Interpoker E200. I'm in EP with E191 and get Ac Ad 9c 6s and limp after 1 other. Button limps, SB cmpletes and BB raises to E12. The BB has been raising almost every hand pre-flop, and is fairly aggressive on most flops. UTG+1 calls, I call and the button calls, SB folds.

4 see the flop of 4h Qd 4c. Checked to me. What do you consider? The pot was E50. The button had E70 left and the other 2 had me covered. I decided to bet pot. I felt the other 2 would have bet with a 4 (UTG+1 was a decent player). If they have QQ I'm done for, but I can't fear that every time this situation comes up.

In the end the button re-raised all-in and it was E20 to me to call (which I obviously did). He had Qh Ah Kc 8h and I was an 85% favourite. His Q of course came on the turn and he raked the E187 pot. My month has suddenly gone rapidly downhill.

How do you think I played the hand? Also, how do you deal with a player that is raising every hand pre-flop? But plays fairly well, if a little aggressive, on the flop?

Martin

Well, that is indeed a tough one Martin. I think betting the flop is OK; it is a bit of a leap of faith to expect one of the players who called a reasonable sized raise to have a 4 (though not entirely out of the question) and so chances are your hand is good. If you're only going to bet a flop when another A hits then you're probably being a bit too tight, and this is the sort of flop that can be good for AA. I agree with you also that after the two checks it seems less likely that either has a 4.

You could've re-raised preflop (and indeed I think I would've here) - my golden rule is usually to re-raise with AA hands only when I can get a VERY significant portion of my opponent's stack in the middle; usually 2/3 or so. In this case the raiser had E70 left after his raise and you can make a raise of something close to another E50, so I think that shuts down the other two players most likely and gets you heads up with the aggressive player. If the UTG+1 player also comes along for the ride, well it's hard luck but you still have position on him and a better hand. It's hard to see the button staying in for a raise of this size. I don't like re-raising AA in most circumstances but this seems a spot where you have position and a chance to isolate a shortish stack who is raising on variable hands, so I probably would have. If you DON'T make the re-raise I really think you have to bet the flop anyway, though, because as I mentioned it's tough to put any of these players on a 4 and this hand is too good to check. A smaller bet may disguise your hand pretty well because it's hard to put you on a passively played AA here; you may get just as much respect for a E30 bet as a E50 one, but to be honest I still think betting the pot is the better option.

If the loose guy can raise more than E20 I would tempted to fold, perhaps E50 or something but as it is you're getting paid 8.5-1 and obviously you can easily make that call for E20.

I guess the operation was a success but the patient died. That's poker.

Monk
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