AK in position

[bdawg56kg]

I have really mixed feeling about the way I played this hand. I have been playing TAG, but not sure if villian knows. No reads. What do you think? Comments on all streets welcome.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

UTG ($173.10)
UTG+1 ($182)
MP1 ($65)
MP2 ($74.70)
Hero ($199)
CO ($328.80)
Button ($241.45)
SB ($201.80)
BB ($78)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K, A.
4 folds, Hero raises to $8, 3 folds, BB calls $6.

Flop: ($17) 7, 3, Q (2 players)
BB bets $8, Hero calls $8.

Turn: ($33) 2 (2 players)
BB bets $12, Hero calls $12.

River: ($57) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $50 (Puts him all in, he has exactly $50 left)

[Lukie]

bdawg u fish

[Lukie]

oh yeah, the hand.

I think raising this flop is much better then calling flop, calling turn, pushing river with ace high.

[bdawg56kg]

I think raising this flop is much better then calling flop, calling turn, pushing river with ace high.

I obviously considered raising the flop, but the stack sizes really made things complicated. Say I raise the flop to $30. If he calls, the pot is $77 and he has $40 left, so my fold equity on the turn/river is essentially zero. I guess you'd check behind on the turn and river then? If he has a hand like As3x or As7x, he likely isn't folding to a flop or turn raise, but with just one pair, it's hard for him to call a river push for the rest of his stack. Ugh. This is why I hate playing unmade/drawing hands against shorties.

[underminedsk]

I dont like it at all. The villan's been betting at you on the flop and turn, so there's no reason to expect he isn't ready to commit the rest of his chips on a blank river. I like this play if you have been the one betting the flop and he's been the one calling (indicating a busted 1-card flush draw). I'm guessing he's probably ready to show down with anything TP or better , given the fact that he is only slightly above 1/4th stacked, and therefore probably is a fish.

A better line might be to take it to $20 on the flop, in order to block his turn bet or force him to expose his hand by inciting an all-in, letting you get away cheaply.

[bearing]

i gotta agree with underminedsk he's making sense. Guy could be bluffing right at you with cack, make them tell the truth about their hand whether they like it or not!

[Fnord]

I would just put him all-in on the flop.

[Renton]

I think it depends on villain. If you know him to be a solid player that can read into what you have been representing (you were obviously representing a passively played monster), then I can see this being a good play. However, seeing as he has bought in short, he is probably a nincompoop and you really just paid off his weak, but superior to AK, holding.

Its probably a profitable play, but you have to be against an aware player.

[Fnord]

He's a short-buy, get it in on the flop while your money still might be good. Fail that, just fold to his donk-bet.

[bdawg56kg]

I would just put him all-in on the flop.

Fnord, don't you think his stack seems a little too large for a flop push? I assume you do this often with TPTK and overpairs frequently in this spot? I guess it's not my normal line with say AsAd or KsKd in this spot, since I would want to maximize value, but I really should consider overbetting with just one pair hands, so I think you have a good point. Hrmmm...

Also Fnord, would you really fold to his flop donk lead? I didn't even see folding as an option.

Anyway, he folded pretty quickly on river.

[Fnord]

With 50bb, any hand that hits the board medium-strong is pretty much going to the felt. I would be over-betting but not by much and I do this crap to short buys all of the time.