Bad play or shrewd call

[MilwaukeeBull]

I don't care if the bad beat police come hunting for me here. I thought this guy made a bad call and am looking for feedback.
It is roughly an hour into the tournament. Blinds are 500/1000. EP raises to 2000. I have Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif Q /images/graemlins/spade.gif and call. Cutoff calls, blinds fold.
flop comes 2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. EP bets 2000. My read on him is that he has not made the flush, no high pair, probably has A K at best. I call, other folds.
Turn is the 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif
EP bets 5000. I am confident the Hilton Sisters are best now so I raise to 10000. He thinks a bit and calls.
River is the 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif
He checks. With four spades on the board, I check in case my Q /images/graemlins/spade.gif is not good enough. Sure enough, he turns over A /images/graemlins/spade.gif 2 /images/graemlins/heart.gif.

How could he call with bottom pair and the flush showing on board with A 2???

Can someone explain to me why that is a good call. Pot had about 10k in it when it was raised up, and the call cost him half of his stack.

[Edge34]

Hey Milwaukee,

If I count the pot correctly, there's about 26,500 in there after your raise, and he needs to call 5000 more, giving him 5:1 on his call. Up until this point he had taken the lead in the hand by betting, with you calling his PF raise and flop bet. He had a pair and the nut flush draw, and while it may not be a FANTASTIC play on your opponent's part, its also not the worst play.

Stack sizes would help (I assume this is a NL tourney). Also, why not reraise PF? I don't like that minimum raise from EP.

-Edge

[betgo]

Do you know how to bet and raise or only call? I would reraise the miniraise preflop. I would raise the tiny bet on the flop.

As to why your opponent called with that hand, he didn't call. He bet. In any case, a pair plus a nut flush draw is a strong hand.

Your opponent should fold A2o in early position preflop. In fact, there are very few situations to play that junk hand.

He should bet on the river. He is not going to get action by checking unless you you have something like Qs, which you had and made a good check. Maybe he was trying to induce a bluff. He has been firing all along. If you had a reasonable hand before the 4 flush or made a reasonable flush, you will probably call another bet. Against a passive player like you it is particularly important for him to bet.

[MilwaukeeBull]

I agree with not raising on the flop. I made the mistake there by not bumping up. At the least I should have raised to get info on whether he had the flush. I didn't raise preflop because there were some aggressive players at the table behind me.

[adanthar]

[ QUOTE ]
I didn't raise preflop because there were some aggressive players at the table behind me.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have queens. You WANT them to come over the top.

You played this hand worse than your opponent, IMO. He doesn't know much about poker or starting hands, but he didn't do all that badly once the flop hit. But there's no excuse for playing this hand like this if you know this forum exists and have presumably read a book or two.

[MilwaukeeBull]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Milwaukee,

If I count the pot correctly, there's about 26,500 in there after your raise
-Edge

[/ QUOTE ]

Pot would be at 26k after he called, not before if that makes a difference.

[MilwaukeeBull]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I didn't raise preflop because there were some aggressive players at the table behind me.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have queens. You WANT them to come over the top.

You played this hand worse than your opponent, IMO. He doesn't know much about poker or starting hands, but he didn't do all that badly once the flop hit. But there's no excuse for playing this hand like this if you know this forum exists and have presumably read a book or two.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am guilty of not reading here as much lately. But at the time, I was trying to think what Doyle's SS advice is on QQ. I thought it was to call any raise, not reraise. I guess I was wrong.

[willie]

definitely should have doubled his raise preflop, and on that flop, with his hand i don't really see him going away unless he's a good player and you've bet or overbet the pot givin him bad odds to draw to it. he had a pair and the nut flush draw, you let it come cheap and he raked the pot.

[betgo]

All the books (Brunson, Cloutier, Ciaffone/Reuben) say flat call with QQ.

First of all, they are talking about a raise of 4xBB, not 2xBB. Granted a miniraise could mean a big pair, but you will find that out if your opponent comes back over the top.

Second of all, they are dealing with high stakes cash games and major tounaments, where most players aren't reaising from early position with A2o. A lot of players will go allin with QQ early in low buyin tournaments.

With shallow money, which is not the case here, you definately want to reraise with QQ.

Despite what these books say, even in deep money high stakes situations, people reraise with QQ more often than they call.

[Edge34]

1500 from folded blinds, plus 6K from 3 players to the flop for 2k each (7500). Bet of 2k on the flop and you called (4k makes it 11500). He bet 5k making the pot 16500, and you raised to 10K, putting 26500 guaranteed in the pot before he even called.

Of course, almost all the responses you've gotten have said the same thing - you have QQ and played it far too passively. Your opponent, while making an awful decision PF, took the lead and didn't play awfully postflop. Reraise PF, raise the flop. Brunson's book and Cloutier's book and all those tell you not to go broke with QQ (but they also say not to go broke with KK or AK). Still, you needed to take more action in this pot.

-Edge

[MilwaukeeBull]

Thanks for the responses and advice everyone. It will be put to good use tonight.