HPT 09 hand

This hand is from the $340 qualifier I played yesterday.

I am in the Small Blind. Blinds are at 400/800 100 ante and I have about 15000 chips. The villain in this hand is in early/middle position and is new to the table but has already demonstrated that he is a gambler. He has around T25000. One player under the gun calls, the villain from early/middle position calls the 800 and 1 late position player calls the 800. I am happy to look down and find A8 suited in spades in the hole. I happily limp into this already large pot hoping to catch at least a flush draw or some miracle like 88 or fold. The big blind checks and we see the flop 5 handed with $5000 in the pot.

Flop: AhTsAd - You are first to act. Your move?

I will update later.

When I see something like that online: I check-raise all-in. I know it's predictible, but it works. Sometimes I will check-call, then push on the turn regardless of the turn card. In any case, I end up with all of my chips in the middle. I know the 8 kicker is worrysome, but I'm thinking a) odds of someone else having an Ace is small, 2) odds of someone having a stronger Ace is even smaller, 3) if anyone is holding a stronger Ace or pocket tens, this would have been raised preflop(with the exception of UTG, see below) and 4) any bet will push anyone off of a suited hand because of the rainbow flop. I'm thinking anyone willing to commit alot of chips to this hand is on something like KT or JT, but you might get a couple of check-calls from KQ, KJ, QJ if the bets give them good odds to chase.

I think the only person I am worried about would be UTG. UTG limps always scare me simply because it's impossible to know what they are holding. The range for an UTG limp can be anything from pocket 2's up to AK or AA (obviously not AA in this hand).

The "Gambler" might just chase a gutshot which is why I'm thinking of a check-raise all-in. Only backfire on a hand like this would be a check all around and everyone gets a free turn card in which case I'm pushing on anything after the turn. If they catch their gutshot good for them, but odds I think are still in our favor.

tough spot, agree with everything dex said. its really really hard to put someone on a better hand than you, and if you lead out and someone comes over the top its a really really hard fold considering the odds you would be getting......by check raising you are at least getting an opponent to commit chips before putting your stack in. doesn't make a lick of difference if you are behind, but when an opponents bluffing you pick up those extra chips. check raising is better if you are ahead too. if villian has a portion of stack already in with A weaker kicker then he might be tempted to call justifying his call with the 'i had pot odds' logic. checkraising could look like a move and maybe someone is tempted to make a hero call with a pocket pair. i also think check raising does good things for your table image....can you tell i like the check raise here?

This answer is under the assumption that more than half the field remains and you are below chip average.

The only hands I'm really worried about here are AT, AJ and TT. (AQ or AK are likely raising preflop here, regardless of position, and A9 just doesn't seem likely.)

That's only three hands of a much wider range. I like the check call and shoving any turn here. However, if the gambler in EP leads out and is raised, I like check-shove on the flop.

On the one hand, you can fold here and still have about 18-19 BBs, but there are very few hands that you're actually behind here, that would not have raised preflop. I think you have to be excited about getting it all in here if you can, but leading out on the flop won't get nearly the value out of your hand (though you'd still pick up 2400 chips).

I bet T3,000 here. UTG folds and the villain takes his time making the call. I noticed that when the flop came out he shook his head and seemed to hate the flop. Is he acting or not? When it was his turn to act he took his time and threw in the call. Late position folds and we are heads up.

The Turn: 7h (T11,000 in the pot.)

Your move?

if he's truly a gambler i really think he's caught with a weaker kicker.

i check here and really study what he does. if he checks it seems like a value bet on the river is obvious. if he bets i would say i'm calling/shoving here close to 80% of the time. at this point in the hand its total feel. you've already got around 20% of not so big stack in the pot. i don't think i woukd be putting anymore in and folding. the more i think about this i say check and study your opponent. if he bets you just need to follow your read and stick it all-in or fold......most likely getting it all-in. if you check and he checks behind the river becomes a new animal.......

I check and the villain bets T5,000. The pot is at T16,000 and the villain easily has me covered. I have about T11,000/T12,000 behind. What is your move?

