Hero has greedy aces (1 Viewer)

[DrStrange]

We are playing $1/$1 live, eight handed. We are at the halfway point of the session. This has been a night where the cards and luck visited some players and skipped the others. One of the unlucky players is making his last stand . . .

My new Tropicana set is in play.

Cast of characters:

UTG is The Cougar, a tricky trappy slow-playing villain. He has $25 left on a $400 buy in. He is ready to go home or start a big winning streak.

Crafty sits next, but he is folding.

Hero is next to act with a $350 stack.

The rest of the table is a mish-mash of loose, passive players. Stacks range from $100 to $500, mostly at the top and bottom of those ranges. More villain details as the hand plays out. The important thing is Hero has no reason to expect anyone to raise preflop but ample reason to think there will be callers.

The hand:

The Cougar looks at his hand, makes a short speech about it is time to go home (which I believe is truth not posture) and then slides his $25 out on the table going all in.

One fold brings us to Hero who has . Obviously Hero is not folding. Should he raise to protect his hand or call hoping for a call or two? If raising, how much?

DrStrange

 

[gopherblue]

Based on the facts? Cougar made the raise for you, and has nothing more behind. Given the small amount of the Cougar's bet, I'm not sure if there is really any need to protect that $25 pot. I'd smooth call hoping for another call, then betting the flop. However, as you noted, the rest of the table is loose and passive, so an argument could be made to raise it to $50 to go.

Dammit, Goph, make a decision! Ok, I'm smooth calling.

 

[DrStrange]

For what it is worth, the two most likely to call a $25 flat by Hero are the Button and the Big Blind.

 

[MegaTon44]

I don't flat here. If the players behind us are loose and passive, I want as much in preflop as I can while I have the most equity. Maybe we get caught post flop against suited connectors or other speculative hands that loose passive players play like bullets, but I'm not slowplaying in bad position.

Hero should 3-bet to $60.

 

[Jimulacrum]

I like the $50 raise. We don't want to lock everyone else out of the pot, but we also don't want to flat the $25 and invite a lot of calls behind us.

With a $50 raise, someone holding a big pair or even AK/AQ may feel compelled to call or even reraise, which will put us in a good position for value-town.

 

[mummel]

"Ah if we're going home, lets make it $50"

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

You guys are scared money. Flat and trap.

 

[Gear]

I like the flat-and-trap line, but one could argue for raise-and-trap since it might be seen as a re-steal attempt. That is, raising with anything just to isolate the short stack, whose hand is less likely to be premium. If you flat, you're hoping someone with a "real" hand is going to re-raise. I'm saying that would happen anyway even if you re-raise first.

Raise to $60.

 

[eXtremum]

поднять ставку $60

 

[joker80]

I'm saying that would happen anyway even if you re-raise first.

Raise to $60.

I'm not sure it would if they are loose passive. Passive players don't typically 3 bet. I think they would typicallly call and play passive with KK, QQ, JJ, 1010. I would think you would more likely get a re raise if you flat here.

 

[ChipTalker]

I like the flat-and-trap line, but one could argue for raise-and-trap since it might be seen as a re-steal attempt. That is, raising with anything just to isolate the short stack, whose hand is less likely to be premium. If you flat, you're hoping someone with a "real" hand is going to re-raise. I'm saying that would happen anyway even if you re-raise first.

Raise to $60.

I'm in this camp, looks like trying to isolate with weaker hand plus last thing you want is to play AA with 2-3 callers behind. If I just take down the $25 then great.

 

[Gear]

I'm not sure it would if they are loose passive. Passive players don't typically 3 bet. I think they would typically call and play passive with KK, QQ, JJ, 1010. I would think you would more likely get a re raise if you flat here.

I understand your point about loose-passive players not wanting to 3-bet, but isn't that exactly why we should raise now? Your last sentence contradicts the first three sentences, imo.

 

[DrStrange]

Hero did tank here longer than any other point in the session.

 

[Mr Tree]

Flat, I want another player in here

 

[Leonard]

If you raise you isolate and likely win $25. If you flat you are gambling (when ahead) and hoping to make a lot more. Both are reasonable. "Greedy Aces" flat. I like that BTW.

