Looking back, I'm not sure this hand is really worth posting, but as has been pointed out, this forum does need some action!

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: TW is BB with , .
4 folds, MP3 raises, 3 folds, TW calls.

Flop: (4.33 SB) , , (2 players)
TW bets, MP3 raises, TW calls.

Turn: (4.16 BB) (2 players)
TW checks, MP3 bets, TW raises, MP3 3-bets, TW caps, MP3 calls.

River: (12.16 BB) (2 players)
TW bets, MP3 calls.

Final Pot: 14.16 BB

Results in white below:
TW has Ad Ah (one pair, aces).
MP3 has Qd Td (one pair, tens).
Outcome: TW wins 14.16 BB.

The reason I thought this hand was interesting is that my flat-call from the BB wound up gaining me a good bit later in the hand. My opponent was fairly aggressive, obviously, so I felt that by smooth-calling, I could get him to overplay his hand. Obviously, it turned out better than expected!

This really isn't that big of a hand, but I think it emphasizes the concept that, when the pot is small, you should be looking to gain extra bets. When the pot is large/multiway, on the otherhand, your purpose is often just to maximize your chance to win. Had there been any other callers, I would've 3-bet preflop and played the hand in a more straightforward fashion.

-TW

I dont disagree w/ your play but I have a question.

Under these same circumstances, what % of time will u just call?

4 out of 5 times I would reraise preflop and go for the check/raise on the flop against this opponent, thinking that if hes that aggressive then he will def bet after I check the flop. And if he just checks the flop too, then he doesnt think I have much when I bet out on the turn.

But sometimes I feel I'm losing bets by being too aggr when heads up. This is one of those times when I dont know the "best" way to play.

First off, if I'm not sure whether I like check-raising the flop after a preflop 3-bet. Especially since, in a heads-up situation, I nearly always take at least one shot at the flop if I put in the last raise preflop. A check here would seem suspicious; even if the player was aggressive enough to bet after I check on the flop, I think a check-raise would really shut him down.

As far as calling vs. raising preflop, it's tough to put down a percentage. It really depends on a few things; where the raise came from, who the raise came from, what's my image...if I've been raising a lot and playing very aggressively, I think I'm more likely to go ahead and 3-bet, as it certainly wouldn't signify a monster. If the raise came from a steal position, I'm more likely to call, though there's an exception here: if I'm against a tough opponent who is savvy enough to consider that I might just be playing back at an attempted steal, I'll go ahead and 3-bet here. If the raiser is rather weak postflop, and likely to not put in a lot of bets if he misses, I'll probably 3-bet to get maximum value preflop, and possibly entice him to call me with a couple of dead overcards in a larger pot than if I had called.

On the whole, I'd say I 3-bet here about two out of three times, and virtually any time I'm against more than one opponent. But I do feel that it's important to look for ways to maximize your value in small-pot situations; while slowplaying does add risk in this situation, the combination of a heads-up situation and a small pot seem to justify taking some small risks to gain bets on later streets.

Just some food for thought, as I'm certainly no expert at this game! Just trying to broaden my horizons as to alternate ways to play hands.

-TW