$100 + $20 at borgata

[templar999]

Hi folks. First time poster. The way I played this, I might as well be a first time donkey. Apologies if I include useless information.

Thursday morning tournament at borgata. no rebuys. 25-50 levels doubling 20 minutes with 5000 chips to start. 95-100 players. by all accounts (it's my first tournament there), inexperienced players who overplay their hands and think everyone is bluffing. entirely capable of calling down half their stacks with middle pair, bad kicker. as an example, first level, blinds 25-50, fifth hand, UTG minraises to 100, folded to button, who pushes all-in with AKs, folded back to UTG, who calls all-in with pocket 7's. i think this tournament has a lot of potential.

Hand in question. SB is complete novice. on the first hand of the tournament, i saw his hand without remotely trying. i warned him. he continued to do it. so i stopped warning him. i'm hoping i get enough hands early to get the dead money; no way he lasts until the first break at the hour. MP1 seems solid. has played only 2 hands not on his blinds. unfortunately, i dont know his aggression level.

Hero with A /images/graemlins/spade.gif9 /images/graemlins/spade.gif in BB, 5100 chips. blinds are 50-100. folded to MP1 who calls. SB calls. Hero checks. we are all nearly equal in chips.

Flop (300): 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif
SB bets 300. Hero calls. MP1 calls.
I am nearly certain SB is betting with one big spade. he's almost drawing dead. if he had flopped the flush, he would have moved in or made a big bet. if he doesnt, the spades on board would frighten him off from betting something like 76 offsuit.
The MP1 call scares the crap out of me. he wouldnt call the flop without at least a draw that can run me down. minimum two pair. most likely a set. maybe 33 or 55 with a spade. i rule out a flopped flush or a straight as he would have raised to find out where he was.

Turn (1200) 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
SB bets 500. Hero calls. BB calls.

Question #1: am i a total a$$ for not moving all in? lord knows why i didnt even put in a raise.

River (2700) 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif2 /images/graemlins/club.gif
SB checks. Hero?

Question #2: What are my options?

Question #3: Should I have raised the flop? someone whose NL tournament play i respect a great deal says i should have moved in on the flop and take down the chips.

Question #4: assume that Hero were on the button acting after MP1. on the flop, when SB bets out 300 and is called by MP1, in a tournament with terrible players where at least half the field has no chance to make it to the final table, should i have pushed my 7-5 edge on the flop against MP1 whom i know has a set?
Results soon.
Thanks for all your help. all comments would be appreciated.

Edit: sorry, question #4 should say 9-5.

[Webnasty]

Hey Templar999,

Here are my thoughts on the hand. I don't claim to be an expert. I have played a bunch of tournaments at the Borgata and am familiar with the kinds of players at them.

#1: I would have raised the SB's bet 3x to T$1,500. That way you are betting a little over the pot size. If they do have 2 pair or a set, you are crushing their pot odds to draw out to them. Plus if for some crazy way they have 35 spades and come over the top, you at least give yourself some kind of a chance to get away from the hand. I probably couldn't, but somebody maybe could.

#2: SB checks, and if you think they are a complete novice there is no way they would check a monster hand that could beat you. Novices get a strong hand and immediately push all-in because that is what they see on tv. But the MP1 scares you that maybe they just made the boat. I would make a probe bet of about 1/3 the pot size. If the SB missed their draw, you want to extract a little more money out of them. If MP1 made their boat, they will come over the top and you have to do your best to muck your hand. It is tough to throw away a nut flush.

#3: I would check that great flop. Flopping the nut flush doesn't happen a lot, so I feel you need to try to squeeze as much equity out of it that you can.

This is my 2 cents for what it's worth.

-Webnasty