L

 

[Adam Crowley]

For me it depends on how well I know the players behind me. If I think someone can put me to tough decisions post flop, or is likely to call really wide preflop I'm going to make it $60. If $40 is likely to see a fold from everything but TT+ AQs+ AKo, and they play their hand face up post flop I will flat. Also if there is someone that is likely to 3b lighter because they see our flat as weakness I would limp as well.

Edit: If we are unsure of anything past loose passive label, I would raise to $60

 

[DrStrange]

Let me remind everyone that UTG looked at his hand then jammed. He didn't go all-in blind.

Hero has at least a thousand hours of table time with every player at the table.

BB can create uncomfortable spots but he has so much air in his range that Hero would fold only under the most horrid situations.

Most people calling would do so with a wide range of holdings. Really wide.

Loose passive players always have a wide/wild range unless they start betting.

No one is likely to 3-bet or 4-bet and if they did, they mean business.

 

[Adam Crowley]

I like raising to $60 then. Sounds like a decent chance on person will still call at least. If we make it $60 and get one caller we still build a bigger pot then limping and getting 2 more callers and we make our post flop decisions easier.

 

[tripleflatbarrel]

I'm only flat calling here both A. In later position and B. At more tight/ aggressive tables where a 3b behind us is more likely.

Loose passive table, we're at 350BB and others cover... We need to get as much in pre as possible. I like 50-60.

 

[200 Motels]

If there's four players left to act behind me, I'm curious of their stack sizes. If anyone behind me has me close to covered and can make life difficult for me on the flop, I'd likely min-raise. If the four behind me are straight forward players and are pretty easy to spot strength upon, I'd likely flat. Now that I think about it, if anyone behind me is really aggressive and would possibly raise here to get heads up with the original raiser, I like just flatting.

 

[DrStrange]

There are five people left to act. BB has $700. SB has $100. Button has $125. CO has $300. MP has $200.

No one is aggressive, the table is loose passive especially in the face of a $25 UTG bet.

 

[200 Motels]

Given the above info, it's pretty hard to not flat with AA but MP, CO and Btn can make your things tricky for you. Two of them have perfect stacks for shoving vs your likely flop bet. I guess I min-raise here a third of the time to balance my AA flatting range .

I don't think it's a big mistake either way but I still like flatting most of the time here. You want someone to call with worse but really one caller is ideal.

Title says you got greedy so I assume you flat and get at least one caller from MP, CO or BTN.

 

[DrStrange]

**** The end -or- it wasn't a long story ****

Hero makes a modest raise, $65 total or $40 more. Everyone snap folds except BB who starts a speech, "I know I have you beat, you too so long. But I don't know about Cougar." Hero is muttering a prayer because it is a sure thing BB doesn't have a clue.

BB starting counting his chips. I think he is figuring out if he would still be ahead if he plays the hand for stacks and loses. BB figures out he would be cutting into bone if he gets stacked and decides to fold.

Cougar holds
Hero holds

The flop is

At this point, BB flips over his hand

The board runs out

Easy, peasy

To bad BB didn't take a flier with his soul crushing T7s Made me wish Hero had limped for $25.

DrStrange

 

[Gear]

<deleted>

never mind, misread previous post

 

[BGinGA]

holy crap, what kind of player seriously thinks they are ahead of a 3-bettor with T7 ???

 

[ChipTalker]

It was sooted (y) :thumbsup:

 

[DrStrange]

My kind of player!

And yes, he was somewhat serious.

 

[Gear]

That was the essence of my deleted post. I cannot begin to believe he was serious, but rather posturing before a re-raise or shove.

Having said that, once he folded, I have no idea why he ever chose to show his hand.

 

[DrStrange]

Because he really does think that T7s is almost as good as pocket aces. Of course he knows aces are best preflop, but with skill and a little luck T7s can beat AA.

The villain doesn't know the math. Nor is he even thinking of SPR or position. He just thinks T7s has a good chance vs aces.

And he is wrong -=- DrStrange

 

[Ellasdaddy]

"Soul crushing T7s" made me choke on my water