Playing Big Slick After The Flop

[WayneDG99 0]

I was recently involved in this hand at a no limit hold'em sit and go tournament and have agonized over my post-flop play holding big slick.The scenario was as follows: Four players remained. Top three were paid. I had the small stack with 2600 chips, my opponents, player one had 6400, player two had 5600 and player three had 5500 in chips. I was dealt Ad,Kd in the big blind (100/200). Players One and Two folded. The small blind called and I raised it to 625. He called.The flop brought the` 2s, 5d and 3c.The small blind checked and I put the rest of my chips (1900) in the pot. He called, showing Ah, 2c. The turn brought the 2d and the river the Js knocking me out one away from the money.I have agonized about my decision, which was based on the following: I was small stacked, had 2 over cards, put my opponent on A,J or A,Q. I had a gutshot straight draw, back door flush and believed the flop did not help my opponent.In retrospect, I was a 25% dog post flop and up against players I was superior. Player three was particularily weak and with a little patience I would have gotten all his money and/or he would have been knocked out before me, placing me in the money. Would you have played this hand any differently?

[Balloon guy 158]

Soon to be movedI would have either gone all in pre flop, or just check/folded.AK is still a drawing hand. On bubble you need to either make a stand, or be passive, trying to play with bigger stacks is trouble.There is no poker law that once you raised, you have to continue betting. Bubble time is different than other times.Your preflop raise said :Big Cardsthe flop all in said: BluffHow would you have played AA? or 55? Only bluff really goes all in in this spot.Easy call with A2This hand you played will go along way in helping you next time, you are paying your dues, learn the lessons and apply them next time.Vatche will correct me where I am wrong

[WayneDG99 0]

Soon to be movedI would have either gone all in pre flop, or just check/folded.AK is still a drawing hand. On bubble you need to either make a stand, or be passive, trying to play with bigger stacks is trouble.There is no poker law that once you raised, you have to continue betting. Bubble time is different than other times.Your preflop raise said :Big Cardsthe flop all in said: BluffHow would you have played AA? or 55? Only bluff really goes all in in this spot.Easy call with A2This hand you played will go along way in helping you next time, you are paying your dues, learn the lessons and apply them next time.Vatche will correct me where I am wrong

Thanks for your reply - great advice.However, an all-in bet preflop would likely have induced a fold (I would have won a $200 bet)? The blinds were still relatively small and I did not have a made hand. If you checked pre-flop, would you honestly not have lost any more money post-flop? What about when the fourth diamond hit the board on the turn. Would you have made a bet at that time? If you bet the flush draw and str draw after the turn, I'm guessing it would have been sizeable, thereby making you pot-committed to his likely re-raise with his set. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[Actuary 3]

if you push preflop, you win 400 when he foldsYou did pay the BB, right?You also may get called by hands you are dominating, like ATYou also are well behind chip wise and wouldn't hate a race hereunless the other players have no concept of bubble play and are going at each other hard. In which case, just check and see a flop and don't bluff.No problem with raise to 625 if SB shows he can complete/fold, either. But you still had 2000 left post flop, slow down.and I won't be addressing those hypotheticalsand welcome

[mtdesmoines 3]

All in preflop with your particular circumstances. That should have kicked an Acie deucie off the hand.

The blinds were still relatively small and I did not have a made hand.

You were shortstacked in a tourney with AK. Push it.

[jack24bauer24 0]

Soon to be movedI would have either gone all in pre flop, or just check/folded.AK is still a drawing hand. On bubble you need to either make a stand, or be passive, trying to play with bigger stacks is trouble.There is no poker law that once you raised, you have to continue betting. Bubble time is different than other times.Your preflop raise said :Big Cardsthe flop all in said: BluffHow would you have played AA? or 55? Only bluff really goes all in in this spot.Easy call with A2This hand you played will go along way in helping you next time, you are paying your dues, learn the lessons and apply them next time.Vatche will correct me where I am wrong

Thats pretty easy to say because he ended up having AK and lost...if he had pockets 6's through qq's he's going all in for sure, and if it was me possibly going all in with k's or aces also. The pot is over 1000 and he only has 2000 left, why does an all in mean bluff?

[Acid_Knight 2]

I don't see anything wrong with the play. A guy with a big stack will limp call from the SB with a reasonably large range of hands, considering he was getting 2-1 to call preflop.After the flop, well, unless it's something like JT9, you're probably going to bet anyway assuming that it didn't help your opponent. A flop with 3 wheel cards is a flop where an unimproved AK is likely the best hand.If and when you get called, you figure to have at least 10 outs if you're not already ahead.I don't think there's too much regret to be had about the way the hand played out. He got lucky on you. That's also not an automatch call on his part post flop, since I'm sure you'd play 66-TT about the same way. You'd have lost with all of those hands as well and I'm sure you wouldn't regret it.

[copernicus 0]

My usual play with any Ace in a blind vs blind situation is to check, and I think can still work with these stacks. Much shorter and I would just push.How does the play go with a check? If he checks the flop, you bet pot (400). He raises, possibly putting you all in..he doesnt want to risk his 2s being counterfeited. Pot is 3000 you have 1800 to call. What can he possibly be check/raising all in with? If you think he can make that play with any A (along with the sets etc) , then you have to call. If you narrow the range of Aces you can get away from it. If he leads the flop (400) you raise (1000) and he pushes back (and youre in the same position, but it cost you more, and you probably have trouble getting away from it. (Or you push and he calls, winding up back there again)So you probably wind up getting knocked out, but there are some scenarios where you might escape.

[Balloon guy 158]

Thats pretty easy to say because he ended up having AK and lost...if he had pockets 6's through qq's he's going all in for sure, and if it was me possibly going all in with k's or aces also. The pot is over 1000 and he only has 2000 left, why does an all in mean bluff?

In this situation, at this time, I think a check is the best play here. Risking everything on A high isn't my idea of how I want to finish. You might get a call from A8 or higher, but probably only by a hand that beats you.Any other time in the tournament you are of course right. Bubble time I play like a girl and check fold.

[jack24bauer24 0]

In this situation, at this time, I think a check is the best play here. Risking everything on A high isn't my idea of how I want to finish. You might get a call from A8 or higher, but probably only by a hand that beats you.Any other time in the tournament you are of course right. Bubble time I play like a girl and check fold.

I'm not saying I don't check and fold on the turn to a bet either if I don't hit the AK, I just felt that you're statement of it being an easy call for the guys with 2's was very result oriented and that any PP that the OP could have had would have pushed all in on the flop the same way he did with AK.I don't really see it as being a bad play, nor do i think that check and folding the turn is a bad play either considering the bubble situation.