AK suited- First hand

[onealx4]

How would you guys play this? This was the very first hand of the tournament so no small stacks, no reads- nothing..

Button (t1500)
SB (t1500)
BB (t1500)
UTG (t1500)
Hero (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
MP2 (t1500)
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t40</font>, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t540</font>, SB folds, BB folds, Hero calls t500.

Flop: (t1110) J/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t220</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t960 (All in)

[moa]

Since you already decided to play the hand, and you got a very favorable flop, you are pretty comitted to putting all your chips in.

[Mr_J]

Well unless he's a total moron, he's huge PF raise suggests a very strong starting hand (either totally crazy or maybe foolish with such a large re-raise). What buy-in? So AA-kk, and maybe QQ-JJ. AK is also possible.

AK you are marginally ahead thanks to a small flush possibility. QQ you are far ahead. AA,KK and JJ and you are in deep trouble. Such a large PF raise I have to assume he has you beat (AA-KK) or AK at best. I'd fold. I also would've raised double what you did.

[rabman]

First I try to figure which hands I'd go all in with on this flop. AA, KK, JJ, 99, is possible. Maybe another AK. Could he have tried to buy the blinds with a QT, KJ, or J9? Not likely. Remember you have to have a much better hand to call an all-in than you do to push all-in and this hand has lots of ways to be beat. AA, JJ, or 99 you have 2 outs, KK you need runner runner Aces. I'm gonna fold because the only thing I'm ahead of here is a bluff. I will still have T960 and can wait around for a couple of levels to get a real hand and a better opportunity.

[Sidekick]

I don't see it, but I'm guessing that your blinds are 10/20? If so, then I don't like the preflop min raise. Either limp if you are trying to trap someone or raise to 60-100.

On the flop you are betting only 220 into a 1k pot. If this is a come along and play with me bet that is fine, but if not then the bet is too weak. You need to be betting at least half the pot here and since that is going to commit you to the hand, you might as well push all in.

With the way you played the hand I think you pretty much have to call. You couldn't ask for a much more favorable flop realistically. You have TPTK and a backdoor flush draw.

There are four hands you are worried about here AA, KK, JJ or 99. With the way buton bet the flop I can't see him on any of those hands. He would most likely just call your bet and hope you lead out again on the turn.

Edit: You should always post the Buy-in for the tournament. The play varies wildly depending on the buy-in so it helps you to get more accurate feedback from the posters here. And my advice is based on a $10+$1 buy-in or less SnG, since I see huge raises like this routinely early in a tournament by players who have marginal hands.

[onealx4]

[ QUOTE ]
What buy-in?

[/ QUOTE ]

$5+.50 on Pokerstars..

[Mr_J]

You don't think this could be a guy blinded by his AA or KK and just raising huge?

[Mr_J]

Well he could have anything then. I guess 99-JJ is possible. What'd you do?

[adanthar]

I don't minraise, but if I did and this happened, I would push or fold PF. At a $5 I lean towards push, at a $50, fold.

Since you called, you evidently didn't think he had aces or kings which means you're not folding here. [Oh, you didn't think that far? Always have a plan for the hand.]

[onealx4]

[ QUOTE ]
Well he could have anything then. I guess 99-JJ is possible. What'd you do?

[/ QUOTE ]

Heres the gist of it:

Button (t1500)
SB (t1500)
BB (t1500)
UTG (t1500)
Hero (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
MP2 (t1500)
MP3 (t1500)
CO (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t40</font>, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t540</font>, SB folds, BB folds, Hero calls t500.

Flop: (t1110) J/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t220</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t960</font>, Hero calls t740 (All-In).

Turn: (t3030) A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t3030) T/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t3030

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has As Ks (two pair, aces and kings).
Button has Qs Qc (straight, ace high).
Outcome: Button wins t3030. </font>

[Sidekick]

It could be of course, but I most often see this at this level at Poker Stars when someone has something like pocket QQ or KQ or even TT and they are trying to push you out of the pot because they have seen Gus Hansen push someone off a hand on TV.

It boggles my mind how often I see someone on the button make huge raises in the first few levels of low buy-ins with hands like 66, 77, KQ, KT, QJ, or just utter garbage and then bet the hand strongly post flop in an attempt to push you out of the pot.

[Mr_J]

I really don't get what someone with a medium or worse or 2 high cards (apart from AK) would be trying to accomplish. Steal 50 or whatever of blinds? Get someone to call (and if they do caller is certainly ahead) and hope to bully their way to winning the pot? Sad thing is I've seen worse play than that at the $50s.

You called it though, poster said the guy had QQ and caught a straight (after the poster hit 2 pair on the turn).

[onealx4]

Nothing feels worse than seeing that ace on the turn and thinking that this is why the AK suited is a strong hand then having the ten flip on the river.....

[wiggs73]

[ QUOTE ]
I really don't get what someone with a medium or worse or 2 high cards (apart from AK) would be trying to accomplish. Steal 50 or whatever of blinds? Get someone to call (and if they do caller is certainly ahead) and hope to bully their way to winning the pot? Sad thing is I've seen worse play than that at the $50s.

[/ QUOTE ]

My guess is lots of weaker players simply don't know how to play medium to low pairs after the flop. I see a lot of pushing with them pre-flop both in online and live play. Personally, I follow Brunson's strategy from Super System, which is basically try to see a cheap flop with them and hope to make trips or better. There are, of course, other ways to play them that will be as good or better than this, depending on the situation.

Getting to the question at hand though, I don't like the min raise on the flop. Online players won't fold to 40 or even 60 chips, regardless of what multiple of the bb they are. Early on in cheap SNGs, I like to raise 80-100 pre-flop. This seems to be much more effective. As for the hand you were talking about, I would have folded after the large re-raise. It's so early, you never know what the guy could have, and he could likely have AA or KK which would dominate you. Even if he doesn't, you only lose 40 chips, which leaves you in fine shape for the rest of the tourney. Plenty of time to get reads on this guy and the other players and build your stack. I play tighter than most, so I'm sure some people could make reasonable arguments to call the raise or maybe even push, but in my opinion, it's just too early to justify either of these moves. With AK, at best, you're likely in a coin-flip situation with some pocket pair, and possibly dominated.

[texasrattlers]

The bad-beat nazis are contemplating their measured response at this very moment! /images/graemlins/grin.gif