Party - leave your thinking boots at home

I have commented on the poor standard of play at party before. This is a hand I recently played in a 50$ multitable there.

Early doors I have my initial 1K and find AQs in the BB, feeling like I can use this hand to make some chips but ready to throw it if the action is a bit too busy.

This doesn't happen, every1 folds around to the sb, who limps in to the 20 blinds. I riase it up to 200 fully expecting him to fold. Instead he re-raises allin, which would leave me a mer 150 chips. Damn, i really didn't want to be in this situation.

I try and reason through what he could have to have played the hand like this. A monster? I dont think so. I have already seen him bluff at a pot of 100 for 200 chips , then fold to another 200 reraise so I have little faith in his poker credentials on this evidence.

In addition he reraised without a thought, I think KK or AA or to a lesser extent QQ would go for a little acting here, a bit of a pause to try and engage a call. I'm happy i now have the odds to play a coin flip so I'm ok (although admittedly not crazy about) playing against a small pocket pair especially as the non-existent action preflop suggests few if any people had any aces (They usually limp or riase with any ace at party) As a result my AQ may even be a favourite over a pocket pair due to the deck being rich in aces.

OK so this leaves AK as my major threat. Limp reraise definitely a possibilty and not a bad way to play it heads up. I think and think, even throw a little question at him but by now i'm being beeped at and asked to respond. I decide all things considered to take the risk and call him based on the little i know about his play.

He flips A4 off. I'm very happy about this obviously, if a tad surprised!

OK so i get stuffed on a 235 flop but ill take these match ups all day. What made me laugh was all the thought I put into my decision, only for him to flip this piece of crap hand lol.

Why did I bother?

Next time my reasoning at party will be something like.....Do i have a premium hand? If so call, I'm almost certainly ahead.