The Poker Quiz

You are sitting with $700 at a $2/5 NL table. A player in early position raises to $17. From middle position you re-raise to $50 with A Q. The button and the small blind call, as does the and big blind, saying “I guess I have to call now.”

The flop comes A 9 9. The small blind checks, the big blind leads out for $105 and you raise to $260. The button agonizes over the decision before mucking his hand and the small blind quickly follows. The big blind then moves in for $1500, having you well covered. After you think for a full minute he comes out and says he will “Show you either way.”

The Solution

Fold.

What hands can you beat here? Only an ace with a smaller kicker, but how likely is this opponent to have this hand after his action?

From the big blind he felt he was priced in to making a call. This pretty much makes his range of hands anything. With $217 in the pot pre-flop he leads out with a ½ pot sized bet on the flop. Many players at this level may slow-play if they had a 9 in their hand, but many others would also make a bet this size. You make a raise against him continuing your aggression at the pot, hoping a hand like Ace-baby will fold. But after the button agonizes over his decision (Ace-King???), and the big blind moves all-in you are in trouble. The likelihood that he has a 9 after this action is very large. If he had A-K he may have re-raised before the flop, and almost certainly wouldn’t say “Now I have to call.” If he had a pocket pair or a baby ace, your re-raise on the flop should have scared him off.

As you muck your cards he shows you Q 9. Good fold!