Me: (~$265) Been playing tight all night. Getting respect from other players.

Asian_Dude_1: ($400) Young guy (19 or so), very intelligent, decent card player. He's been playing very tight and respects position with the exception of when he thinks someone has AK. He will call raises with things like 56os trying to catch the big bets AK will make to a 552 flop. He's made some good moves against people and hadn't been caught yet (he showed a few).

Asian_Dude_2: ($150) Mid-40's, looks like he's twelve. Very Loose-Weak. He has been involved in a ton of hands. He knows how to play, he likes to gamble and he likes to keep people honest.

Asian_Dude_1 is UTG and initially calls
I'm at the CO and I raise it to $20 with A :icon_suit_club: A :icon_suit_spade:
Asian_Dude_2 flat calls $20 in the BB
Asian_Dude_1 calls
Folds around.

Flop is:

5 :icon_suit_diamond: J :icon_suit_club: J :icon_suit_heart:

Flop is checked to me and I make a healthy $30 bet.

Asian_Dude_2 flat calls
Asian_Dude_1 raises $50 making it $80 total.

Pot is: $60 (pre flop calls/raise) + $8 or so from limpers pre-flop that folded + $60 (my bet and dudes flat call) + $80 = $208 - $4 in rake = $204.
If you're me... besides wanting to touch yourself because you're so god-damned sexy... what do you do?

just got with that and keep on hustling yourself

For clarity purposes, my hands were in my pants at the time. Hole in the pocket is +EV.

no matter what happens on the felt you are still a winner under the belt...oh my god I am cheesy

based on your read of #1, it seems like pushing and folding are pretty close to each other. fi you had a little more money you could raise and really see where you stand, but its really a push or fold move here. #2 doesnt seem to worrisome, he'll call a continuation bet with anything, but if you've been getting respect and you know that its possible #1 was callin with j-8 to kj, its a tougher position to push in. I'm not positive what to do here, but it seems 50/50 pushing and folding to me.

on playing the hand, you said you made " healthy" $30 bet, but thats only half the pot and really isnt going to define a whole lot for you. if you bet 50-60 you probably get #2 out of there if he missed it completely, and you make it tougher for someone to bluff you since its looks like you're committing your stack to the hand.

I'm completely in agreement that it's push or fold. I don't think UTG (asian dude 1) would call with J-8 thru K-J utg.

ahh mixed up up big blind and utg

all those asians look alike...

How many 20$ raises have their been?
What hands have been shown?
Have you raised to 20$ before?

I bet out $20 pf and got two callers.

It is checked to me on the flop and I bet out $30 only to be called by BB and raised to $80 by UTG.

With no draws on the board, I'd have to push, hoping that raiser was trying to get sneaky and limp with queens or kings. Hard to give him credit for one of the two jacks. Then again, I'm less worried about Asian_Dude_1 than i am about Asian_Dude_2. He's in perfect position to flat call with a jack. All this is by way of saying, I hope you pushed and got two callers--both with jacks--and that you rivered one of the two aces.

RESULTS IN WHITE:
With a smooth call and a raise here, I folded and I think it was a mistake. The smooth caller and I were friendly throughout the game and he informed me he had QQ. The raiser (Asian dude 1) said he had 99. He would easily lie to me, but he had made (or already had) some buddies at his end of the table and I saw one of them mouth the words "did you have the jack?" and dude shook his head no. Later I asked him what he had and he said 99. I don't think either are lying since it makes sense given their action. 99 had put me on AK and had a humongous pair of balls to raise the smooth caller.

Bet more on the flop. Pot sized is fine.

Could you elaborate? I would have thought a 1/2 pot or so bet would suffice on a flop like this, since regardless of our cards or our opponents' cards, whoever is behind will have only a few outs to catch up?

Thanks.

You're so internet I personally don't think for a live game the bet is that bad. To an agressive player, it might smell a little AKish which is fabulous for you. And there aren't any draws to worry about...

Granted, I have the luxury of already having read the results. But I think you got what you wanted in this hand. You got what I would consider a great flop for AA, you bet, got called by someone with a pair they think might be good, and raised by an aggressive player. I think you shove it in here, and more often than not take down this pot.

I don't see this as a push or fold situation. If he has a J, he's not folding to a push, but he may fold 88-QQ, in situations like this, I am willing to let them try to hit a 2-outer, because they will probably fire at the turn with hands they may fold to a push.

With a caller and a raiser behind me, is folding *that* bad?

I only play live, actually, which is why I said a potsized bet is the way I'd go.

Have you ever played the 1/2 NL 100 min/max games? They're so unbelievably bad it's near impossible to imagine. Believe me--you will get paid on that flop by KK, QQ, TT, 99 and worse.

If I'm that player, I'm coming over the top of that small bet almost automatically. You look weak. I'm not worried about draws. I'm worried about either doubling my stack, or stacking him on this hand--not draws. If I put a meek bet out there, I'm inviting people to come over the top and put me to a tough decision, out of position; "Does he have the jack? Gah.."

Not that bad at all. I give players a lot of credit when they raise and re-raise only because more often than not they have the goods.

I was in the exact same situation on Friday night and mucked KK's to a 10Q10 board. I raised, mp 2 bets, and the button 3 bets, both players were ultra tight and I absolutely had to give them credit for the 10's.

It's a good laydown. The pot is gigantic though, but it's only one pot out of the thousands you will win eventually.

So, no, it's not that bad.

-bwaves