$3.25, 6-max -AK unimproved in SB on medium flop

[caddie444]

Started to 9 table the $3.25's since I haven't played in a while. What to do with this flop? Is it even worth a c-bet? I just think that c/f'ing sucks...

and if I do C-bet how much??




PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $3.00+$0.25 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG (t1280)
MP (t2140)
CO (t960)
Button (t1800)
SB (t1350)
Hero (BB) (t1470)

Hero's M: 32.67

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, K
UTG calls t30, MP calls t30, CO calls t30, Button calls t30, 1 fold, Hero bets t240, UTG calls t210, 3 folds

Flop: (t585) 10, 6, 9 (2 players)
Hero ???

[Kijjo]

um, wow. now that's a real bb special! uh, I think the pot's so big you may have screwed yourself as far as a c-bet. my standard c-bet is roughly 2/3-3/4 pot. If either of you guys do anymore significant betting, you're pretty much married to this hand.

[taipan168]

If you c-bet 350 and get shoved over, there will be 1975 chips in the pot and it will be 690 to you to call so you would definitely be priced in to call. For that reason I most probably just shove it right here on the flop. That takes away opp's ability to try to bluff you off your hand, and shoving will most probably fold out some hands that beat you.

[rong]

Yeah, I think I shove here too. The A of spades helps with my decision, as I hate 4 suits making me lose to a random 6 etc that gives the flush.

Plus, villain only called UTG, although that could mean anything at that level of buy in and blinds, but it's feasible you have him beat or he folds a pp. to a shove anyway.

[TLR]

Raise a little less preflop, your PFR pretty much leaves you in push/fold mode after the flop, I would raise to about 150 preflop
As played I think I shove it

[GatorJH]

Raise a little less preflop, your PFR pretty much leaves you in push/fold mode after the flop, I would raise to about 150 preflop
As played I think I shove it

I agree with TLR on both.

[caddie444]

Raise a little less preflop, your PFR pretty much leaves you in push/fold mode after the flop, I would raise to about 150 preflop As played I think I shove it

I considered this raise but I figured I would be OOP against likely 2 or more opponents. The raise was meant to win the pot immediately or else have one opponent. Is this not optimal strategy? I plan to play dry flops pretty strong with one caller, but this flop had me guessing as to what to do.


If I do make a preflop raise of 150 are you throwing out a c-bet against a single opponent on this flop then? If so how much?

I think that if I were to get 2+ callers preflop that this would be an easy c/f OOP.

I just want to make sure I'm getting the point here. I think my goal should be to not to build a gigantic pot OOP with a hand that will miss most of the time, but I still need to raise for value.

[Kijjo]

Yes you definitely DO want to raise for value here. I try to raise the amount that's in the pot when I raise limpers (in general) - so in this case 150 does sound good. Since the blinds are so low and we're at a micro stakes game where you'll get more callers, 200 wouldn't be bad. I doubt you get many callers with that range of re-raise (it's 10%+ of everyone's stack except one guy). It's when someone minraises or does a standard 3XBB after multiple limps that you get like 5 callers.
And I would c-bet vs. one caller, check if 2 or more callers if it were me.

[frreshprince]

well i usually raise roughly 3xBB when i raise up a pot.
but for every limper before me i add 1xBB.
so in this case you take your standard 3xBB raise and you add
roughly 4xBBs more because you had 4 limpers before you.
so i would make it 210ish.
Now that flops terrible for you, and especially with the way this hand has played out. because the villian didn't raise preflop, and just flat called your raise of 240, with three more hands behind him.
At these stakes it can be very hard to read players because alot of them just toss around 3$ like they don't care. So he could have a very wide range of hands.
I feel like I have noticed that a player that will do something like this normally was just looking for pot odds with like his QJs J10s, and he just called to see if a few more people would enter thinking pot odds.

Anyway back to your hand, its a terrible flop, but I would still C-bet unless you have noticed this guy to be a very loose caller, and you think you're going to get called down. My C-bet here would let him know i mean business and would risk my stack (or give that impression) but still leave yourself comfortable to fold.

585 chips in the pot post flop
1230 chips in your stack post flop
1040 chips in his stack post flop

So i would C-bet 40%-45%ish of the pot or 285 chips.

[TLR]

Raise a little less preflop, your PFR pretty much leaves you in push/fold mode after the flop, I would raise to about 150 preflop As played I think I shove it

I considered this raise but I figured I would be OOP against likely 2 or more opponents. The raise was meant to win the pot immediately or else have one opponent. Is this not optimal strategy? I plan to play dry flops pretty strong with one caller, but this flop had me guessing as to what to do.

You want to win the pot right there or have one opponent, but you also have to consider a few other factors, one of them is how you plan to play the hand later on. Creating a big pot preflop will force you to commit all your chips or check-fold on the flop.
There is one more reason I dont really like overbets with AK, you often will scare away hands that you have dominated like A with lower kicker and will only keep around hands like 88-JJ who limped preflop

If I do make a preflop raise of 150 are you throwing out a c-bet against a single opponent on this flop then? If so how much?

Assuming pot is about 400 I would bet around 1/2 the pot, prba bly 220 or 240

I think that if I were to get 2+ callers preflop that this would be an easy c/f OOP.

With this flop, definitly

I just want to make sure I'm getting the point here. I think my goal should be to not to build a gigantic pot OOP with a hand that will miss most of the time, but I still need to raise for value.

Which is exactly why you would want to raise less preflop