Low Stakes Difference between AX and a set

I seem to remember my biggest leak when I used to play was at lower limits trying to guess between this. As we all know to well people like to limp/raise with trash like A9 and its awesome because when you raise with AK, they will call, and then on an AXX flop you can take em to value town.

Problem is seems like a lot of people will play a set or when they flop two pair the same way they play their weaker ace.

Anyone help me with way to debunk this situation, it seems more exclusive to lower stakes when players value Ax way above and limp or raise in early position.

To clarify AK on a AXX board when AX and low pp is in opponents range.

Thanks.

At lower stakes it really comes down to whether the opponent is aggressive or passive.

Say you open AK in EP and get one caller. The flop comes A T 9 on a two-tone flop. You need to bet here obviously since there are a lot of drawing hands out there and the fact that you'll also pick up value from AQ and AJ. If dude happens to have AT/A9/TT/99 then you've just gotta roll with it because if he plays well then he should get a good portion of your stack since he will play his draws in a similar manner. So against aggressive players you'll usually lose some of your stack (and rightfully so). Against passive players, especially if you never see them being aggressive with draws, you doubt that they're going to raise the flop and lead the turn or something with AQ or AJ, so it's easy to get away from.

Also note that the frequency of AT/A9 have to do with how loose or tight the villain is.

Then again I could be wrong. I feel like such a donk when I talk about poker.

This is kinda the hand I was talking about, I showed down a bad hand that I caught on versus him a few hands before. No real reads besides that.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.05 BB (5 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

MP ($2.12)
Button ($10.71)
Hero ($5.73)
BB ($8.50)
UTG ($6.97)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Khttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif.
UTG calls $0.05, 1 fold, Button calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.35, BB calls $0.30, UTG folds, Button calls $0.30.

Flop: ($1.10) 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif, Thttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif (3 players)
Hero bets $0.8, BB calls $0.80, Button folds.

Turn: ($2.70) 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $2, BB calls $2.

River: ($6.70) Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif (2 players)
Hero bets $2.58 (All-In), BB calls $2.58.

Final Pot: $11.86

your running out of money at the turn,you have nothing behind so once you make your turn bet its going to be all in regardless. With the flush draw out there and the relative stack sizes I would have gone all in on the turn and get him to make a $4.58 mistake as you should believe you are ahead at that time.

you have to be aggressive with this AK hand, prozach. too many lower stakes players chase flush draws at any cost. even the tighter ones will occasionally.

if you lose your stack to AT, oh well. against the typical micro's range, it could have just as easily been a draw and you may have won his stack.

w/o a read, imo, its 50/50 here as to what they hold. i am felting this on the turn, too, given your stack size. you are committed by then anyway. if you can scare the villain the turn is where your stack/bet will do it, not the $2ish into $6 on the river.

Turn bet 2.5? My 2 into 2.7 is still not giving him odds to chase flush.

I put him on a smaller A here so I am just value betting, and I doubt he calls a push with a smaller A

generally at micro stakes you can bet/bet/bet with TPTK, but fold if they raise.

That Q is a disgusting card for you. Loads of stuff just made 2pair/flush/straight, but with the stack:pot ratio so small you have to stick it in since you still beat Ax.
Im not sure I like shoving the turn. Its true that alot of his range is drawy but I think he folds all draws and most Ax to a turn shove (while calling with stuff we beat and probably AQ). We get more by potting the turn and committing ourselves to any river.

He turned over QJo, so he was chasing a gutter, and was pot committed/somehow thought he was ahead sometimes on the river to call.

IMO this is a c/c on the river as played. I don't think worse is calling here as often as they are betting. Obviously villain is a retard. If you think calling the turn bet is going to commit you on the river even if you miss why doesn't he just shove over on turn where he still has fe?


If you were in position and it's checked to you I would go ahead and put the rest in. In this case though I think c/c is good.