No-Limit Tourney problem

[lwinfieldm]

8 tables.Every one has 1000 in chips.No rebuys.The first hand in the tournament.I dont know how anyone plays.The blinds are $5-$10.I get the 8c6cin the small blind.6 players limp in for $10.i call for $5.Big blind checks.8 players see the flop 6d6s2d.I decide to check disguise my hand somewhat and see what happens.The #2and #3 check and the #4 player bets $80 the size of the pot with 4 players sitting behind him.Everyone folds to me.I didn't know what to do.I didn't want to get trapped with the hand,with only $10 invested in the hand.I didn't know what to do,so I folded.The big blind also folded.The phrase you can't win the tournament here but you can lose it here,came into my mind.Should I have bet on the flop? How would you have played the hand in this situation?

[cferejohn]

How much you have invested should not come into play. The money that is in the pot is in the pot, its not yours.

There is currently $160 in the pot for you to win. I am not an experienced NL player (I play a lot of limit tourmanents though), but it seems to me that you need to raise back here (maybe another $80, but someone else might have a better handle on the amount). Its hard to imagine what this player might have that you are behind (slight possibility of 22, hard to imagine 62). If I had to guess, I would say he had a medium overpair (7-7, 8-8, or 9-9). It could also be overcards like KQ and he is hoping to take the pot now.

In the no-limit games I have played (mostly single-table tournaments), I've noticed that being short-stacked is much more crippling than in limit tournaments. I've seen lots of players take big risks to get a large stack in the early going. This seems like a pretty small risk, since you almost certainly have the best hand.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Ask yourself what he could have limped with in EP. It's unlikely he has you beat, unless he has 22. The more logical holdings are a big pair he limped with preflop, Ad xd (where x is anything from J on down) or a suited connector with the case 6, which you beat. Yeah, you can't win the tournament on the first table, but, on the other hand, it's better to finish last than one spot off the money. At least you can get into a cash game and win back your buy-in.

I'd raise to 400. Put the decision on him.

[iblucky4u2]

When you called pre-flop, what flop were you hoping for - 5-7-9c? Maybe 888 or 666? If you fold here, you will never be a NL player. The only hands you are worried about at this point is A6 or 22. In both cases you have some outs, so go ahead and pound them. If you push it in and they have you, go enjoy your ring game. More likely, you will be enjoying your chip lead /forums/images/icons/smile.gif