| A-K suited |
| Introduction: Big Slick, Santa Barbara. The strongest non-Pocket Pair hand possible. If you flop an Ace or a King you have to bet. If there is a bet in front of you, you should raise to eliminate the field. With this hand you do not want people to draw out on you. You are looking for only 1 or two callers, but they will have to bleed! You don't want the board to pair, since you already have top pair with top Kicker. Play this hand aggressively. If you go All-In Preflop, you are only a slight underdog against all lower Pairs, but a big favourite against all other hands except ofcourse KK and AA. |
| Hand # | Hand | Theme | Game | Date entered |
| 4 | AKs | Preflop: A Tight Game | No Limit | 08-05-2002 |
| Introduction: A tight game. |
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Game ########## - (blinds $0.25/$0.50) No Limit Texas Hold'em - 2002/04/28-08:41:34 (CST) Table "Kaukura" (real money) -- Seat 1 is the button Seat 1: Player 1 ($38 in chips) Seat 2: Our Hero ($47.25 in chips) Seat 3: Player 3 ($74 in chips) Seat 4: Player 4 ($46.50 in chips) Seat 5: Player 5 ($26 in chips) Seat 6: Player 6 ($175.50 in chips) Seat 7: Player 7 ($198.50 in chips) Seat 8: Player 8 ($48.50 in chips) Seat 9: Player 9 ($48.50 in chips) Seat 10: Player 10 ($44.50 in chips) Our Hero : Post Small Blind ($0.25) Player 3 : Post Big Blind ($0.50)
Dealt to Our Hero [ Kd ] Dealt to Our Hero [ Ad ] Player 4 : Raise ($2.50) Player 5: Fold Player 6: Fold Player 7: Fold Player 8: Fold Player 9: Fold Player 10 : Fold Player 1 : Fold Our Hero : Call ($2.25) |
| The raiser, Player 4, has been one of the tightest players at the table. I couldn't remember seeing him in the pot except for the Blinds. And his initial $50 was blinded of to $46.50. Now this player puts in a raise! The position at the table is not very good for me. As UTG, Player 4 puts in his raise and all players fold before me. I have 3 choices. Either Fold, Call or Raise. Fold is out of the question with AKs. The only remaining options are Call or Raise. In a tournament, I would probably raise, maybe even raise All-In. If he has a pair, lower than KK, I am a slight underdog. If he does not have a pair (more likely), he is the underdog unless he has AKs aswell. If he has AQs, AJs, KQs he is a big underdog. And this is the reason I do not raise, but instead just call. In case he does have AQs, AK, KQs or AJs I want him to catch up with me. My hand dominates all these hands, which means he has 3 outs at the most. If a King or an Ace flops, the implied odds can be huge for me. That is why you should call in this situation, when there is no reason to thin the field. The field is already thinned. Only the Big Blind has yet to act and if he folds it is heads up. Another reason to call is that I want Player 3, who has yet to act, to call. With AKs, 2 opponents is about as perfect as you can get. |
Player 3 : Fold 
 *** FLOP *** : [ Td 5s 2d ] Our Hero : Bet ($0.50) |
| Trying to show hesitation. I am still dominating the hands mentioned before, that won't change throughout this game. But I also flopped a nut-Flush draw. Having no hand as such, but just a very good draw I try to 'pretend to steal the pot'. A raise here can easily scare him away, and I want him in the pot (or better I want his money in the pot). Often, a tiny bet will result in a raise by your opponent, but at least a call. A call puts money in the pot (although not a lot) and a raise I would answer with an All-In raise. Any diamond or any Ace or any King will most likely win me the pot. Hesitating on purpose in this situation is not fancy playing. |
Player 4 : Call ($0.50)
 *** TURN *** : [ Td 5s 2d ] [ 8d ] Our Hero : Bet ($2) |
| I could slowplay now, but it is obvious that the turn card did not hit him and he would just check if I checked. I have to get some money in the pot. |
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Player 4 : Fold Our Hero : Winner -- doesn't show cards *** SUMMARY *** Pot: $6.25 | Rake: $0.25 Board: [ Td 5s 2d 8d ] Player 1 didn't bet (folded) Our Hero bet $5, collected $8.25, net +$3.25 [ Kd Ad ] (a flush, ace high) Player 3 lost $0.50 (folded) Player 4 lost $3 (folded) Player 5 didn't bet (folded) Player 6 didn't bet (folded) Player 10 didn't bet (folded) |
| Conclusion: Player 4 is a Tight Passive player. I put him on 2 high cards now. Maybe AK, AQ or KQs and maybe a small pocket pair. I don't think I could have made more money here. You can't win a lot of money off Tight Passive players, but they are by no means a threat. he might even be a small winner in these baby No Limit games. |