Top two on the turn facing David Benyamine

Game type: 300 / 600 No Limit Hold’em
Your image: You have lost more than a few large pots this session
Misc notes:
Your hand: A♥Q♥

This is a hand taken from actual game play at the 300/600 No Limit Table at Full Tilt Poker. You are standing in for the opponent of poker professional David Benyamine.

The Setup: You and David Benyamine have been playing an intense heads up match that has seen several 100k+ pots change hands. You’ve been on the losing end of some large ones, and you’re down over 200k in the match when the following hand occurs.

You are dealt A♥Q♥ in the SB and make a standard raise to $1800. Benyamine calls quickly and the flop comes:

A♦Q♠9♠

Benyamine checks and you bet out $3,150. Benyamine check-raises you to $11,400 total and you flat call. The turn brings a 7♦ and Benyamine leads out for $21,000, a little under pot.

It’s your action. What’s your play?

If you choose to raise, what do you do if Benyamine puts you all in?

5 COMMENTS (Jump to comment form)

Dan L

I’m voting for call, here’s my thought process. Hands that make sense with the betting for him A-x (not AK), Q-9, 99, the powerhouse draws K-J spades, K-10 spades, J-10 spades, 10-8 spades. Less likely hands are AA and QQ (I think he would reraise pf most times but it’s possible he slowplayed now), KQ and QJ if he’s really sure you’re on a flush draw.

There are 9 combinations of A-x spades (discounting AKs) and 4 powerhouse draws, so 13 combinations of drawing hands. There are 25 combinations of A-x without a flush draw discounting AK, and 6 combinations of Q-9, for a total of 31 combinations of made hands we beat. There are 3 combinations of 99, and one each of AA and QQ.

Your best play if he has one of the drawing hands is a big raise, move in now and charge him. If he has any of the A-x or Queen hands I mentioned, you are much more likely to get paid off on the river, so call is the best play (I think he folds to any raise on the turn with these, and may value bet or call a small river bet with those). There is also a slight edge to calling over raising if he has trips, since you will likely not go completely broke, just most of the way by calling down the turn and river. Seeing as the majority of hands he could have are best to call, I’m choosing that here.

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tsifreak

Raise big. At this point I would feel I have the best hand here. With the call from him on the preflop raise I would put him on QK or A10. That seven didnt help him at all and he”s makeing a standard continuation bet.
I would rerasie big here and if he goes all in I call for sure. I would be puting my money in as he calls all in.
I may not have the nut hand but Im real sure he doesnt eather.

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Zack

In heads-up play, top 2 pair is a big hand, but by no means invincible and David has shown strength (or guts) throughout the hand. Notwithstanding “a play” on his part, David’s aggressive betting could be an indication of a set or he could be holding top pair and possibly a flush draw as well, especially given the fact that he is up 200K. There is no doubt that this hand is worth a call, but as far as a raise, it is a question of positive expectation. In other words, am I the favorite to win the hand if my re-raise is called or met with an addition re-raise? I believe there is positive expectation in raising here, however it does not rise to such a level that it eclipses the risk of showing down the second best hand at a higher price or having to muck to an all-in re-raise. This is not the end of a Tournament with big 2nd place prize money. Simply call, hopefully take down the 60K pot and live with the possibly of losing some value. In addition, If you chose to call vs. raise and lost the pot you can feel fortunate that your loses for the day have not swelled to 333K.

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stickupkid84

I like a small raise here say 55k for multiple reasons, I have no reason to believe that my hand isn’t best here, I put him on a draw and a small bet is offering less than the 3-1 he needs to make this call profitable. Well at least not counting implied odds. Given my read I think a push would force him to fold. After seeing the hand play through pushing is the right play, according to slanksy’s fundemental therom of poker at least.

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Matthew harrell

I would call. and if i seen a blank on the river i would move all in. your not holding the nutz. hez betting like he has a set. One thing about my style is i always expect the worst. so alot people will over bet a hand that they think they have me on. This hand is a great situation for there is no straights or flushes on the board yet. There is enough money in the pot to call and make it look like your drawing. When you do that it will look like your bluffing on the river with a busted draw.

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