AJ should i have done this?

[gingerwizard]

Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 4: gilapoker ( $2000 )
Seat 6: Hero ( $2000 )
Seat 9: Mistia ( $2000 )
Seat 1: Dalind ( $2000 )
Seat 5: faxe1702 ( $2000 )
Seat 10: JR_JD ( $2000 )
Seat 7: robby1424 ( $2000 )
Seat 3: reknolp ( $2000 )
Seat 2: thrill31419 ( $2000 )
Seat 8: R_Chevalier ( $2000 )
Blinds(20/40)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ Ad Jh ]
R_Chevalier folds.
Mistia calls [40].
JR_JD folds.
Dalind raises [80].
thrill31419 folds.
reknolp folds.
gilapoker folds.
faxe1702 calls [80].
Hero calls [60].
robby1424 calls [40].
Mistia calls [40].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jc, 7h, 8h ]
Hero bets [200].
robby1424 folds.
Mistia folds.
Dalind folds.
faxe1702 calls [200].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 5s ]
Hero bets [400].
faxe1702 calls [400].
** Dealing River ** [ Qc ]
Hero checks.
faxe1702 checks.
Hero shows [ Ad, Jh ] a pair of jacks.
faxe1702 doesn't show [ Ts, Jd ] a pair of jacks.
Hero wins 1600 chips from the main pot with a pair of jacks with ace kicker.

[Jc 6d] BU (M=48.67; c+c+f+c+f+f+c+F)
[8h Kh] CO (M=48.67; c+f+f+f+f+c+F)


And how would you have played the Queen? I know i won the hand and would have won it a lot earlier if that fool hadn't held on to top pair. But i showed weakness in checking and feel sure a better player would have had me here.

[ripjohngotti]

Calling preflop with AJ to a raise then a reraise is Bad. Please dont make a habit of it. Even to a raise. Its just not worth it early on.

The way you played it it worked out well but your risking way too many chips with AJ in a hand that you could have been easily beet early on, im not saying how you played it was wrong but. Their is more risk then reward on this certain situation given the stack sizes relative to the blinds, if he bets river there Geee, its gonna be tough to call that Bet.

The Queen on river isn't as scarey as a King , but these are the situations your putting yourself in playing marginal hands early on.

Though he is the bigger donk going all the way down with J10 where he didnt reraise on the flop to see if he was ahead or behind. Just Call Call Call Call, as you will see in these 5 sngs

[taipan168]

Honestly I don't think preflop is that bad, even if the blinds fold you're calling 60 to see a 320 pot with a hand that, although easily dominated, may well be ahead of the trash that typical $6 players limp or call minraisers with. That said, you need to play very carefully on the flop, particularly against the preflop raiser.

I think the flop lead is good with the potential flush and straight draws out there. There is 400 in the pot, I actually would have bet this a bit harder, say 250-300 to go. When your flop bet is called, I check the turn rather than leading again. Sure, giving a free card to the heart draw isn't great but by leading again you're building a big pot which I'm not sure I want to play this early.

On the river, I would have thrown out a blocking bet of about 1/4-1/3 pot so 200-250 or so.

I'm not great at these situations, anybody else?

[Dice Man]

I fold AJo this early in a tourney every time. I rarely limp with it, let alone call a raise.

[ripjohngotti]

What taipan? Your going against what you preach.


Yes this guy won with it this time, but that doesnt mean hes gonna win with it the next time.

At these blind levels you should fold it to a raise preflop.

[taipan168]

At these blind levels you should fold it to a raise preflop.

There was a limper and a caller of the minraise in front. That sweetens the pot considerably. If the minraiser had open minraised and Hero had been to his immediate right, this would be a fold.

As I said, you need to play very carefully postflop even if you hit an A or a J.

[gingerwizard]

i got tempted by so many in on the minraise. There are so many that call anything small preflop and as you guys have said Ax is always a must for these guys. I thought my J kicker might be strong. Perhaps it was a little attacking.

Thanks for the warnings about AJ early. Ill definately play more carefully with it next time. Should i treat AQo similarly?

A question about checking the turn: Is it not a good idea (in these small buy in sngs) to raise with the goods to get rid of any drawing fish? (I read that post you recommended Taipan)

If i have top pair on a flop, bet and am called, doesnt checking the turn show weakness? Is that a rookie statement?
Say in the above example i check the turn and he raises 400? what would i do?

[caesar66]

I don't have a problem calling A-J against a miniraise. More & more often (at low buy ins) I am seeing miniraises with A-x suited, low pp, or suited connectors, hands you are either way ahead of, or only slightly behind. I think both the call & the lead on the flop are fine, though I would bet harder on the flop as well. Though I would slow down on the turn as well with no read on my opponent. River check is fine. I can see bad players playing Q-J, Q-10 the same way.

Opponents call on the flop wasn't horrible (not something I would generally do, but not awful), he had top pair (although with a weak kicker) with a gutshot draw, & calling a 200 bet into a pot of 600 & you could have anything. The turn call was awful though, as it is now apparent you have something.

[Da GOAT]

Honestly I don't think preflop is that bad

now this hand is different to simple fold AJ to a raise. you could argue a call with almost any hand.reason being.

hero has 20 already in with 60 to call plus 2 limpers behind him who if the just call then hero has gotten himself great odds to play.

gamble here is if any of the 2 limpers decide to reraise, but as we know 2 limpers in EP rarely indicate any of them have a monster so actually calling here is fine.


KEY HERE IS HOW YOU PLAY POSTFLOP......you need to hit it hard. 2 pair or better.

If you just pair it, get out aginast resistence. the only reason you are in is to get a monster and implied odds.

after all that i still would fold but wont argue other lines.

[taipan168]

i got tempted by so many in on the minraise. There are so many that call anything small preflop and as you guys have said Ax is always a must for these guys. I thought my J kicker might be strong. Perhaps it was a little attacking.

Yeah, I think the preflop call was fine given you're calling 60 to see a 400 pot (if the blinds call as well), but as Da GOAT said the key is NOT TO GO BROKE if an A or J comes on the flop.

Thanks for the warnings about AJ early. Ill definately play more carefully with it next time. Should i treat AQo similarly?

In general, yes - although you have less hands that dominate you so you can play it a little stronger if you hit an A or Q on the flop.

A question about checking the turn: Is it not a good idea (in these small buy in sngs) to raise with the goods to get rid of any drawing fish? (I read that post you recommended Taipan)

If i have top pair on a flop, bet and am called, doesnt checking the turn show weakness? Is that a rookie statement?

This one could go either way IMO:
- On one hand, as you point out, you want to charge the draws to play and your flop and turn bets were the right size to do so.
- On the other hand, you are building a monster pot that could cost you a lot of chips if you're beat. On the river there are already 1200 chips in the pot, if you check and opp leads for 500-600 are you calling?

Say in the above example i check the turn and he raises 400? what would i do?

Ugh, not sure, probably call and try to get to showdown without putting any more chips in the pot. A thinking opp would probably check behind unless they really had you beat and at low levels loose/passive opps always prefer to check/call rather than bet.

[baudib]

I think you played it well. With no reraise on the flop I think you're good. A pair of queens or better is definitely going to push on you at some point. As played, checking river is goo.

[taipan168]

I think you played it well. With no reraise on the flop I think you're good. A pair of queens or better is definitely going to push on you at some point. As played, checking river is goo.

Do you prefer to bet turn and check river or check turn and blocking bet river?