AJ in the SB, A on the flop, check my line? (PS $11)

[taipan168]

Since I've been having trouble playing postflop, can I set out my thought process street by street for critique? What do you think opp had, do you think I had the best hand?

No real reads on villain except that a few hands prior to this one it looked as if he might have been chasing a flush, folding to a slightly less than 1/2 pot bet on the turn.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (8 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

CO (t1830)
Button (t1450)
Hero (t1490)
BB (t2610)
UTG (t2390)
UTG+1 (t1320)
MP1 (t1020)
MP2 (t1390)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J, A.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls t30, MP1 calls t30, 1 fold, CO calls t30, 1 fold, Hero completes, BB checks.

- Ugh I hate playing AJo OOP with all those limpers. Maybe I should have raised (to 120) here but I want to keep pot sizes under control so if I hit on the flop but am pushed over I'm not frying too many chips early.

Flop: (t150) 5, 4, A (5 players)
Hero bets t150, BB folds, UTG+1 calls t150, MP1 folds, CO calls t150.

- OK I've hit my ace but there's a flush and straight draw out there. I'm going to bet the pot to make them pay for their draws - I'm pretty confident nobody has a better ace though.

Turn: (t600) 2 (3 players)
Hero bets t250, UTG+1 calls t250, CO folds.

- Bugger it, two callers. Plus the turn is an ugly card which might have made somebody's straight. Even though I might be betting into a made hand, since the flush draw is still out there (and straight draw if opp has something like 76) I can't give a free card. I need to make a blocking bet of a bit less than half the pot that will make them think about chasing. Plus if they are calling me with weaker aces I want to get more money in the pot.

River: (t1100) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks.

- I really don't know where I stand on this hand after opp flat called my flop bet and turn bet. Is this 2 pair/set/made straight or a busted draw or Ax? No idea, let's try to get to showdown without putting any more chips at risk.

Final Pot: t1100

[Fnord]

Ni Han sir.

I'd probably go 100 on the flop and 300 on the turn (into 450), but meh.

[Da GOAT]

Fine, I bet more on the turn tho.

[vqc]

i think u should keep ur flop bet smaller.

[Scuba Chuck]

- Ugh I hate playing AJo OOP

I think you have good position on this hand. I'd check the flop. If the flop action is reasonable, I'd likely call and lead a non-spade turn. Thus, your position is nice.

[Fnord]

I think you have good position on this hand. I'd check the flop. If the flop action is reasonable, I'd likely call and lead a non-spade turn. Thus, your position is nice.

Why are you putting them on a spade draw?

How exactly does check/call then donk get lots of chips into the pot against worse hands? I want to play for stacks here against LAggy Sit'N'Go donks.

[taipan168]

- Ugh I hate playing AJo OOP

I think you have good position on this hand. I'd check the flop. If the flop action is reasonable, I'd likely call and lead a non-spade turn. Thus, your position is nice.

So what you're saying is that being in, say, MP, would be worse than being first to act after the flop because by being first to act, you have the option of checking to see what the rest of the table does and acting after that, possibly making yourself last to act if somebody ahead bets and everybody else calls. Interesting, I never thought about it like that before.