Mortal Combat on the flop - full contact
Few players are ready for full contact, especially against Chong Li. Fortunately our backs are covered by Frank Dux and Ray Jackson, but in this spot they seem to have differing opinions on our best move...
| Hand history |
| UTG+2: 115 bb MP1: 100 bb MP2: 46 bb CO: 65 bb Hero (BTN): 258 bb SB: 45 bb BB: 258 bb UTG: 145 bb UTG+1: 100 bb Preflop: Hero Ñ A  J 6 folds, Hero raises to 2 bb, 1 fold, BB 3-bets to 8 bb, Hero calls 6 bb Flop: (16,5 bb) A |
A 
Q It's no secret that poker can be a very "bloody" sport. Coolers and bad beats happen and there's often nothing we can do to prevent them. The question is, can we ever control the size of our losses and escape some of these troublesome situations?
A lot of the aforementioned tricky spots start exactly like this one. We steal from the BU, a standard TAG in the BB 3-bets us and we decide to call with AJs to set up a deep stacked confrontation. Our call is based on good implied odds and we don't want to isolate ourselves against better hands that dominate us.
The flop is A-A-Q and to our surprise our opponent checks, when in most cases we would expect him to continuation bet. His check puts us in a tough spot: should we bet and take the initiative, or check and re-assess on the turn?
To bet or not to bet?
It's a tough decision, but fortunately Frank Dux and Ray Jackson are on hand to help us make the right choice.
They've both won numerous fights in the real squared circle and have a great command of different martial arts. Today they will tell us how they would react against Chong Li.
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Ray Jackson: Bet, bet and bet again!
Ray is famous for his bad temper and readiness to rush through fights. He is there to take advantage of any weakness and he won't think twice when there is a chance to value punch Chong Li.
Ray's advice is to come out strong and extract value from weaker Ax hands, Qx and pocket pairs. If we are ever going to bluff in this spot, then we also have to bet with our strong hands.
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Frank Dux: No need to hurry! Better be careful!
Compared to Ray our friend Frank isn't too enthusiastic about this situation. He suggests checking and wants to take a pot control line on the flop so that our opponent doesn't get a chance to put us in a tough spot with a check/raise. Checking also leaves all the trash hands in his range - that may bluff with later - in the pot. Frank knows that Chong Li is a dangerous and smart opponent and it is better not to open up in a marginal spot when we're potentially vulnerable.
It's your turn now. Will you listen to Frank, or Ray? Will you make a value bet right away or will you postpone your aggression till the next street? Let us know!
