Stars $160 WPT Dbl Shootout - Final Hand

[Chief911]

Am I a donkey? I feel like I made two critical errors on this hand, but would like your opinion.

S 18 had been very aggressive during the short HU play so far, and had taken about 2k of my chips. I think this hand shows that how far I still have to go, but at the same time I've very happy with my MTT results so far.

Detailed opinions of this hand would be greatly appreciated.

Nick

Pain Train, here I come...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (2 handed)

BB <font color="purple">(S 18)</font> (t7929)
Chief911 (t5571)

Preflop: Chief911 is Button with Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="CC3333">Chief911 raises to t400</font>, BB <font color="purple">(S 18)</font> calls t200.

Flop: (t625) 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif, 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
S 18 checks, Chief911 checks.

Turn: (t625) 8/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">S 18 bets t1000</font>, <font color="CC3333">Chief911 raises to t2400</font>, S 18 calls t1400.

River: (t5425) 5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">S 18 bets t5104 (All-In)</font>, Chief911 calls t2746 (All-In).

Final Pot: t13275

[MLG]

I actually didnt think you played it badly. I was watching the whole heads up battle, and he would play back at you a lot. I actually think that if a different diamond hits he will still bluff and you double up. Heads-up battles are somewhat marginal in their very nature, so its hard to answer deffinitively, but I didnt think there was a huge mistake.

[Tyler Durden]

I think you have to bet the flop w/ both a flush and straight draw there. This isn't a good time to slowplay.

[Prime Time]

I like how played the trap.
I would have pushed on the turn when he bet the 1K.
What did he have?

PS did you see my hand in the 2nd shoot out w/ 66.
Made a great read on the flop, and hit his A on the river.
PGA71.

[nolanfan34]

First, I don't like the min-raise PF heads up. I know you're taking a chance at bleeding your stack down if you miss a few times doing this, but when I connect on a HU hand, I want there to be something in the pot worth winning.

I think that mistake leads to the mistake on the flop. I'm guessing you thought he'd probably bet if he had an A, and wanted to win more than just the 850 in the pot (why is the converter showing 625?) with your hand. I just think checking the flop is dangerous heads-up, I'd bet out and take it down.

If you get check-raised on the flop, it also gives you a chance to potentially get away from the hand. Without betting the flop, I just hate what happens on the turn. A scare card falls, and you won't know if he's bluffing the scare card, actually has a hand, has a draw, etc.

I can't decide if I like the turn raise or not. He's getting about 3-1 on his call (825+1000+2400=4225), and there are a ton of draws he could be going for, if he doesn't have you beat already.

As for the river, pot committed or not, I'm folding this. With what's on the line here, I can't see his all-in being a bluff - he knows you'll call with a good hand, so he must have a pretty strong one himself. Of course on top of it all, the river is a terrible card.

Tough hand, I think HU NL is very tough, and with that much on the line even more so.

[ClaytonN]

Against a player like S 18 who I think makes aggresive plays with marginal hands that push guys like me out more often than I should get bullied, I might've raised 3x PF and tried to take the pot down on the flop. But that's results oriented thinking.

With the bet of 1000 and the call of the raise, I put him on some sort of very good straight and/or flush draw.

The push on the river first to act tells me he's got a king or an ace high flush, maybe? Hard to believe he'd make a move with the straight.

Either way, I shut down on the turn. Find a better spot.