UTG pocket 10s, nearing the money (What to do?)

[kevstreet]

This is a MTT, I posted it on that forum as well but I don't get any love over there. Hoping someone here may be able to help me.

1100 entrants
41 players left - 30 cash
750/1500 blinds

I'm UTG w/ pocket 10s, I have below average chip count w/ t15000. The table was playing pretty tight, very reverent of any raises. Play on most of the other tables was at a stand still, everyone using their entire time bank. How would you come in w/ this hand?

[curtains]

I'd go allin, but it's annoying to risk 15k to win 2250. However the hand is just too strong to fold, and raising to 4000 and folding to an allin is very weak IMO.

btw - Im assuming the table is 8 handed as opposed to 10, with a small chance that its 9 handed?

[kevstreet]

Curtains,

I'm beating myself up because after I made my stupid t4000 raise I knew it was the wrong play and that's EXACTLY what I did. Guy in late position w/ decent stack called, flop comes J, 2, 3. I lead out w/ 1500, he moves me all-in!!! I LET HIM HIT TRIP 2s! I did get away from that hand but now I'm really short stacked w/ only 8000 in the BB and catch A7s, had one limper and decided to make a semi-bluff and move him all-in, he slow played pocket Aces and took me out. But I know if I move all-in w/ 10s I take down the blinds and don't need to do anything silly w/ a very marginal hand... Anyway, great call Curtains, that was definitely the play in this situation!!

[curtains]

Well I'd have gone broke on the J32 flop, thats for sure.

[betgo]

Easy push. The fact that it is near the bubble makes it a better play because people will play tighter. In MTTs, unlike SNGs, the bubble is nothing to worry about.

Even with the bubble, you are probably going to be called by a higher pp, so pushing is not that much EV+, but you have to take a favorable gamble.

The miniraise also isn't that bad a play. You had bad luck.

[mcpherzen]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a MTT, I posted it on that forum as well but I don't get any love over there. Hoping someone here may be able to help me.

1100 entrants
41 players left - 30 cash
750/1500 blinds

I'm UTG w/ pocket 10s, I have below average chip count w/ t15000. The table was playing pretty tight, very reverent of any raises. Play on most of the other tables was at a stand still, everyone using their entire time bank. How would you come in w/ this hand?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd rank your best plays like this:

1. Fold (and this is #1 by a longshot)
2. Limp (and fold to any reraise)
3. Move all-in
4. Raise a different amount.

I think this is a pretty clear fold. You have about the worst position imaginable, so if you raise and get called (or just limp), it's going to make it awfully difficult to play the flop if an overcard (or more) come. I'm sure you know that it's more likely than not that at least one overcard to your TT will come on the flop. Curtains says he also would have gone broke with the J-3-2 flop, but that is just not good poker when you are so close to the money and there is an obvious overcard on board (players call with A-J and K-J all the time). Avoid that difficult decision by just not getting involved in the first place.

Don't panic with 10BB here...that's plenty of chips. It's much better for you to avoid these mediocre hands out of position, fold through the blinds (if you have to), and then go all-in on a steal when it's folded to you and you have late position. All things being equal, I'd much rather be pushing all-in from the cutoff with 7-2 and 8 big blinds than trying to play a mediocre hand like TT from out of position with 10 big blinds. It gets stressful late in a big multi like this, but you have to stay patient.

If you limp with TT here, you can fold to any reraise. You might get to see a flop and then you can play it strongly if you flop a set or you flop an overpair. With any other board though, you're probably going to need to fold.

--mcpherzen

[curtains]

I have to say I disagree strongly with your analysis.

Also let's not forget that this is an 8 handed table, as opposed to a 10 handed table (Im assuming this is the case with 41 players left.) This makes a difference too.

[mcpherzen]

Imagine talking to David Sklansky 5 minutes after you get knocked out of this tournament. He asks, "what was the story and how'd you do?" You tell him it was an 1100 player multi-table tourney, paying 30. Then you have to tell him, "I went broke in 41st place with TT UTG and 10BB's. I raised pre-flop and then got the rest of my chips in with a Jack-high board. Oh yeah, my opponent also raised me at one point in the hand too. He didn't have the J, but he did flop a set." You think David's going to tell you, "Well played...you just got unlucky?"

--mcpherzen

[curtains]

btw - Im pretty sure this was a freeroll on PartyPoker, one of those players club events.

Also I have no idea what you are talking about in your last post.

[kevstreet]

Yes, it was a PP players club (1000 bonus points) tournament.

For the life of me I can't remember how many were playing at my table... I know the table broke as soon as I bounced out in 41st.

Oh and one more thing, I didn't lose all my chips on that hand, I actually was proud of myself to get a read on the player that moved in on me but made a bigger mistake in the very next hand. It's funny, for 3 hours I played pretty solid poker and then all of a sudden I misplay one hand which leads to another questionable play within seconds of each other and that was it. It happened so quickly!

[mcpherzen]

[ QUOTE ]
Also I have no idea what you are talking about in your last post.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Well I'd have gone broke on the J32 flop, thats for sure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does this help?

[curtains]

Cmon you have 10k in chips, there are about 10k in the pot and you have TT on a J32 board. It should be nearly impossible to get away from the hand. Betting 1500 and folding to the allin is just bad poker.

[Irieguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Cmon you have 10k in chips, there are about 10k in the pot and you have TT on a J32 board. It should be nearly impossible to get away from the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

A good multitable player would fold this hand preflop while yawning. That's how you get away from it.

Irieguy

[curtains]

??? thats insane. Put Negreanu, Lederer, Ivey, Fossilman in this exact situation, I'll bet you a lot of money that not a single one of them folds preflop.

[skipperbob]

Let's See: You have a choice of listening to Sklansky, Irieguy, or ChickenPherzen /images/graemlins/confused.gif I choose "Death by Tonga" /images/graemlins/grin.gif