DECISION POINT: In a $2/$5 Cash Game, an Under The Gun player calls, and you raise to $35 from the Hijack seat with A♠A♥. It folds back around to the UTG+2 player and they call. The flop comes 2♥6♦9♠. Your opponent checks, you bet $40, and they check-raise to $120. Action is on you, what do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: After raising preflop and successfully isolating the limper, our continuation bet on the flop is check-raised by our single opponent. Flop check-raises generally represent stronger hand ranges and we should be prepared to fold many one pair hands against them.

However, when determining our hand’s relative strength, you must take into account several postflop factors. In this hand, we are heads-up, in position, and on a dry flop with less than 100 big blinds in stacks.

All of these factors are favorable for the strength of one pair hands. In addition, we have the strongest possible one pair hand, pocket aces.

If the flop was multiway, more coordinated, or stacks were deeper, folding may be an option. In this hand we should continue with AA. Since we will fold out many worse hands than ours if we reraise and there are no real turn scare cards that can come, calling the check-raise is superior to reraising.

We should call and continue to call down as necessary to get to showdown in this hand.

Calling is the best play.