AK vs. AJ vs. 99

I raise in early position with Ace-King. I raise to $10 ($100 NL, $1/$2 blinds). I get a caller. I put him on Ace-Jack, maybe even Ace-Queen. Whatever it was, it was Ace-X with a weaker X than mine. Good so far. Then a player re-raises me to $50. I put him on a middle pair, at least 8s, not higher than 10s though. I consider my position.

Calling is absolutely not an option. I've only got $100 in front of me, and putting in half my stack when I'm 1 in 3 to hit the flop just isn't a viable choice. I have 2 moves. I can move all-in or I can fold.

If I move all-in, the player with Ace-Jack will probably fold. However, I believed that the guy with the middle pair would have called the re-re-raise.

Since the player who called my raise has AJ, I know at least one of the cards in the deck that could help me is not going to come out. This isn't a race anymore. Heads up, AK vs. 99 is only 44.5% to win. Take out an Ace, and I'm in even worse shape. It just wasn't worth it. I had to fold.

The player with Ace-Jack called, pushed all-in on a blank flop, was called, turned a Jack, and rivered an Ace. I think I played the hand correctly. I protected my chips and didn't gamble. In a tournament, I may have pushed all-in, but cash games are lifelong things.