$5.50, Trapping with KK 3-handed

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (4 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Button (t1630)
SB (t5130)
Hero (t1250)
UTG (t5490)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K

, K

.
2 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t400) 9

, 7

, A

(2 players)
SB bets t200, Hero raises to t1050

First of all, should I be trying to trap here? Secondly, if I make the decision that I'm going to try to trap, I can't just give up on this hand just because an ace flopped, right? He could be betting with anything, and he (presumably) would raise PF with an ace.

So in general, is this an ok play?

You should be raising enough hands 3 handed that you don't need to slowplay preflop on monsters like this and still get action. With your stack there should be no reason to get tricky. SB could be limping Ax and willing to call a push preflop.

Yeah, and I typically do. I remember one game where I got AA, KK, and QQ within a span of 5 hands and pushed them all but never got any action, but I figured pushing would look less suspicious than a min-raise, as I had been pushing many hands. I just figured I could slow play it here and hope that he catches something.

I have also heard Sklansky talk about limping with AA when it's folded to you on the button, because a raise on the button is very likely to take down the pot, so I think that entered into my mind as well.

Does it make a difference here if it's KK or AA? I mean obviously AA is in a better spot, but I would imagine heads up most of the time they're going to play out the same way.

Na, it doesnt make a difference AA or KK.
I'd take the Sklansky quote with a grain of salt as there is probably some other context to when/why he said that.

Alright so assuming preflop action. When the SB open bets his range could literally be any two cards here. You checked the BB to see a flop, meaning he thinks you almost certainly will fold to a bet when an ace comes. You have to get your money in and get it in now. So yes the push was good but preflop is essential.

The Sklansky quote was actually taken from the 2+2 Pokercast, it's basically a poker radio show if you don't listen to it. Anywhere, there's a segment on it called the Sklansky minute where it's just him giving a general tip, so there was no real context to the quote. If I find the time and motivation i'll try to dig up the exact quote, although I don't think I'm really missing anything from it except his abnormally heavy breathing into the microphone.

I agree with FS, I would shove this preflop. Since SB's stack is so much bigger than yours and he can call a push, lose, and still have a very healthy stack he may well call you pretty wide here.

As played, I agree that if you tried to trap preflop then you need to get your chips in on the flop no matter what comes and no matter the action.

I think I shove this too.. Mainly because SB has a big stack.. Just ask yourself this.. Would you be comfortable shoving with 23o here to take down the blinds.. I wouldn't actually because he has so many chips and he completed.. So he can make a dumb call.. If you were shoving a lot, he would be even angrier..

The only one you trapped in this hand was yourself. You should be happy even if you don't get a call to your pre-flop shove - you still add 400 chips to your stack.

As played - this is hard. I wouldn't expect a reasonable player to complete in this spot ever, so he might really have any 2.
It might even be slightly better to just call him down in this spot. I guess he's calling with an A, 9 or flushdraw. The only thing you can protect yourself against is a straight draw.
If he just wants to take the pot away from you he might try again on the turn, and you might get some more value.

yeah, I just call and shove the turn if he checks. He's never folding a legit draw anyway and it sucks to take him off air or maybe even second pair.

Found the Sklansky quote.

"Please don't waste a pair of aces in no-limit hold 'em. If you win the pot pre-flop with your pocket aces, you have probably done something wrong. Don't be afraid of being drawn out. It will happen sometimes, but not very often. Much more often, you will win a decent pot because you have allowed somebody to trap themselves. There are many examples where players over-bet their aces pre-flop. One simple example is when you are in late position, no one else is in yet, and the people behind you have moderate to short stacks. The right play is to simply call. Period. Let people in. Let them make a pair. Let them try to bluff you. Sometimes they will beat you, but we're looking at the long run EV, and when you win that pot pre-flop with AA, you have not maximized that EV."

So my scenario certainly doesn't match exactly with his example, but I thought it would be a waste to push KK and (most likely) pick up the blinds. Since I am not a good players and most of you are, I will take your word for it and push the next time the situation comes up.

Not that it matters, but fyi, the SB had AK and was (presumably) trying to trap me as well.

What he said is interesting and true. I think it especially applies in the context of a cash game and when you have a tight image. Raising your aces gives the blinds a very easy decision - fold when I'm behind. Unless they wake up with a monster they are not likely to play back. So I can see a button call with aces in some scenarios.

btw my previous post might have come across wrong. I am not actually a sarcastic jerk. I think sometimes the large poker resources often dumb things down a bit... like the pocket fives podcast. Almost always lame content in terms of strategy. It's mostly if you want to catch up on who the hot shit is in the online world.

I think in this situation with stack sizes etc I would just shove preflop. Especially if you have been shoving quite a bit and will get looked up wide and you have little fold equity here. If you have a tight/bad image I guess this is ok but unnecessary.

I don't think your stack is big enough to capitalize often enough on the extra EV you could get here limping/flatting with monsters.

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$5.50, Trapping with KK 3-handed

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$5.50, Trapping with KK 3-handed