The rock is ALL-IN

[DeltaLover]

The game is 8 handed 5-10 NL Holdem with pretty deep stacks.

The UTG is a middle aged Asian guy, who seems to be involved with relatively
many hands and seems to not quite understand position very well. He opens with a
pretty standard bet for the table for $50. He has in front of him ~ $800 more.

I am in the cutoff and every one folds to me. I look down and see AcKc. My stack
is approximately $2,200 while my table image is TAG.

I raise to $150...

Button and SB both fold.

To my surprise, the BB who happens to be the definition of a rock: older guy,
with extremely tight opening range and very little creativity, calls without
much of hesitation! He also has me covered...

UTG calls.

We see the flop of

A K J rainbow

three way.

They both check to me.

I make a bet for $320.

BB calls while UTG folds. Heads-up now.

Turn is a blank deuce

BB checks I check behind

A blank seven completes the community cards:

A K J 2 7 (no flush possible)

The BB announces an all in bet with a relatively low voice and emotionless face.

.....Now what?

[RunForTheRoses]

It seems he most likely has pocket rockets, maybe AK like you. From what you said about him likely rockets. I guess fold? Could have Broadway too but probably unlikely that.

[tucker6]

It seems he most likely has pocket rockets, maybe AK like you. From what you said about him likely rockets. I guess fold? Could have Broadway too but probably unlikely that.
Agree. You have to respect the guy who doesn't play many hands. His early fast call before the flop with two already playing is a sign of strength. Two pair, even a high pair, can be beaten several ways with the cards shown, so I'd reluctantly fold.

Let me guess though. You called and beat him on his bluff??

[Robert Goren]

Why didn't the BB 4 bet all in with pocket rockets preflop? The call there screams AK or KK or QQ or rarely JJ,AQ, AJs. you can eliminate QQ-AQ now. so it probably either KK,or AK. He did bet both the same because your check on the turn telegraphs AK. There is some chance he'd bet KK on the flop, but most rocks wouldn't. The odds favor AK but... The math says it is clear cut fold. Even more so if he only calls with AA preflop. These old rocks pull things sometimes late in the evening, but there is absolutely nothing you do about it. I fold.

[DeltaLover]

I have to agree with the Goren's way of thinking. It seems that at best I will
chop but most of the time I am facing a set (most likely JJ).

The only hand I can think of that I can possibly beat is a pair of Queens,
although I find it difficult to believe this particular opponent called my flop
bet so light.

I decide to muck, but give a small show as well....

- I guess my Cowboys are beaten... I am sure you are holding American
Airlines... Will you show if I muck?

The old guy, seems to be loosing his grim, loosing up a bit... He covers his
mouth with his hand... He keeps quiet.. His body image is now confusing me...
I pull back my chair trying to watch his legs who seem nervous...

Can he be bluffing at this spot given his image and table profile? If indeed
he has queens, why bet? What is he putting me on? It makes sense that if he
puts me on a small pair he should just check..

Can he be betting for value with AJ?

Am I over thinking a trivial
fold decision?

Quickly I try to narrow down his range:

AK -> 4 combos
AJs-> 1 combo
AA -> 1 combo
KK -> 1 combo
JJ -> 3 combos
QQ -> 6 combos
TT -> 6 combos
QTs -> 4 combos (???)

If I dismiss QTs I have 22 combos which only 5 of them are beating me, 4 are a chop and 13 are in my favor...

The question still is, how sophisticated this opponent really is.

Why is he firing so hard? If has the goods he should try to get paid instead of pushing me
out. Can he realize this? Does he makes his decision after putting me in a hand
or he just plays his cards?

[thaskalos]

The guy has pocket jacks...no doubt about it. Like Goren said, he would have reraised preflop with pocket aces -- and probably would have done the same with pocket kings. The UTG is loose...and you could be reraising with a pretty wide range from the cutoff seat...given the loose play of the original raiser.

Once the flop falls, the rock's natural inclination is to check to the raiser -- as all unimaginative old rocks would do under the circumstances. When you bet, he gets scared thinking that you might outdraw him -- which is something that happens quite often to rocks because of their gutless style of play -- so he just calls.

When you check the turn, he silently curses himself for missing a bet...so he overcompensates by overbetting the river.

What you mistake for fear in his mannerisms is just his nervous anticipation of finally winning the hand that will give him his profit for the day. You really can't blame him for being nervous...since he probably hasn't played a hand for two hours.

[proximity]

i would have bet the turn here and folded the river, losing more than you did on the hand if that's any consolation....:)

where were you playing at if you don't mind me asking??

[proximity]

When you check the turn, he silently curses himself for missing a bet...so he overcompensates by overbetting the river.


this is one reason i like betting the turn here. the check back on the turn probably took away a lot of the confidence the villain had that he could successfully check raise delta on the river.