Cash, NL / Short

Split two pair facing turn checkraise, no limit cash

DailyHandQuiz

Game type: 2/4 no limit cash
Your image: You lost a big pot a couple hands ago to a massive suckout
Opponent’s image: LAG
Your hand: A♠T♠

The setup: You’re only a dozen or two hands into this match, but you dropped a buy in already when you flopped a set, got it in against a lone top pair, and watched the board runner off a bigger boat for your opponent. He’s been aggressive otherwise preflop and on the flop.

This hand you raise to 3x from the SB and the BB makes it 40 to go. You call and flop two pair:

A♣T♥3♦

The BB leads for $60 and you call. The turn brings the Q♠. The BB checks, you bet $120 and now the BB check-raises you to $290.

What’s your play?

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21 COMMENTS  (Jump to comment form)

DHQ Staff
6.12.08 / 9pm

Obviously K, Q and J are the worst possible cards in the deck. I don’t really know how you get away from split two pair heads up, but you’ve gotta be feeling pretty sick here. The only hands you’re going to be beating if all the money goes in here are AK and AJ, and you’re only a 3-1 favorite there. The size of the checkraise is also a little alarming, as it really looks like you’re getting milked.

I think you’re still hard-pressed to fold here, so I’m calling, but alarms are definitely going off. Unfortunately, there’s too much money in already to back out now.

What actually happened:You shoved and the BB showed KJ for the straight. He held up to win the pot.

kaimano
6.13.08 / 1am

You have to commit to two pair heads-up. If he has AQ or KJ there’s nothing you can do given the situation (he may be playing your psicology after having sucked you so badly)

5types
6.13.08 / 1am

Thats a sickening card, but you have to shove it given how much youve commited already.

holdlako
6.13.08 / 5am

To me its an easy fold:

1 - there’s no flush draws on turn so he can chk his strong hand
2 - he knows that 290 bet when you got 320 left and the pot is 600 wont scare u away so its not a “protect my hand” raise.
3 - he bet just enough that you have to raise all in with the worst hand (a true artform)
4 - you bet almost pot on turn and that indicates that you mean business no just messin around. He knows you got a real hand and with an obvious straight out there he is still raising you. I mean… come on…

Anonymous
6.13.08 / 5am

a good comment by holdlako.for the others commenters they are losers

5types
6.13.08 / 5am

A very constructive cmment by anonymous. A true legend of poker.

noluck
6.13.08 / 6am

anyone agrees with the flatcall on the flop? it is pretty clear that any facecard is a scarecard for you on the next street, so you should avoid it and make it as expensive as possible imo.
as played i agree with holdlako, the change in action with the Queen showing up should indicate that it changed the value of villains hand, since it is not obv. making a straight any decent Ace should bet the turn in order to avoid being outdrawn. checkraising is either a pure bluff or the nuts here and since it is rather unlikely you will lay down your hand after an investment of half your stack it is safe to say you are beaten and have to fold.

_CityBorn_
6.13.08 / 6am

lol 5types

Its either raise or fold, and considering the only two things we know about our opponent is that hes “loose aggressive” and got all his money in with top pair a few hands ago, I cant lay down split two here.

Holdlako’s reasoning is solid, and if you ignore the info we have on our opponent, its more of a realistic line of reasoning. But anyone who plays a lot of heads up knows that a LAG opponent who gets his stack in with top pair is not necessarily raising because he’s got the nuts. Especially if he thinks you might be gun shy from taking a big beat recently. I agree the smallish raise is alarming, but our hand is too good HU against this type of opponent. If he nailed a gutshot, hey, hey got lucky. Reload, put that in your notes and get your money back next time when its middle pair instead.

Tirppa
6.13.08 / 6am

Calling is the worst possible option.. this is fold or shove.. If we call villain will surely shove the river.

Personally I’d raise the flop.. I don’t wanna give a cheap card to KQ/KJ/QJ

drhoho
6.13.08 / 9am

_CityBorn_ is spot on imo.

Not that I play HU cash, so I am no expert.

jspring86
6.13.08 / 11am

As played I agree with the previous posters, you can’t get away from a flopped two pair in a heads up match. However the flat call on the flop makes me kinda sick, I think you should at least put in some kind of raise in on the flop, if nothing else but to get value from weaker aces and to make AK, AJ, and AQ pay to draw to a better two pair. If you don’t raise the flop you have no idea where he’s at in the hand and leave yourself vulnerable to a disaster like the one that occurred on the turn.

poker noob
6.13.08 / 12pm

I agree with noluck that the call after flop is very questionable. At this point, I’d say the only hand that’s got me beat is 10s as I think I’d see some more action preflop with AA. While it looks good, it’s not strong enough to slow play. Subsequent cards aren’t very likely to improve your hand, but could greatly improve the villain’s, especially any paint. At this point, I’d make it very expensive to see the next card.

As played, I’d have a hard time folding, but I would put him on AQ and likely fold. Hard to say though as I’m certainly capable of raising. But this hand was poorly played at the outset.

As a side note, this is how I see a lot of decent players get busted in tournaments. They flop the best hand by a mile and decide to slow play, only to find out that by the time they get significantly more chips in the pot after the turn or river, they are way behind.

Sakred
6.13.08 / 12pm

kick yourself for flatting the flop

Sakred
6.13.08 / 12pm

and then again for not reraising his 40 pf

“Opponent’s image: LAG”

Anonymous
6.13.08 / 2pm

PEOPLE WE ANALYSE THE HAND BEFORE WE SEE THE OUTCOME. Its funny how most of the comments here are so results oriented.

i think the hand was played perfectly fine and getting all your money in here on the turn is totally acceptable

se7en
6.13.08 / 2pm

All of those people who commented along the lines of “I knew he hit a straight” - I bet you voted for raise/call anyway.

So you have top two h/u in position against a LAG opponent, who 3 bet you pre flop. He could be on a very wide range, but for the benefit of the doubt lets assign some reasonable ranges to him. say A9+/KT+/33+

On the flop hes drawing to at most 3 outs if he has an A, drawing to 2 outs with all pockets except AA/TT/33, and drawing to 4 outs with any broadway.It makes perfect sense to flat call given his image, as your either way ahead or your drawing slim already.

The staff made a perfect analysis, as when he c/r on the turn the only hands you are really beating is AK/AJ, but as played you most likely have to put your stack in

teddy
6.14.08 / 9am

hey thats poker.. you flat called the flop trying to trap and he hit an ugly face card.. i think youre priced in here and need to move in here.. i honestly thought his betting pattern screamed he had an inside straight draw such as KJ but you gotta push and hope to make your boat on the river

pipu
6.15.08 / 3am

Its hard to answer the question, becouse play has been so stubid. If you have two (top pairs) on flop, and there is possible straigh draw, you DONT let your opponent to draw it without heavy cost. So, if opponent raises on flop you should go all in here rather than call.

Anonymous
6.15.08 / 4am

well u are potcommitment so allinn and prey.

This is nonsence....
6.16.08 / 12am

We r not gonna fold here. Our opponent is not gonna fold here. We got position. We can do what ever we like, call or raise all in, now or at river. I would just call here. It’s maybe stupid but it’s confusing metaplay.

jimmy
6.20.08 / 3pm

moneys going in 9/10 times noting you can do

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