Playing aces on a 2-suited flop.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Hero ($5.28)
UTG ($4.92)
UTG+1 ($4.75)
MP1 ($5.49)
MP2 ($2.50)
MP3 ($1.69)
CO ($6.09)
Button ($16.15)
SB ($3.54)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, A.
6 folds, Button calls $0.05, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.2, Button calls $0.15.

Flop: ($0.42) 5, 8, 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.28, Button calls $0.28.

Turn: ($0.98) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $0.9, Button calls $0.90.

River: ($2.78) 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $3, Hero????

Ok I need some deep scrutiny.

I've been running crappy today and yesterday, so decided to stick with AOKrongly's 19 hand 'performace poker' strategy.

Maybe the pre-flop raise was a BB too short, but in every poker book I've read, "Aces is a great hand heads up".

So the flop comes, and I do my normal cbet of over 1/2 the pot, so the flush draw doesn't have odds (yep - I'm an under-aggressive cash game fish).

At this point I'm putting him on a flush draw, but as this is only my 10th hand on the table and I've never met this player before, I really have no idea.

So when the turn doesn't show the 3rd heart, I decided to bet just a fraction under the pot, thinking: surely he has to throw the A-x suited.
When he called, I was 99.9% sure he had a flush draw, as a set, straight or two pair are all re-raising here. So when the 3rd heart came on the river, I knew I shoulda just put a 0.60 bet in on the flop.

So I check, and he raises me just under all-in (I have no idea why). From my reading it seems obvious what to do (and aokrongly's sheet says: If in doubt, fold).
______________

What should I learn from this experience? To be more aggressive with my bets? From a pot odds point of view I thought it was pretty sound poker, but obviously not... I'm starting to think that if I can't get aokrongly's basic strategy right, I should give up while I'm still (just) up on my deposit.

Flop is fine. You don't need to (almost) pot the turn. On the river either block bet or c/c a small bet. Fold as played.

Also, you should not just blow everyone out of the pot when there's a possibility of a draw. You make money in the longrun off of bad players chasing with bad odds. You don't make as much by forcing everyone to fold worse hands by overbetting.

You played this hand very poorly. It feels like you made "standard" plays and didn't think things through.

Raise bigger pre-flop. I would go at least 5x, probably 6x or 8x if you can get away with it. You must account for being out of position here and shouldn't be making dinky raises in this spot.

On the flop I would just pot it, particularly if it can set-up a turn shove.

Finally, stop putting people on flush draws heads-up.

raise more pre-flop. To $0.35 or something. Raise flop closer to pot.
As played turn raise is fine, river I'm not sure, but gotta fold to that raise as played. I think 44 or 22 is more likely than the flush.

i'd raise a little more pre and bet more on the flop.

As played i think at these stakes you can bet like 1.6 on the river and fold to a shove.

Thanks for the replies... From now on I will definitely raise more pre-flop when in the blinds with premiums.

Originally Posted by Fnord

Finally, stop putting people on flush draws heads-up.

What should I have put him on instead? J10 / A9 / PP? Or do you think he already made his hand, i.e flopped a set/straight (though as mentioned in the original post, he surely wouldn't want to risk the 3rd heart coming on the river).

I really don't know what the big deal is with your preflop raise size. It doesn't matter if you raise to .20 or .25 imo and raising more than that is pointless unless you are actually wanting to just take down the blinds with your AA. Also, it is perfectly fine to put villain on a flush draw. I don't know what fnord's deal is with that.

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

Also, it is perfectly fine to put villain on a flush draw. I don't know what fnord's deal is with that.

In heads-up pots, inexperienced players vastly over-estimate how often your opponent is actually on a flush draw.

Heads-up I make a point of not paying too much attention to suites.

Originally Posted by Fnord

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

Also, it is perfectly fine to put villain on a flush draw. I don't know what fnord's deal is with that.

In heads-up pots, inexperienced players vastly over-estimate how often your opponent is actually on a flush draw.

Heads-up I make a point of not paying too much attention to suites.

hmm i guess a lot of ppl do just assume a cbet call on 2-suited flops means a flush draw.

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

hmm i guess a lot of ppl do just assume a cbet call on 2-suited flops means a flush draw.

Most of my opponents who aren't known to be passive raise there.