I folded... He says "I had you" and I say "I guess I'll just take your word for it." He says "here" and shows the table Ajo. The table asks and I tell them I folded A8 suited. Just about everyone at the table was like "sick fold!" It was a great hand and I think I played it right. I bet out for information. I was first to act with all sorts of limpers and it was a huge flop. I figured I bet now and an ace will show itself. I used all the information available to come to a decision and it was the right one. This hand felt GREAT. Here is my blog enty on the hand and my HPT 09 run:

April 3 2009

No HPT win this year...

But I played my best...

I went up yesterday to play my $340 qualifier. The way it works is the Main Event is a $1700 buy-in tournament but in Colorado there is a cap at $500 on tournament buy-ins so you have to Satellite in. This means that instead of paying the full amount you have to play in a $340 tournament and for every $1700 in the pot 1 person advances to the Main Event. So my tourney had 100 people who each paid $340 to play and the top 20 get into the Main Event.

I started out strong. I was raising and taking pots with some decent and some not so decent hands. I was trying to create the image of an action junkie and snap someone off with a big hand. In reality the blinds were so small compared to our stacks that I could easily afford to play this way, setting up my image at a small price. In fact I was actually making chips playing this way so it was a double bonus. No big hands to speak of early but there was one a few hours in worth talking about.

I am in the Small Blind. Blinds are at 400/800 100 ante and I have about 15000 chips. The villain in this hand is in early/middle position and is new to the table but has already demonstrated that he is a gambler. one player under the gun calls, the villain from early/middle position calls the 800 and 1 late position player calls the 800. I am happy to look down and find A8 suited in spades in the hole. I happily limp into this already large pot hoping to catch at least a flush draw or some miracle like 88 or fold. The big blind checks and we see the flop 5 handed with $5000 in the pot.

The flop: AhTsAd. Wow is this flop great or scary for me? Sure I have 3 aces against a table full of limpers but I can easily be outkicked... or splitting with someone who limped with a ace/bad kicker like me. I decide the best plan of action is to bet now to see where I am. I understand that I completed the SB in this put and I can be put on any ace at all by betting here, I want info now to avoid going broke later in the hand. I bet $3000 into the $5000 pot. The big blind folds and the Villain goes into acting mode acting like he absolutely hates this flop. He shakes his head, huffs and puffs, and calls the $3000. Seems real upset to me. The late position player folds and we see the turn.

Turn: 7h. This card changes nothing unless the villain limped with A7 suited (which he has played worse) so honestly this is in his range. I took my time acting first here. I remembered his acting job on the flop and was trying to decide whether he was acting or just being a total station. I figured the best way to find out was to check and see what he does. I check and he fires $5000 into the $11000 pot.

This is a hard spot to be in. Now that I have talked it all out and given my read it may sound east but trust me, it was not. I don't think many people can fold here. I am getting better than 2/1 on my money with 3 aces and no other real draws out there against a loose aggressive opponent. I really take my time and think it through. His call on the flop mixed with this board says we may be splitting this pot as he may have a little suited ace. His acting job says that he does have an ace. I was able to decide that he was in fact acting as we was "upset" to call my flop bet but bet on the turn. He was acting, he loved that flop. His turn bet is for value. But is he betting a little ave for value? I decide not. I am guessing he has something like AJ, AT, or A7 and I muck my hand. He says "you were beat" and I say "I will take your word for it." He says "here" and shows the table AJ. The table asks and I tell them I folded A8. Many players were pretty amazed that I folded against him there. I simply took all of the information available and put the story together. I was beat, no reason to lose the tournament in this hand.

I ended up taking 28th of 100. Like I said earlier 20 got seats. I had gotten low stacked and come back up to about $19000 but it slowly dwindled away. by the time there were 28 players left I had gotten down to about $8000 by barely playing a hand. With $8000 chips and blinds at $1000/2000 200 ante I really had no choice but to go all-in under the gun with KJ spades. I knew I was probably going to lose but if I wait one hand I have 6800 chips and 2 hands I only have 5800 leaving me with about an orbit until I bust. I guess I could have folded but I jammed and ran into both AA and QQ. GG me.

It was fun but it just wasn't in the cards for me yesterday. It is a fun tournament and I will be playing when they come back.

i would have to agree with your tablemates.....that is a pretty sick fold.

SnowOcean wrote:i would have to agree with your tablemates.....that is a pretty sick fold.

This.

I probably go broke on that hand at least 50% of the time.

Sorry you didn't qualify this time.