no idea where I am so I check (slightly wrong, horribly wrong, right ?).

MP asks me for a count, I've got around $250 left. He bets $100...

now what - what can I really put him on that I beat ? Would he really be value-betting 2 pair here ?

I'm thinking hard about it, maybe for half a minute. then the guy flashes me a look at one of his cards [  ]. Dealer tells him not to, but he informs the dealer that it's not against the rules and that perhaps he [ the dealer] would like to stay out of it.

Now what....

what do you put him on here and what do you do ?

[Royal Flush]

I call, if he has 3 2's gl to him.

[M3boy]

Wot James said.

I would of however raised with AQ, not flat called. For two reasons, mainly I like to play a moderate hand against one player, not multiway. And I would like to know if I am up against AK (which SHOULD re raise you)

I would also have check raised the pot on the flop (if possible) and if called, not put any more money into it

So, what did he have?

[TightEnd]

raise pre flop, and if you are re-raised you can fold. What exactly Mr KK is doing flat calling pre flop after two limpers I do not know

i bet the flop

i bet the turn

i bet the river hard.

However you check. In my opinion he is only showing you a 2 to make you think he has a set

if he has a set good luck to him

call

if you have balls of a certain size re -raise him all in and look smug

 

[way_too_tight]

And the answer is...


I didn't call him. I couldn't see any way that he could have a 2, call the flop and turn and then have a hand where he wants to value bet the river.

I couldn't figure out why he's showing me the 2 - it would initially seem to be saying - I have a set of 2's - you should fold. - But that seems like an odd thing to do - decided, based on the way he played it, the only hand he could have in that spot is a set of 2's. I can't see him betting a weak 2 pair on the end.

Which was, I feel, a totally justified read. Sadly he shows me  while he's raking in the pot.

I still don't get it, I can only assume he was hoping to make 2 pair straggly pair. I can see the call on the turn with the flush draw and a pair. The river bet had to be, I feel, a set or a bluff. I guess I should have bet it on the river, as he's not that likely to be drawing.

At least he showed it to me... I did appreciate that. Expensive lesson though.

Time to stop playing Aq out of position I guess.

[TightEnd]

However you check. In my opinion he is only showing you a 2 to make you think he has a set

if you have balls of a certain size re -raise him all in and look smug

 

OK, I Win!


I have seen this type of play a few times....it is always designed to make you fear the worst. Three times in my life I have faced it and in all three the gentleman was trying it on!

[way_too_tight]

However you check. In my opinion he is only showing you a 2 to make you think he has a set

if you have balls of a certain size re -raise him all in and look smug

 

OK, I Win!


I have seen this type of play a few times....it is always designed to make you fear the worst. Three times in my life I have faced it and in all three the gentleman was trying it on!

Agreed - but what's the argument for raising vs calling ? I suppose if he's betting a weak 2 pair or is a lunatic then he might call ?

[TightEnd]

because he won't try it again and you will feel a momentary burst of superiority over him and the rest of the table will fear you

[Highstack]

In fiarness with how the hand played out, he probably believed that 2 pair was genuinely in front, although why he didn't just check the end in position only he knows. 100 into that pot, looks like it wants a call and tbh I am surprised you didn't make the value call and pay the bet off, fortunately for him you didn't.

What you need to consider is that there was 460 in the pot and only 100 to call. If you think that there is anything like 25% that you may be good then long term the value is to call and maybe make this pot. If you are wrong 4 times in 5 then you are still showing profit.

As for raising early with AQ pre flop I don't like it and would have played it as you did. Position was always a problem for you, but check and call would be the way to keep it cheap. A bad set was the only possible hand that you were likely to be behind to on that rainbow board with no draws and when he flipped the 2 that franked your read, but I still think a value call was misssed.

[bundle]

if he had flashed the 2 at me it would have been an instant call.

[TightEnd]

if he had flashed the 2 at me it would have been an instant call.

perfect answer

[way_too_tight]

Thanks for all the replies guys - looks like I made a mistake here, the value-call is an excellent point,
the pot really was too big to fold it here I think.

Next time I'm playing that game I'm gonna have to situate TightEnd behind my chair so he can kick me when I'm about to do something stupid 

Ah well, lesson learned, next hand.