$10 NL HE 6-max: Could I have done anything differently here?

[blueskies]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Stakes

$.05/$.10

Table Format

6-max (6 seats)

Currency

$

I have AsJd on BB.

UTG opens to 22c. HJ calls. I call.

Flop is Ad4sJc.

I check. UTG cbets 50c into 71c pot (not rake adjusted).

HJ folds. I raise to $1.30. He calls.

I don't have a ton of history with villain, but my impression is that he's not terrible. If he opened from UTG and cbet a decent size on that board and then calls a check raise, he very likely has an A so I am licking my chops. I am leaning AT, AQ, or AK. I block AA JJ and AJ and I think he would have reraised AJ. AA and JJ possible but not likely.

Turn's 8s. Safe card. I bet $2.25 into $3.31. He calls. Anything but Q or K on the river and I intend to shove. I only have about $5.50 left.

River is a goddam Qc. I didn't like it at all. I rolled my eyes and checked.

He bets a value-looking $1.46 into $7.81. Cannot possibly fold so while saying MFA I called.

How could or should I have played any of the streets differently?

Spoiler

AcQs. I guess I have to thank him for going small.

 

[gupiel0k69]

I like how yuu played it here, probably would've played the hand the same way. Just wondering if i would be able to findriver fold if he shoves (probably not which i guess would be a mistake.

Overall, i like your line here.

 

[puzzlefish]

I would suggest 3bet pre and other than that the line looks good. Good call on the river.

 

[fundiver199]

I ran your hand in GTO Wizard just to see, how close or far my own analysis would be to the GTO line.

Preflop
I would also call here, but interestingly GTO Wizard disagree and simply fold AJo 100% of the time. The most likely reason for that is, that HJ is supposed to be on a pretty tight range, and combined with the tight UTG range and the fact, there is no ante, there is simply to much domination and reverse implied odds in defending a hand like AJo. Instead the program defend all the suited aces, all the pairs and many suited connectors. However in a 10NL game it is likely, that HJ is cold calling to wide, and then it is a reasonable adjustment to defend wider. GTO Wizard also work with a 2,5BB open raise, and with 2,2BB you are getting a better price. So all in all I still think, this is ok, but its more marginal, that I actually thought, so folding would not be crazy.

Flop
Here I think, you can go both ways and either check-call or check-raise. The problem with check-raising is, its difficult to balance with bluffs, because the best draws are some gutshots. Its also an open question, if your hand is actually good enough to play for all the money. The issue is not, that you are likely to be beat, but he dont have many worse two pair, so to stack off you are depending on him to call down with hands like AK or AQ. Which.. yeah ok... if he is fishy then probably. But if he is one of those nitty regulars then probably not. Especially when your checkraise is pretty much representing only sets and two pair. So against those more nitty regulars I actually prefer to just check-call and have a really strong hand to call down with. To be able to analyse postflop in GTO Wizard I had to make HJ fold, since otherwise AJ is not even in your range. With that deviation the program does a mix of calling and check-raising with AJ.

Turn
As played I would barrel again, and GTO Wizard agree.

River
As you say, this is a bad card, because now AQ got there. So unless he is very fishy, I would also check here and then probably cry call it off. GTO Wizard agree but also does a very small block bet some percentage of the time. It should be noted though, that because I made HJ fold, the pot is smaller at this point than in your actual hand. And yeah... facing that small bet there is no way, you can fold, and of course GTO Wizard also has AJ as a 100% call. Kind of weird, that he did not go for it all, and GTO Wizard definitely disagree with this. In his spot it jam AQ almost 100% of the time and never use a sizing as small as this.

 

[Station_Master]

Looks well played to me.

River is tough as you lose to AQ and there are potentially 6 combos villain arrives here with as well as the 5 sets that already beat you. Still 8 combos of AK and 2 of A4s that you are ahead of and then 4 AJ you chop with. This assumes he plays reasonably and does not flop 3bet IP.

Being OOP makes it tough as villain will likely check the hands worse than yours and bet the better ones. So a small block might be better in theory as A4s and Ak will likely call and AQ will likely call too (losing you less than facing a shove when you check). However, with less than a pot size bet it would be tough to bet fold, so check is fine, and I would probably fold versus shove and call v a small bet such as this (and hope to chop).

 

[puzzlefish]

Amazing that the correct line is apparently to fold AJo pre in 6-max from BB in this spot.

 

[blueskies]

Since AJos could be easily dominated by an UTG raise and a HJ call, I can see why you might want to fold AJ preflop, but yah at 10NL the two guys easily could have had something other than a premium hand. It was only after the postflop action that I was reasonably sure he had an A.

Just had a similar situation.

Qd8d on BB. One guy was sitting out so there were 5 players. UTG limps, CO raised to 34c, BTN and SB both called, and I called since I was getting really good odds. The limper called as well so it was everyone to the flop.

8cQh4d on flop. I lead out with $1 into $1.70 pot. Everyone folds except the original raiser, he calls.

Turn's Ah. Flashback for me...

I check. He bets $1.72 into $3.70. I call.

River is 2h. He bets $3.33 into $7.14. I called.
(I think if the pot was rake adjusted, his turn and river bets were half pot.)

This time it was only AJ. He musta put me on a pair of Qs. THis time the high card helped me cuz he would have likely folded to a turn bet if it was a low card.

 

[Aballinamion]

I have AsJd on BB.

UTG opens to 22c. HJ calls. I call.

Flop is Ad4sJc.

I check. UTG cbets 50c into 71c pot (not rake adjusted).

HJ folds. I raise to $1.30. He calls.

I don't have a ton of history with villain, but my impression is that he's not terrible. If he opened from UTG and cbet a decent size on that board and then calls a check raise, he very likely has an A so I am licking my chops. I am leaning AT, AQ, or AK. I block AA JJ and AJ and I think he would have reraised AJ. AA and JJ possible but not likely.

Turn's 8s. Safe card. I bet $2.25 into $3.31. He calls. Anything but Q or K on the river and I intend to shove. I only have about $5.50 left.

River is a goddam Qc. I didn't like it at all. I rolled my eyes and checked.

He bets a value-looking $1.46 into $7.81. Cannot possibly fold so while saying MFA I called.

How could or should I have played any of the streets differently?

Spoiler

AcQs. I guess I have to thank him for going small.

Preflop I would’ve squeezed or folded: no way I’m gonna play a 3-way pot having AJo OOP. As played, OTF I would’ve called, not raised. OTT okay to bet and OTR we are definitely calling. Pretty standard hand in spite of the outcome.

About GTO Wizard... well, it’s not a person but a program that is so perfect that it becomes imperfect.
Folding AJ here is not the “correct line”, it’s a possible line. Programs cannot calculate everything.
But those were such valuable points, @fundiver199 and @puzzlefish

 

[nameless]

If u play tight u should fold that hand but when u call u did nothing wrong just the ul river and the small bet in river u cant fold there .. the best thing was to fold preflop after flop u had no escape

 

[ratbat615]

I did not look 👀 at the spoiler . I guess he had KT hope it was suited. I think that your poker instincts is spot on. And you lost the minimum on the river.. maybe shove the turn but I don’t like that because you leave potential value on the turn.