Difficult decision with 99

Pot Limit tournament after the rebuys, but a long way from the money, level blinds @ T50 I have about T1600 which is about average for the table. I am dealt a pair of 9's in a late position I put in a pot sized raise all fold to the BB (roughly even chip position) who calls.


Flop 7,4,2 rainbow. BB bets T400 leaving him T1000. I know him to be a good player, he tends not to raise pre flop with Ace high hands but if he thinks I have missed the flop he might try to push me out.


How should I have played this ?


thanks


Ross

I would tend to either fold or reraise all-in, depending upon which hands I put him on, and which hands he will fold/call with.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

I was in a limit holdem tourney today...29 players left...and it pays 18.


I've got 5 times the BB left...not very much in comparison to the other players...and I just got forced to move tables, so I'm not sure how the new players play.


I get pocket 9's in the BB and all fold but the SB who raises.


I decide it's all or nothing...call his raise thinking since he's stacked like me then he's making a steal with A high.


flop is 4 - J - 10...I think if I see an A, I'm out...otherwise, I'm in to the river. He bets, I call. Turn is a Q - I finish and go all in.


He did have A high...AK and had his straight on the turn. Doh.


I figured I had to make a stand, and that was as good as any. Tough decision in retrospect...to take a pair over AK is almost even money, but it's in your favor, I think. I'd be inclined to go all in again...even in a no-limit tourney. Esp on a flop with no overcards.


RB

One last thing....


The guy who knocked me out...Mike Sexton - organizer of the Tournament of Champions and all around tourney pro.


And that's why he's the pro and I'm not (yet)


RB

Thanks. I thought calling in this situation was the worst choice, my opponent was'nt in the Mike Sexton class, but was good enough to respect a raise particulary for all his chips.


I raised all in and after a bit of a pause(I am sure this was for effect) he folded his As4s. I was suprised that he showed me and secondly suprised he called the orginal raise.


My rationale was a) He flat called pre flop so I could probably discount AA, KK & possibly QQ. Therefore of the overpairs TT and JJ were my only concerns and if he was holding either of these hands he could'nt be sure I was'nt holding a bigger pair and therefore might not go all in to find out.


b) I am ahead of any Ace high hand or other big connectors but do not want to give him a free card to hit an overcard.


c) I am not sure he would have called with a pair of 2' or 4's.

This left 77 as the one hand that he might hold and would not lay down if I raised.


Unless I am getting to the stage where this type of thought has become almost second nature (I doubt it)I think I worked out a&b before I raised and c)occured to me while he was thinking about my raise !!


Any obvious flaws in my logic here


Ross