Aq Diamonds In The Sb

[unkysimba 0]

This is my first post on FCP, I have been lurking in the forums for a while and I really wanna get better, so I plan on posting a lot of hands and looking for your guys' help. So here goes the first hand, I don't have the actual HH, but I remember the hand well:$5+$0.50 18 person sng on Full Tilt Poker, 7 people left (5 make money), blinds are 100/200There are two bigger stacks that have over 5k, the other 5 people are in the neighborhood of 3kVillain (UTG) has 2900Hero(SB) has 3600BB has 2700Previous read on villain is that he has been playing fairly tight not really getting in anyone's way...I have been stealing when given the opportunity, but not exactly playing crazy eitherHero is dealt A Q Villain raises to 400, folds around to Hero who calls and BB calls(pot 1200)Flop 4 A 9 Hero checks, BB checks, Villain bets pot of 1200Hero?Could I have done something differently preflop?Should I have lead out on the flop?What would you do with the hand played as is?

[krup24 0]

Welcome to FCP strat there are a ton of great tourney players to help ur game here. I play mostly cash but I mix it up sometimes. Posting hands will definitely help ur play.I kinda like just calling preflop. A tighter player raising, all be it min raising UTG is most likely a decent hand. I have no problems with taking a flop here seeing if we can hit a big hand. We really could be good here but I don't think we are invested enough to make a stand here on a 3 soot flop.We are close to the money and have a decent sized stack so I would fold post flop to the 1200 bet

[GrinderMJ 0]

eeeek that's tough. I think it's just call/fold preflop and fold flop in this scenario

[Actuary 3]

this is such a critical stage.5 players battling with M's = 12-ish. I like preflop, for reason Krup noted.I think you either open push or fold the flop.

[gobears 0]

If you call preflop then I think that you have to check/raise all-in with that flop. It's unlikely that villain flopped a flush and you hit your ace. AA/AK is a worry but we're ahead of or in good shape against anything else.If we're going to fold with an ace on the flop then we might as well fold preflop.

[Actuary 3]

why not open push then?I'm glad to take it here and not have someone tempted with better odds.

[gobears 0]

why not open push then?I'm glad to take it here and not have someone tempted with better odds.

If villian has a club, then he's 2-1 to hit so he has odds to call our jam with any decent club.Yeah, that's a good argument for open pushing especially with the stack sizes of both villains.

[iggymcfly 0]

If villian typically makes standard raises and this is the first time he's made a min-raise, then you might want to be suspicious, but at this level, he's probably just doing it because he doesn't know any better. I'd actually probably push this PF a lot of the time as we have a strong hand, but not so strong that we're looking to play a flop.On the flop, this is an excellent spot for a C/R if villian's aggressive, and now that he bet the pot (which is I assume what we wanted), we should definitely go all-in. He's probably got an ace or a club, and the only thing we're likely to be behind here is AK.Oh, also I think open-pushing fearing a club is playing too scared. If we had KK against A2 would we want villian out of the pot? We're not on the bubble, we're a 2:1 favorite, and I think we want chips in the pot. Also, don't forget a lot of the time we're getting called by something like AT no club that's drawing extremely slim, and a lot of the time this is a CB that will fold to a raise.

[Rocketwadster 0]

With the pre-flop raise coming from UTG, and being that close to the bubble, I wouldn't fault you for folding pre-flop with a trouble hand. Calling is okay as well, but you will be OOP throughout the hand, so you have to tread lightly barring a flush draw flopping.Need some info on villain here. If he makes CB's routinely, then this may be a good time for a check-raise. If he isn't, then open-pushing is probably fine, as we probably wont be folding should we put in a normal raise and have someone come over the top of us, so why not maximize our fold equity. THe only hands that I can see calling us are a flopped flush (Kc Qc from BB only, not UTG, with the ace showing up on the flop), two pair (A 9 or A 4 from BB, not UTG), or a set (aces unlikely as we have one, 9's perhaps, 4's only from B), or Ace Kc from UTG. That isn't many hands that would call IMO, but there are a lot that would love to see a free/cheap turn card, so lets price them out.

