AK again.

I lose more money playing AK than any other hand.

Bunch of limpers to me, I raise .70 (4xBB + limpers), 1 caller.

Flop is Ah, 8h, 7d

I bet $1.50 into a $2.35 pot. He calls.

Turn comes 4c.

I figured he was going for his flush draw. I wanted to give him awful odds to call me, since all I had was top pair, and I shoved all-in. He called and showed a set of 8s.

Is this just one of those losses that is going to happen, or did I play it wrong? How could I have played it better?

Knowing stack sizes is pretty important for helping you out here. If you're playing with short effective stacks, it's pretty much impossible to not go broke with TPTK. If you're playing with deep effective stacks, you can probably do things to try to minimize your losses.

Originally Posted by courtiebee

Knowing stack sizes is pretty important for helping you out here.

I'm sorry. I wish Bodog made it easier to just convert hand histories, so I didn't have to type it. I had about $9.74 ($10NL), and villian had like $25.00.

Betting 3 bucks would give him bad pot odds to call with a flush. Bets like this are more likely to fold everything you beat and only get called by hands that beat you. I think you are too scared of flush draws. Just make them pay more than their hand is worth while you are in front and you will come out ahead as long as you don't pay them off once their draw hits.

Originally Posted by pankfish

Betting 3 bucks would give him bad pot odds to call with a flush. Bets like this are more likely to fold everything you beat and only get called by hands that beat you. I think you are too scared of flush draws. Just make them pay more than their hand is worth while you are in front and you will come out ahead as long as you don't pay them off once their draw hits.

Thank you. Unfortunately, I probably would have went all-in, on the river, when he didn't hit "his flush." I didn't even suspect he hit a set. I guess I need to work on reading others' hands better.

no, you just need to realize that TPTK on that board is either so far ahead you arent getting anyone to call a bet, or so far behind they are expecting to stack you if you tend to overvalue your AK.

when you flop TPTK, you are aiming to win a medium sized pot. if its clear that your villain wants your stack, you better realize he has TPTK beat...or he wouldnt want your stack.

try to avoid stacking off w/o a read in these situations. certainly dont shove the turn because he may be drawing. bet enough to deny odds, but be wary of the idiot that calls anyway.

Originally Posted by kpreston

I lose more money playing AK than any other hand.

Bunch of limpers to me, I raise .70 (4xBB + limpers), 1 caller.

Flop is Ah, 8h, 7d

I bet $1.50 into a $2.35 pot. He calls.

Turn comes 4c.

I figured he was going for his flush draw. I wanted to give him awful odds to call me, since all I had was top pair, and I shoved all-in. He called and showed a set of 8s.

Is this just one of those losses that is going to happen, or did I play it wrong? How could I have played it better?

with the amount of money that went in pre, and as drawy as the board is and only 100bb stacks, you're pretty much always going to want to get it in here. I wouldn't worry too much about it-- it happens.

it's extremely hard to not stack off with TPTK vs a set with no reads and only 100bb effective stacks ...