No-Limit Trap-Was I A Total Fish?

I played in a little tournament this weekend that started out at limit holdem then switched to no-limit holdem when the time came to get people knocked out fast. I was doing pretty well and built my stack to about T4000 which was a bit ahead of most. But now the blinds were 200-500, so the money was pretty shallow for everyone. In the first hand at the new limit I was the big blind and picked up KQs. It folded around to the small blind who just called. He had approximately half as much money as I did. I checked, figuring I would bet any flop without an ace, at least if checked to by the SB. Was this a mistake not to raise?


The flop came down Q-10-x with one of my suit. The SB bet 500. I thought for a minute and went over the top for all his money. I had played with the SB the night before and he showed down a lot of questionable hands. I got some of his money and didn't think he was a great player, but also figured he could have a variety of hands. I thought he might have middle pair or a draw, so I wanted to put his money in. But I wasn't sure, as I didn't feel all that great about it. But I really did not expect him to call and show me Aces. Top pair good kicker no good. Of course the cards made it exciting, because the turn was a beautiful suckout King. But the river paired the ten. Top two no good. I still had a stack of about 2000, but was totally crippled. The blinds went up so fast and people got knocked out so quick that I was just kicking myself. If I won that pot I probably could have cashed by folding blind until we got to the money or a deal. If I folded I would have had a very good chance to get there. As it was I got down to four chips when the blinds were one and two chips. I tossed them in out of position a few minutes later w/ Q-9s figuring that was the best hand I would see in the next three or four, which would be my last. Anyway, was there any way to avoid that trap or is that just the breaks? Should I have put him on a bigger hand betting into a q-10 flop? I thought I had a big hand heads-up with no Ace on the flop, so that's why I played it the way I did.


P.S. I don't play many tournaments, and have never done real well in them, but the last three times I have been knocked out of N/L tournaments I have looked at AA, twice held by players in the blinds. I am waiting to hear some stories about how aces always get beat. I am getting gun shy with anything short of the nuts.

Nope, not a total fish.


Maybe not even a fish at all. In your spot, I might have played the hand differently, but I still likely lose the maximum.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Not sure how you would know that the SB has AA? One can argue that you may want to raise with KQs in the BB when the SB limps in but the result would have been the same.


Ken Poklitar

you did nothing wrong, but you will if you decide that you must have the nuts.


nothing exact in this thought----any time I enter any tournament I figure that odds against my winning are equal to at LEAST one third of those who have entered---example, if 300 start then 100 to 1 against me.


that makes defeat easier to accept.


P.S. I do get into the maoney better than that though.

listen to jellow (or mike caro maybe?). the winner of a tourney is ALWAYS lucky. on this hand you were not. poker is one of the few games where you can make the right play and cost yourself a bundle, left with nothing but a "right" play and less chips. better luck next time.

How FossilMan might have played it.

Not much you can do here. If you had raised preflop you COULD fold if he jams. But more realistically he will just call your raise and check the flop. At which point you will put him in and lose the same thing.


As to "how fossilman would play it." probably looks a good deal like the above.

That would be a common way for me to play it. When the SB just limps in and I have a good hand, I'm usually going to raise. Of course, that depends upon the SB's history, but usually raise and win it right there. Then, once I hit top pair on a rainbow board, there is little or no room to get away from the hand unless you're psychic or the king of reading tells.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

"If you had raised preflop you COULD fold if he jams."


In this particular hand since the blinds are 200-500, and the opponent only has 2000 there really is no room for raise/fold. The raise will be all-in.


Ken Poklitar

I do feel that if all players fold around to the small blind, who calls, and you have a better than average hand, considerably better, you simply can't give the guy a look at this flop so cheap. You MUST be aggressive and raise with a hand like KQs. All things being equal, most players will fold most average or below average hands and you win right there. Some others will see more value now that they have invested more and call you with average or less than average hands, thereby increasing your EV on this play. If the SB does raise all in, and you can read him for a strong hand you can still get away from it then. So, in many cases, you will still get beat because of the circumstances, and you may still allow him to double through, but raising gives you far more positive results, overall, than smooth calling. IMO. I would only smooth call with a really big hand, ie: AA, KK, in this spot and ONLY if I was sure my opponent would make a move on the flop.


Keep playing hard!

That was the right play. I would have played it the same.

But then again maybe i am a fish

hello ther ShymOn...notice I used an o rather than an a


enjoyed our chat in recent event......luck to you!

lol, thx jellow same to u