Turning Point in Tourney HU 5 Max SNG NL HE Please help

[ricochet420]

Okay, here is my first hand post any help would be awesome.

H/U Blinds are 50/100 Villan(TC1722) completes on button, Hero(TC2278) checks T /images/graemlins/diamond.gif7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Flop is 4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif7 /images/graemlins/club.gif, Hero bets TC515

after long pause villan raises all-in;**note only read is he will raise flop often with bottom or middle pair very*OFTEN

I use all my time and figure him for a flush draw with maybe a 5X /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I CALL. What do you think? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Turn is Q /images/graemlins/club.gif, I check, don't know why I have this option he is all in??? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

River is 3 :club

Results in white

<font color="white">
Villan has J7o to take TC3444 and cripple me with only TC556. 5 hands later I finish 2nd. </font>

[Cry Me A River]

IMHO, this is an insta-fold - You only have TP, decent kicker and it's a weak TP. He's either on the draw or he's protecting a flopped set/2-pair from draws. Or he has TPGK. Or he may well be pushing the flopped straight hopeing you'll read it as a bluff. Hell, his play so far is very reasonable for 77-TT. There's just way too many ways you are behind here or risking your stack on a coin-flip.

BTW - I hate your big flop bet, it screams weakness and makes it much more difficult to get away from the hand. At most I'm making a pot sized bet here, more likely I'm making a 1/2 pot bet if the villain is at all capable of folding. If he raises or calls I back right off.

Don't loose your stack in an unraised pot!!

Generally, my own policy is that unless I have a read on a player as an aggressive/maniac/bluffer I never, ever call big raises/checkraises when all I'm holding is TP. At low level buy-ins, they'll show a big hand about 90% of the time. You did mention that he likes to raise with middle pair, but raising and re-raising all-in are completely different - You'll have much better opportunities later, don't go nuts with a marginal hand.

[ricochet420]

Yeah I too hate the big flop bet. I think I was trying to get him out of the hand before he caught something. As soon as he raised I knew I shoulda woulda coulda done it differently, but by then I felt pot committed. (when is one pot committed?? is there a go by rule??) It was only us two left, and I felt like I had to be pretty aggressive, but bad bet on my part. Thanks for the input.