This hand is played in a 6 handed game with the blinds $0.50/$1. All players fold to me, I'm on cut off, holding A-Q unsuited and makes a raise of $3.5. Big blind calls - a competent but very aggressive player. When he calls my raise I expect he is holding middle strong hands such as A-10, K-Q, or middle high pair from 7-7 up to 9-9, or even slow-playing a monster hand.
The Flop comes Ad-3h-4d, my opponent checks and I make a continue bet of $6.25 in the $8 pot, my opponent re-raises to $20. I have a history on my opponent saying he is very aggressive and I still think I have the best hand. Most likely he is bluffing, could make a semi-bluff with any two clubs or even have a weaker Ace, which he check-raises for value. It's very unlikely he is holding 3-3 or 4-4 due to the history of this player.
THINK ABOUT IT
In this situation many players go all-in since they think they have the best hand and tries to protect it from possible draws. This play leads to that only the better hands will call and the worse hands will fold. While my opponent has a wide bluffing range, it's better to play this hand passively, risking a free card, and take advantage of his aggressive play later in the hand. I decide just to call the bet.
When I call his bet I make the impression of holding a strong Ace or flush draw, so if the turn shows a club and my opponent bets, I can fold easily. If my opponent holds A-J or A-10 he will be scared of the flush draw and often chooses to check with the hopes of playing a small pot. But if he hold a flush draw on the flop, he will continue to bet with this better hand and I can avoid his attack. If he holds a set or a two pair and bets, I would be glad to see a club since it kills all action and saves me money. If my opponent is bluffing it's very risky for him to continue the bluff when the flush hits, since my range on the flop contains a lot of different draws; in this case I can count on that he will give up if he doesn't have a hand.
If the turn comes blank my plan is to move all-in if he bets. If my opponent holds a weaker Ace than A-Q he will be put on a lot of pressure and probably fold when he is getting 4:1 (or better) for a call. If he holds a naked flush draw he often would be forced to fold or call his entire stack, both of them being a good result thinking of how much money he has put in the pot as an underdog. If my opponent holds a total bluff he will fold and I will even though win a nice pot.
In this particular hand my opponent bets $36 when the turn comes 9c. I move all-in with $76 and my opponent folds the hand. By playing the hand passively I could extract a bigger bet while I still was ahead, which gave me maximum value - value which I would have lost moving all-in on the flop.
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You must expect to lose the pot unless you believe you have the best hand going in.