[unkysimba 0]

As far as the villain's standard raise goes, as blinds were getting bigger, some of the players started raising less because its a bigger portion of their stack. I mean like you said, it is a $5 buy-in, so many of the people at this level don't really know any better.From what I remember, if villain raised a pot preflop he was betting the flop pretty consistently.

[kidpoker1218 0]

Id bet and fold to a raise, prolly bout half pot 3/4 pot bet.

[Actuary 3]

to me, this pot is big relative to our stacks and this crucial point in tourney.open Push for maximum fold equity.1/2 his pairs have a club.I'd rather he not feel priced in.But instead, sees our play as a move and calls or folds with AxTc, etc.

[krup24 0]

Open Pushing is Wayyyyyyy better than C/R. As Actuary said we can't price him in with a club draw or AK for that matter. I still tend to lean to folding post flop we are too close to the money to get involved here and our stack is decent.

[Actuary 3]

Krup,I'd fold to, had I chekd.But you don't want to open push?Rarely in a 3 way pot has someone flopped a flush...Especially with Ac on board and UTG raised.So, don't we have a good chance to pick this up?

[krup24 0]

Krup,I'd fold to, had I chekd.But you don't want to open push?Rarely in a 3 way pot has someone flopped a flush...Especially with Ac on board and UTG raised.So, don't we have a good chance to pick this up?

I think we do have a good chance to pick this up. I like the open push its not a bad play at all here but we are not heavily invested. As played I fold, don't know whether its optimal to C/F or open push though but C/R is definitely down on the totem pole.

[unkysimba 0]

After reading all of these replies, I would have to say its looking like an open push would have been my best option because as Actuary said, this is a crucial pot and I got what I wanted on the flop by hitting top pair (although 3 clubs isn't the optimal situation). In this situation I would want max fold equity, so that to me is looking like the best way to go.How the rest of the hand actually played out:I c/r all in after he bet the pot on the flop hoping he was just leading out w/o really hitting the flop or maybe a hand I have dominated. He called with A Q .Turn K River 6 So, needless to say I was hammered and hoping to evade the club just to split. Thanks for the replies.

[Actuary 3]

bummer.open pushing gives you same result in that case.Given his strong kicker, TP, and FD.

[unkysimba 0]

I knew that after I saw his hand I wasn't going to be able to get him to fold post-flop no matter what line I took. In hindsight, obviously folding is the best play, but if I had to do it over again, I would definitely open push. I just wanted advice on the previous parts of the hand so I know what to do differently in a similar situation in the future.

[fckthis 0]

I knew that after I saw his hand I wasn't going to be able to get him to fold post-flop no matter what line I took. In hindsight, obviously folding is the best play, but if I had to do it over again, I would definitely open push. I just wanted advice on the previous parts of the hand so I know what to do differently in a similar situation in the future.

Folding is a results oriented play. The right play=open pushing.

[XXEddie 0]

As far as the villain's standard raise goes, as blinds were getting bigger, some of the players started raising less because its a bigger portion of their stack. I mean like you said, it is a $5 buy-in, so many of the people at this level don't really know any better.From what I remember, if villain raised a pot preflop he was betting the flop pretty consistently.

th I like a c/r. You played this right....btw, Avs > Red Wings

[tallytownFSU 0]

Open Push.What happens if a club falls on the turn? Then you check/fold.You NEVER want to let your opponents see cards that can beat you for free. I would reasonably assume you have the best hand here. But again, even if he has AQ or a weaker ace, he may have redraws to the flush.Anyways, you have low FE, so open push and maximize value for this hand.

[unkysimba 0]

....btw, Avs > Red Wings

the avs are horrible, my lord i hate that hockey team with a passionanyways, well the consensus seems to be open push which I completely agree with and im aware folding is results oriented so im not advocating it at all.

[tallytownFSU 0]

GO WINGS

[timwakefield 68]

1/2 his pairs have a club.

Actually I think it would be significantly less than half, with three clubs on the flop.I would probably go all-in preflop. Otherwise, get it all in on the flop.

[Actuary 3]

Actually I think it would be significantly less than half, with three clubs on the flop.

theres 1 AA combo.3 - 99 combos.And 44 is not likely gvien preflopSo, no not SIGnificanty less.Espcially since out Q is a , that offsets the 9 why you want to derail me!..lol