early marginal hand

[dfscott]

I'm thinking that the subject might answer my question, but I got caught up between figuring how to use betting impetus and feeling like MP2 was just pushing me around.

MP2 played a lot of hands, but it was hard to tell if he was loose because he showed down big hands. He was also fairly aggessive player.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (7 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

CO (t1565)
Button (t845)
SB (t1275)
Hero (t755)
UTG (t740)
MP1 (t830)
MP2 (t1990)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP2 calls t50, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t150) K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets t75</font>, Hero calls t75, MP2 folds.

Turn: (t300) J/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets t325</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t625

[curtains]

Tough situation. The problem with calling on the flop is that you are going to fold to a reasonable bet on the turn. Your weakish call my encourage your opponent to bet the turn without an appropriate hand. Thus giving you zero chance to win the hand if your opponent will bet 200-300 on the turn every time after you call.

Of course raising has it's downsides too, but I'd probably throw in a small raise. It's very easy to have the SB beaten here, he could have any kind of weak king (which he may bet large on the turn forcing you to fold, but should play more passively if you raise him.) or he could even have middle pair.

Also there is 225 in the pot after his bet and you have just 775. This money means something to you. Most of the time if the SB has K9 beaten here he will just check. I like to avoid these guessing games in sit + go's. It would be different if you had a hand in which you planned to call all turn bets, but in this case you are giving him the chance to win the pot without any hand.

[curtains]

btw I don't really mean that when the SB has K9o beaten they will always check, just if they have a really big hand they often will. With KQ-KT its quite reasonable that they will bet into you.

[Scuba Chuck]

...or KJ

FWIW, since you have TPBK in a SitNGo, I am beginning to think to just let it go. SB seized the opportunity, let it go. Your only other choie is to reraise on the flop. I'd be done with this hand real quick tho.

I hate these situations. I play the SB this way when I hit bottom two pair here. And it's very probable that this is what he has.

[Sam T.]

SB's flop bet looks a lot like a stab at the pot, just to see if anyone has a king. If the stack sizes were reversed, I might raise to 200, and shut it down if he called. As it stands, folding is certainly acceptable, but if you're feeling frisky I don't hate the idea of a push. He may have nothing at all, and even if he hit a King, he's going to have to consider the possibility you hit the BB special two-pair.

If I accidentally flat-called the flop bet, I would probably fold the turn. That said, I'm STILL not convinced he has anything other than air here, and don't mind a push. Too aggressive probably.

Sam