[crazypete]

Well, I lost a ton of money on this hand. We're playing NL, i'm in LP, and find that I have picked up the pocket aces.

Me and one other, usually pretty tight player are in. He knows about his tight image, and I have definatly noticed him trying to make some plays that will change it.

Anyway, everyone except me and the before mention player fold, he bets three, I call, thinking there is no way he's folding, so why bother with a re-raise.

Flop comes, high card is a ten, all clubs. One of my aces is a club, so I call his bet of 3 dollars. Turn is blank, he bets another 3, which I call. River is another ten, he goes all in with 10.50. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the flush, and i'm way up, so i call with the pocket aces. We flip, I see i'm beat w/the 4 of a kind 10's. River helps no one, I'm back down to about where I started.

Disasterous hand for me, I think I was good untill I finally called the last big bet, I should have just let it go.

[chris]

I'd have raised more preflop...like you say, if he isn't going anywhere, then why not make him pay while you've surely got the best hand. This would also give you a feel for how tied he might be to his hand.

I've found that poker in general, but especially NL, is a game of timing. If you raise with those aces and he folds, then that is a lost opportunity, but one that likely would not have been too profitable for you in the first place. However, if he believes that he really does have a hand, let him come back at you...then you put him to a decision.

Once that flop came down, you were screwed by preflop play. At that point, he could have pocket 10s, jacks, queens, or kings, not to mention a lower set. The point is, you had virtually no information with which to continue playing the hand. I'd have probably raised the flop...I'm just not sure why you played the hand so passively.

[crazypete]

Well, the board was paired, meaning he could have easily had a full house, 3, or 4 of a kind, and there was a flush draw. All of which would have beaten my overcards.

you're right about the preflop though, but I have a feeling he would have called. I should have just folded.

[chris]

[DeepBlue]

Raise pre-flop or get out. You either play aggressively, or you don't play at all. You gave it away that you weren't confident, a reraise may have made him put his cards down. Three of a kind is nice, but not the top hand. Once you let him get to the river and see that fourth 10, well that's when you should really have realised your mistake.

It wasn't the worst play in the world, you had something to hold out on, but at the end of the day, even pocket Aces aren't enough sometimes.