$0 NL HE MTT: Did I screw up pre-flop or just bad luck

[VizzieKoach]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

0

Freeroll

1. Freeroll

Currency

$

So, I was dealt pocket A's in the cutoff.
UTG limps followed by MP and HJ as well. At this point, im thinking between either raising high or limping to trap. Given that 3 more players are left to act behind, I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop with plans to bet big on the flop. Flop comes 2 K 6 rainbow. UTG bets more than half the pot, and action folds to me and i raise 3x his bet. Now, surprisingly, small blind min raises and UTG calls his raise. Back on me, I decide to jam all-in to apply max pressure, and small blind re jams and UTG calls. SB shows K5 offsuit (i wonder wtf was he thinking) and UTG shows AK suited. Turn comes a K and i lose to trips.
Did i screw up pre-flop?

 

[Frappo]

I wouldn't limp pre-flop as you show weakness. When the king came to the board they probably though of the pair as a great hand. 4 limps should already raise a little awareness not to opt for a call, but a decently sized raise. You still got unlucky, as King on the turn, giving them trips. Still if you played aggressive before flop, mostly K5 would fold, as for a limp, 1BB isn't a big loss with King high, which comes to a top pair on this board. So in summary you both could play more aggressively, to force action pre-flop, but also got unlucky to two kings on board. Either way AKo still would never fold that hand, but less people in pot, means less pressure to have a good hand, and by playing 1v1 far into the pot, you eliminate possible trash hands such as K5o

 

[Margo17]

In this scenario, your limp is very bad, reasons: you decrease your equity by calling more players to the hand, you stop growing the pot, therefore, you stop making more money, that said, the best move is to punish the limper.

 

[fundiver199]

Given that 3 more players are left to act behind, I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop

Your thought proces is inconsistent here. Disguising the strength of your hand and getting max value are completely opposit goals, and you can not follow them both at the same time. By just limping behind you certainly disguise the strength of your hand, but you dont get any value at all. And this is why, its not a good strategy.

Flop comes 2 K 6 rainbow. UTG bets more than half the pot, and action folds to me and i raise 3x his bet. Now, surprisingly, small blind min raises and UTG calls his raise. Back on me, I decide to jam all-in to apply max pressure, and small blind re jams and UTG calls. SB shows K5 offsuit (i wonder wtf was he thinking) and UTG shows AK suited. Turn comes a K and i lose to trips.

So you actually got it in good, and in that sense your slowplay preflop worked. But would AKs have folded to a raise preflop? Of course not. So you would have gotten it in against him anyway. And maybe even against K5 offsuit, since that player was bad enough to massively overplay his hand, when he flopped top pair no kicker.

You are likely worried about this hand, because you lost it, but the result does not matter. The real problem here is FPS (Fancy Play Syndrom). When you have a strong hand, just bet it for value instead of overthinking the situation. There are times to slowplay, but they are so rare, that even if you never do it, its not going to be a problem. And especially not against players, who are as bad as these freeroll opponents.

 

[Goggelheimer]

So, I was dealt pocket A's in the cutoff.
UTG limps followed by MP and HJ as well. At this point, im thinking between either raising high or limping to trap. Given that 3 more players are left to act behind, I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop with plans to bet big on the flop. Flop comes 2 K 6 rainbow. UTG bets more than half the pot, and action folds to me and i raise 3x his bet. Now, surprisingly, small blind min raises and UTG calls his raise. Back on me, I decide to jam all-in to apply max pressure, and small blind re jams and UTG calls. SB shows K5 offsuit (i wonder wtf was he thinking) and UTG shows AK suited. Turn comes a K and i lose to trips.
Did i screw up pre-flop?

Jup, you fell into FPS, Fancy Play syndrome.

 

[eetenor]

So, I was dealt pocket A's in the cutoff.
UTG limps followed by MP and HJ as well. At this point, im thinking between either raising high or limping to trap. Given that 3 more players are left to act behind, I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop with plans to bet big on the flop. Flop comes 2 K 6 rainbow. UTG bets more than half the pot, and action folds to me and i raise 3x his bet. Now, surprisingly, small blind min raises and UTG calls his raise. Back on me, I decide to jam all-in to apply max pressure, and small blind re jams and UTG calls. SB shows K5 offsuit (i wonder wtf was he thinking) and UTG shows AK suited. Turn comes a K and i lose to trips.
Did i screw up pre-flop?

You state I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop---Why are you disguising vs players who are not skilled? Other members say they cannot get players to fold when they have AA preflop in freerolls. Why not raise?
A good learning spot for you is how equities change post flop for single pair hands. They do not go up multiway post flop unless we improve which is difficult with a pair.

This is a sick beat true but flatting vs weak players is just not necessary

 

[primrose]

It's rarely correct to limp Aces and almost never correct from the CO. Just raise.

I also would fold if I get 3bet on this Flop. Maybe this works on frerolls but on the stakes I play, I expect to be beat there 80% of the time at least. This board has no draws and people aren't going to three-bet one pair.

 

[VizzieKoach]

It's rarely correct to limp Aces and almost never correct from the CO. Just raise.

I also would fold if I get 3bet on this Flop. Maybe this works on frerolls but on the stakes I play, I expect to be beat there 80% of the time at least. This board has no draws and people aren't going to three-bet one pair.

Yeah will just value bet preflop next time

 

[VizzieKoach]

You state I decide to limp to disguise the strength to gain max value preflop---Why are you disguising vs players who are not skilled? Other members say they cannot get players to fold when they have AA preflop in freerolls. Why not raise?
A good learning spot for you is how equities change post flop for single pair hands. They do not go up multiway post flop unless we improve which is difficult with a pair.

This is a sick beat true but flatting vs weak players is just not necessary

Yup got it tysm.. will preflop raise next time

Your thought proces is inconsistent here. Disguising the strength of your hand and getting max value are completely opposit goals, and you can not follow them both at the same time. By just limping behind you certainly disguise the strength of your hand, but you dont get any value at all. And this is why, its not a good strategy.

So you actually got it in good, and in that sense your slowplay preflop worked. But would AKs have folded to a raise preflop? Of course not. So you would have gotten it in against him anyway. And maybe even against K5 offsuit, since that player was bad enough to massively overplay his hand, when he flopped top pair no kicker.

You are likely worried about this hand, because you lost it, but the result does not matter. The real problem here is FPS (Fancy Play Syndrom). When you have a strong hand, just bet it for value instead of overthinking the situation. There are times to slowplay, but they are so rare, that even if you never do it, its not going to be a problem. And especially not against players, who are as bad as these freeroll opponents.

thank you so much for the insight… do see my mistake..

 

[VizzieKoach]

I wouldn't limp pre-flop as you show weakness. When the king came to the board they probably though of the pair as a great hand. 4 limps should already raise a little awareness not to opt for a call, but a decently sized raise. You still got unlucky, as King on the turn, giving them trips. Still if you played aggressive before flop, mostly K5 would fold, as for a limp, 1BB isn't a big loss with King high, which comes to a top pair on this board. So in summary you both could play more aggressively, to force action pre-flop, but also got unlucky to two kings on board. Either way AKo still would never fold that hand, but less people in pot, means less pressure to have a good hand, and by playing 1v1 far into the pot, you eliminate possible trash hands such as K5o

Yeahh will improve my equityy preflop in future situationss