Blowing trip Kings

[Ryner]

Early in a PokerStars single table tourney:

Seat 3: Other Guy (1655 in chips)
Seat 8 (Button): Ryner (1210 in chips)

SB: posts small blind 15
BB: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Ryner [Kh Ks]

Other Guy: calls 30
Ryner: raises 90 to 120
Other Guy: calls 90

(Everyone else folded)

*** FLOP *** [Kd 2c 4d]
Other Guy: bets 120
Ryner: raises 970 to 1090 and is all-in
Other Guy: folds
Ryner collected 555 from pot

Realized right away I blew a great chance to make some chips. At the time I thought he might have been on a flush draw, but I dont even know why I bet so much when something like 3x his bet would have been fine enough to make him pay for his draw while maybe still keeping him in the hand. What I wanted was a call, afterall.

Any thoughts on what I should have done?

[BarronVangorToth]

Lots of factors come into play as to what the raise should be, but I definitely think you overbet this -- and way too early. You might want to wait 'til the turn, even, but, me, I would say that the raise works ... but only to 300-400 (with his bet, there's a little over 300 out there with the blinds, right, so he might call for another 300).

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com (http://www.BarronVangorToth.com)

[boring chris]

I think you jumped the gun. I would have called to let him see a turn and hope to let him improve a little bit, and then bet quite hard if the flush did NOT come up. Remember, don't risk much early on in tournaments. You can't win a tournament by betting hard early on, but you can certainly lose it. At best..you win and double your stack. But by halfway through, that stack is only at the average size (or worse) unless you choose to be risking your chips in more hands. Again, the key is to make your big bets when they count a lot more (aka when the blinds go up more). As far as the trip kings are concerned....let him see a turn for fairly cheap and if the flush doesnt hit, hit him hard. If the flush does hit, bet anyways,and if you get raised all-in (or some very large portion of your stack) then don't bother risking your tournament life. Let the dummies weed themselves out. Just play solid and make your moves when they are worth the most.

But, as far as playing it safe is concerned, I think betting hard on the flop is the next best thing to do. It's better to win a small pot than to get greedy and destroy your stack early on.

-chris

[dogmeat]

You didn't do anything wrong here. There is almost 400 in the pot after his flop bet, which is 1/3 of what you started the hand with. If he is on a flush draw, he is getting odds to call any raise below $600 - so you might as well go all-in. If you just call, and a flush card comes, then what are you going to do? If you bet into it, you risk most of your stack. If you check, he will probably bet, representing the flush - do you want to call at that point?

I totally disagree with just a call here, especially in a tournament, unless you both have considerably larger stacks and you are trying to let him in cheap so the flush hits and you wait to fill-up and can bust him. Otherwise, take what you won and be happy.

Dogmeat /images/graemlins/spade.gif

[Dan Mezick]

How many times have you played a big lead slow only to see it evaporate into a losing hand?

Have to agree with Dogmeat. KKK vs. two flush cards out. Try to protect the hand with a big raise and push him off the pot.

If he calls, he is way behind with alot of money in the pot. Can he still suck out? yes. But two out of three times he is not going to suck out if he calls.

If he folds, so much the better-- no risk and a pot won.

No one wins a tourney without getting some luck to go with fundamentally solid decision-making.

Don't fear losing.