AJo OTB, passive line

[eugmac]

1-1 game, FR, I'm BU with AJo.

Relevant stacks:
HJ: 150BB
Asian EP limper: 65BB

There's 2 limpers before a loose bad player in the HJ raises to 5BB. I've seen him do this with A5o and shit like that. CO folds, I call. (on the side, I wonder if there is merit in 3betting here for value and isolation vs the very bad player. I would have done it with AQ here.)

One limper folds, the other, an asian guy who plays relatively tight but occasionally runs outrageous 3-barrell bluffs with air, calls.

Flop: Ac Qc 8d (pot: 18BB)

Asian limp-caller leads for 10BB. Preflop raiser folds, I call.

Turn is a brick, Asian guy leads again for 20BB. Hero? Does calling here commit us to calling a river shove (he would have 30BB left), where we'd be getting nearly 4:1? How often is he donking two streets with a worse Ax, or a draw?

[thefishtank]

IMO, he's almost always probably leading with a weaker A or a pretty robust draw (probably Kc-8c or Kc-Jc).

It just makes no sense in limp calling with AK or AQ preflop. If i were in his spot, I'd probably open with 8-8 or even fold A-8 (which are the only two logical hands that can beat you in this situation). Worse is that he donkbets the flop with a PP and turned a set, so you'll have to re-evaluate the river then.

If i were you, I would have probably raised the flop

[Ghaleon]

First - yes you need to re-raise preflop. Even with you're position, AJ just doesn't play well four-way. Hands like this make one-pair hands post-flop, and those play best against fewer opponents. This is especially true in this situation because you know there is a good chance your hand is best. If there were tighter players in the hand, you could just call.

You want to be able to use your position to win the hand if both you and your opponent miss the flop. Inducing folds pre-flop, and making a statement about your hand strength pre-flop accomplishes this.

Also, the benefit of being on the button is information. Re-raising pre-flop gives you a cheap look at valuable information about all of your opponents hands. I would argue that if you had raised to $15 pre-flop, you would know alot more about your situation after the flop, and still have put in the same amount of money.

As played, I move in on the turn. He's probably not folding any Ax hands given his remaining stack. As mentioned already, AK, AQ, and A8 seem unlikely given the preflop action.

I could be wrong, this is just my playing style. But in this spot, I wouldn't want the pressure of thinking about things, I would rather the pressure be on him. I would just raise him, let my opponent be the one who has to make the decision for all of his chips.

[deadstraddl3]

If i were you, I would have probably clicked raised the flop

hero is in poistion...did you mean raise flop? would you be raising to call a shove? I think raising flop and folding to a shove would be really bad.

as played im putting the rest in on the turn...I see wayyy too many people show up with middling Aces and flush draws here. the limp call early does suggest a small pair, but with only 3 combos of 88 out there im not too worried.

if you're beat...sucks i guess, but i would hate to flat and have to deal with a paired turn card or 8 on the riv, and not know whether he was ahead the whole time, or if our kicker got counterfeited. he's calling with all his flush draws if you shove the turn (or he should be anyway) and letting him check-fold a river brick would also suck.

[thefishtank]

Yes sorry I meant raise the flop. my bad.

Hmmm that brings out a good issue. I now think that getting it in the turn is better.

[Fnord]

I'd move-in or fold on the turn depending on how strong I thought he was.

I like the flat in position pre-flop. Particularly if the HJ is aggressive or sticky post-flop. I think there is more money to be made bringing in worse hands.

[bikes]

jamming here pretty happy about it.

dont agree with 3bing

[rpm]

^^ i agree. if the SPR weren't so small we could flat the turn knowing that this guy is capable of randomly firing 3-barrel bluffs but, given he would likely realise you can never fold to the size of his river bet, and is likely to just give up after the turn with all his air, just jam it in on the turn.