Keeping the Pot Small(ish)

Following is a hand history from the very early stages of a 180-person sit and go. Actually it was twelve hands into it. At this stage I had folded for an entire round around the table, playing only my big blind and folding it straight away on the flop. I limped in on the button with a suited Ace and picked off three small bluff attempts by a player after flopping top pair with no kicker. This hand was two hands later.

PokerStars Game #23561574929: Tournament #131687831, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2009/01/04 10:18:52 ET
Table '131687831 19' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: CgCook38 (1730 in chips)
Seat 2: pie1972 (1720 in chips)
Seat 3: rend0207 (1130 in chips)
Seat 4: Famn (1070 in chips)
Seat 5: ppybunch (1670 in chips)
Seat 6: eepymike (3780 in chips)
Seat 7: FACOLOR (1400 in chips)
Seat 8: lowatt_sm (1370 in chips)
Seat 9: gprai (1030 in chips)
Famn: posts small blind 10
ppybunch: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Ac Ah]
eepymike: folds
FACOLOR: raises 60 to 80
lowatt_sm: folds
gprai: calls 80While certain times might allude to limping with aces, this is definitely not one of them. I need to raise, and I need to raise significantly.
CgCook38: raises 240 to 320
pie1972: folds
rend0207: folds
Famn: folds
ppybunch: folds
FACOLOR: calls 240 In most cases this would indicate a big hand. Online in a $4 tourney is a different story. He could have any hand and I am worried he might spike 2 pair or a set on me.
gprai: folds
*** FLOP *** [Jc 3d Tc]
FACOLOR: checksWhat would you check with here? And should I bet? Either he’s got a great hand like JJ, TT, 33, JT, or he’s got nothing. If he has AJ or AT here, he’ll probably fire out to “see where he’s at”. If he has a pocket pair that didn’t hit, I might give up a little by checking here, as he may hit one of his two outs. If he’s got AK, and a Q comes out, I’m in a lot of trouble. That is still only four outs though.

However, checking has multiple advantages. First, it will disguise the true strength of my hand. Who checks aces after a flop like this? Second, if another club falls, I will be drawing to the nut flush, giving me additional outs against a made hand. Third, I keep the pot small, making it easier to get away if the board pairs on the turn, or if he goes all-in after I don’t see a club on the turn. Lastly, and likely the most important, if he does have a set and I fire a standard continuation bet into the pot of about 500 into the 750 pot and he goes all-in on a check raise, I will be pot committed and possibly way behind.

CgCook38: checks
*** TURN *** [Jc 3d Tc] [6c]There’s my club, and I have no intention of setting my hand down. If he checks to me I’m putting enough chips in to commit myself to the hand. If he’s got JJ, TT, or 33 I am still going to win 23% of the time (Thank You Cardplayer). That jumps to 36% if he’s got JT. Any other “big” hand that he has I have destroyed, with him only having between one and two outs to win.
FACOLOR: bets 1080 and is all-inAnd look at that, he put my money in for me - easy call, even when I am behind.
CgCook38: calls 1080
*** RIVER *** [Jc 3d Tc 6c] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FACOLOR: shows [Th Ts] (three of a kind, Tens)
CgCook38: shows [Ac Ah] (a flush, Ace high)
CgCook38 collected 2910 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2910 Rake 0
Board [Jc 3d Tc 6c Qc]
Seat 1: CgCook38 showed [Ac Ah] and won (2910) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: pie1972 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: rend0207 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Famn (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: ppybunch (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: eepymike folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: FACOLOR showed [Th Ts] and lost with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 8: lowatt_sm folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: gprai folded before Flop

This was a great result for me. I like keeping pots small when I am in position. I was 14% to win this hand on the flop, and it would have been foolish to commit myself to the hand with no knowledge of my opponent's holding. If I didn’t hit and ace or club on the turn, his all-in bet would have forced me off the hand. Otherwise I would likely check behind him to see the river. This is why I never-ever go for the check raise out of position with a re-raiser behind me. It’s way too dangerous to give free cards out of position.