$200 Party - misplayed QQ?

[hansarnic]

50/100 blinds. Table is tight, 9 left. I am on the button with QQ (T2000)

UTG (T2000) raises to 300. Seems very solid. Short-stack in MP goes all-in for 400.

What to do? I put UTG on AA-TT or AK, unlikely to be much less.

I call. So does UTG.

It comes 973 with two clubs and UTG checks to me.

I bet out for 500 and get re-raised all-in.

I fold.

Comments?

[Gator]

I think you should have raised pre-flop (probably to 1,000). Let’s talk about why you bet/raise.
A. Because you have the best hand and want to get more money in the pot (the chance of this being true is pretty good)
B. To protect your hand (i.e. prevent hands like TT, AK or 99 in this case from hitting the flop and improving to a hand better than yours)
C. To find out where you are (if UTG comes over the top, you can be reasonable confident you are up against AK, AA or KK and react accordingly)

Of course, as blinds increase, you have to make a trade-off between protecting your hand and finding out where you are. You don’t really have enough chips to do both (i.e. had you raised pre-flop to 1,000, you are arguably pot committed). Classic case is holding AhKc and flop comes Ks Js Ts – when blinds are high, you have to choose between trying to shut out draws or finding out you ran into a flopped straight/flush.

The 500 bet smells weak and the UTG could have sensed this. If UTG held something like AK, his move is reasonable – he’s got to feel flop didn’t help you and his fold equity is pretty good (especially after your weak bet) and if you do hold something like TT-QQ he has some outs. By the way, did he have the hand or not. How do you feel about your pre-flop action if he turns over something like 99. If, post flop, you are not going to bet enough to show you have a hand, he might have been willing to check it down with a player all in.

So, my advice would have been substantial reraise preflop (800 to 1,000 – UTG, without a made hand, should yield to this bet and be willing to fight on with 1,700 in chips – he’s not yet pot committed).

Without the pre-flop raise, Post flop (and this is a pretty favorable flop for you) I’d make a bigger raise (500 into a 1,700 pot is pretty weak).

In either case, if UTG reraises all-in, you have to go on a read. Pre-flop, I might be willing to lay it down if he comes over the top of my reraise if I think UTG will only come over the top with KK or AA and is able to let go of AK. Post flop (especially without seeing an A or K on the flop) I probably call a reraise all-in – given that you’d call an all-in at that point, I’d argue an all-in preemptive bet might even be the better post flop move.

Bottom line:
-- Preflop: raise to 800 or 1,000 – player dependent decision if you are willing to let go of the hand if UTG comes over the top
-- Post flop: choose between checking (hoping opponent will ck down to the river, allowing an AK to hit his hand on the turn/river) or a more substantial/all-in raise