Yesterday I decided to make a serious move up to the $200NL level. I had a great day, far better than it looked like I was going to have at the start of it when I make a completely fishy play and lost a huge pot. Anyways, I'm playing on the $200 tables on UB working of the Firepay bonus and holy crap are they tighter than the $100 tables. Weak/tight too most of the time. Anyways, I like to be really aggressive at these tables, but I really got myself into a bind on this hand.

UTG limps and I'm in the next position with A[s]-Q[h]. I know a lot of posters like to play this hand very slowly--I am not one of them. I make it $8 to go. The guy on my left calls, the button calls, the SB folds and the BB and Limper call.

Going through my mind as the flop is being dealt: CRAP

Pot: $41
Flop 8[d]-K[h]-A[h]

Well it doesn't look like I'm done with this hand yet. BB checks, UTG checks, and I bet $35. Folds around to the BB, who calls, and UTG folds.

Pot:$101
Turn: 6[h]

BB checks. I have the nut flush draw here, but what does the BB call a raise with out of position and then check-call a nearly pot sized bet on the flop with? I hate the flush card. My opponent has $93 left in his stack and all that is going through my head is all the times that I've heard you shouldn't go broke with a hand like this. I opt to peel off a final card here, as I do have the nut flush draw.

Pot:$101
River:10[d]

Of course to make the situation even more difficult all $93 from my opponents stack goes in the middle. I don't think he can have the straight here because the only thing I Qcan imagine him calling the flop with is something like Q[h]-J[h] and I have the Q[h] in my hand. Did he pair his ace? Did he have A-K in the first place and for some retarded reason slowplayed it? Did he flop a set and again, retardedly, slowplay it?

I folded, but I felt shitty for doing it because I know that people are more likely to bluff you after you check a turn like that. What if he had A-J[h] or something and was convinced that I was just continuation-betting Q-Q on the flop? (Wow, I just read that sentance again and realized how badly married to my hand I was at that point).

Moral support or flames appreciated

AQ is one of those trouble hands. One reason for limping with this hand is to keep the pot small so if you find yourself in a situation like this it will be easier to fold since the pot isnt so big. I do like the raise though because there is a good chance only the limper will call and your hand is probably way better than his. Once you find yourself 5 handed with AQ it is going to be very difficult to win the pot unless you make 2 pair, a straight or a flush.

I like the way you played the hand as checking the turn is not giving anything up - you are either way ahead or way behind, needing to hit your flush draw. As far as paying him off on the river, I would of folded as well because there is only one hand you can beat, AJ.

I know I keep saying this but - dont beat yourself up! It is just one hand and if you are playing solid you will get the money in the long run.

gl

YD

You sound really bothered about losing $43. Granted you didn't win taht nice size pot..but you only lost $43 when it could have been a lot more.

....think about it this way.That would mean you'd lost $21.5 if it were on a $100 table.

You have to put things in perspective on the poker side of things; compare the money in relation to your stack. instead of thinking, "how much money it actually is."

i.e. if i'm playing 5/10NL and lose $250 I don't think of it as "$250"..I have to think of it as 1/4th of my stack...

That's how I do it anyway. I try not to think of the actually numbers. If i did...it would be a lot harder for me to be raising $40-$100 with garbage on the 2/4NL. You'll get that $43 back and then some.

You played the hand fine. You either move in on the turn, or check and hope to see your card hit. You opted to check..and that's fine. I'm just not sure why this hand is bothering you so much.

I actually didn't realize I hadn't even expended 1/4 of a buy in on that hand, so that makes me feel a little better. It isn't the money that bothers me though, it is the marginal-ness of the whole situation. It is frustrating to be in such a tough situation where it is going to be very expensive if I make a mistake and I'm a perfectionist. It bothers me that I still have no idea what his holding was. Any typical hand that has me beat there plays that hand very differently I think. Unless, of course, he is a terrible player, which I hate to lose to. Sometimes I get myself too involved in the game maybe.

I would guess that those of us who beat the game have that perfectionist streak in us as well...over time I've learned that there is no way to play this game perfectly, that is the beauty of it. I remember and interview with Jon Hennigan who said he liked the game so much because he knew he would make at least one mistake every single day he played. Every time you make a mistake, you learn. Every time you play badly and get lucky in a pot you have to lose in the same situation a few times before you realize your mistakes. If you learn from your mistakes you can not lose in the long run in this game!

gl

YD

What makes you think he didnt call your raise with 54s and hit his flush?

It makes perfect sense.

I'm not saying people won't chase them, I've had a few flushes suck out on me. In my opinion it is less frequent, and you can get draws to fold off more than at the lower limits though.