Stop and Go or Check-Call?

[DireWolf]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t2000 (8 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP2 (t9920)
CO (t55418)
Button (t28225)
SB (t70386)
Hero (t20145)
UTG (t50745)
UTG+1 (t24306)
MP1 (t83347)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8/images/graemlins/club.gif, 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises to t6000</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Hero calls t4000.

Flop: (t10700) 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero?

No reason to favor a big pair.

[hurlyburly]

I don't think a check call is in your best interest. I'd push and use any FE you might have here.

[locutus2002]

Hero check/raises.

If you bet, villain will fold most of the time when he's behind. Villain is likely to offer a continuation bet most of the time. Unfortunately his stealing range here includes hands with 9s.

When you called with 88 you had to be prepared to go down with the hand. Once you get this flop you can't get away from it.

[autobet]

I am assuming the pot is 13K and you have 14K left.

If you bet out you will be call 100% of the time by a better hand and be a big dog.

If you check and call (and put him all in if he bets less than your stack) you will be a 3-1 favorite against two overcards. Since the pot is offering your opponent about 1-1 on a pot size bluff you would gain in the long run by having him bluff. If he bets less than the pot, then you gain when he folds your all in raise, and still are a solid favorite to win a nice size pot if he calls.

Of course your opp may check behind you, taking infinite odds.

Bye the way, I would be raising all in before the flop...

[A_PLUS]

With your stack, I think I am going to push. If you were a little deeper, I would check, hoping for a check raise push.

You cant afford a free card here, so unless the villan continues with all checked flops, PUSH!!!!

[locutus2002]

I don't think villain folds 9s or better here so your FE is zero.

If you bet you may lose the value of his continuation bet which seems pretty likely if he's on a steal or has a quality ace.

[A_PLUS]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think villain folds 9s or better here so your FE is zero.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, I am pushing here to protect what is most likely the best hand. There are 5BBs in the pot, we have 8 behind. Normally, I would let him bet, and draw to a likely 6 outs, but under the circumstances, take the pot.

Also, we dont have any FE, but there is a reasonable chance he calls us with a worse hand if we push.

[11t]

I agree, if the villain is highly aggressive than checking here is your best line but if he does not throw out continuation bets (especially into ragged flops) than pushing here is the correct decision.

[wegs the wegs]

Is pushing preflop out of the question?

Maybe I just have a big ego but when it's this late in the tournament and a huge stack open raises 3xbb in the CO I smell steal attempt.

Calling preflop I think is the biggest mistake on this one, unless you flop a set. Committing 30% of you stack is no time to play for set value. You're out of position with mid-pair, and its unlikely that the flop comes 7 high to make you feel good about the hand. I think you're screwed on the flop most of the time here.

[DireWolf]

well, i wasn't really calling off 30% of my stack here. Preflop i didn't feel like i had much FE. Looking at the stack sizes now, it seems like i might have had some, but at the table, i had a feeling the Co wasn't folding.

So i was going to stop and go, and push pretty much any flop, except maybe AKJ.