any merit?

[bmedwar]

How bad is this play? Does it have any merit? I sensed weakness and wanted to steal and figured I had a 30% shot at drawing out. I'm on the bubble with the 2nd shortest stack.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (4 handed)

BB (t6077)
UTG (t4380)
Hero (t1650)
SB (t1393)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 5/images/graemlins/club.gif, 4/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG folds, Hero calls t50, <font color="CC3333">SB raises to t100</font>, BB calls t50, Hero calls t50.

Flop: (t300) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t300) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets t100</font>, BB folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t600</font>, <font color="CC3333">SB raises to t1293</font>, Hero calls t693.

River: (t2886) 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t2886
<font color="green">Main Pot: t2886 (t2886), between Hero and SB.</font>

[Chief911]

I'll give this hand a go:

Preflop. Why call here? You dont want to go to a flop with this hand. Either fold or raise.

Preflop 2. Now you got raised by the SB. Time to fold. But...you called.

Postflop. You got partially hit. Check check check. GUUUUD. I like it.

Post Turn. Why not just call here? You have not HIT your draw, and only one card left. No need to force the action. Call the 100 and see if you can make your hand. Whoops. Hit the raise button, to 600. And now I got reraised allin, meaning I'm WAY behind (Or he's on a heart draw). You've essentially dug your own hole, and jumped into it. I suppose you could fold here, but with the odds you have, and the pot size, you have to call his allin.

River. Yuck, but you dont get a chance to fold here with only T200 committed to the pot because you raised him on the turn and had to get it all in before you saw the money card.

Finale. I think you made a lot of mistakes on this hand. But the biggest one was the raise on the turn. Why oh why would you want to raise him here when you have a chance to see the river for T100 and make your hand and kill him, or miss your hand and get out only down 200 chips?

We all make donkey plays, this just happened to be yours. =/

Nick

[Solitare]

I don't like the play at any point.

1. If you play this hand pre-flop, and that's a big if, you should try to steal the blinds with a raise. Limping doesn't accomplish much. Any flop that is good for you (which you won't see enough to justify the limp) will be easily spotted and is not likely to generate much action.

2. You say you sensed weakness after the turn. Seems to me there was more weaknees right after the flop with two checks to you. If your plan was to sense weakness and try a semi-bluff, after the flop was the place to do it where you would have two draws to your flush. All your flop check does is communicate that YOU are weak.

3. If I'm trying to steal the pot with a semi-bluff, I prefer to initiate the betting, not re-raise. After the turn the SB has shown enough interest in the pot to bet, and may sense that you are weak after your flop check. I think your fold equity on the re-raise has gone way down. I would simply call the bet given your excellent drawing odds (particularly a turn ace that might hit your opponent).

4. But if you do want to raise the SB on the turn, you should push. Your raise of 600 leaves you pot committed (you wound up calling the re-raise), so you might as push right from the start and increase your fold equity.