99 UTG, 4 handed

[AKQJ10]

I'd like critiques on how I played the following, particularly the turn:

Pacific Poker $2 + $0.50 sit-and-go (20 seats; 4 remain)
T150/T300 blinds
Hero's table image is probably tight-aggressive; hit a couple of lucky hands playing aggressively and getting called.
Button and MiddleStack seem pretty solid.
LargeStack seems selectively maniacal, but it's been effective.

Hero: T4477
Small stack (btn): T1395
Middle Stack (SB): T3545
LargeStack (BB): T6583

SS is the button

Hero dealt 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Hero raises to T750.
Button folds.
SB calls T600 more for T750
BB folds

T1800 total pot.

Flop: 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB checks.
Hero bets T600.
SB calls.

Turn: 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks.
Hero bets T1908.

[Oluwafemi]

i don't like the flop bet of 600 which is less than your initial raise preflop [it screams, "i don't like this flop and i'm preceding with caution".] i favor betting nearly the pot amount so as to let the SB reveal the strength of his hand faster. by betting only 1/3rd of the pot, i think you're making it cheap for him to improve to a better hand than yours. this flop bet is know looking more tasty to someone with 6 6- 8 8. it's not inconceivable that someone in a buy-in this low would call with 5 5 either. i also see A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifK /images/graemlins/diamond.gif calling 600 on the flop thinking that your bet also spelled weakness and you did'nt like the flop. i'm in favor of ending the hand as early as possible---preflop and on the flop is where i want the majority of your money invested with the losing hand. i did this quite a few times last night by putting the worse hand all-in on the flop only to get beat on the river about 5 or 6 times. it sucks royally but what can you do? slowplay? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[cha59]

I think you played it ok. The flop bet could have been bigger maybe. I like the turn push.

It should be unlikely villian has a 3 based on your preflop raise (would he call with A3s?). Hopefully he doesnt have 55 or 88 (unlikely but possible) or less likely 33.

(edit) After reading the other replies and giving it some thought, the small flop bet bothers me more. This bet has to be bigger.

[ldavidjm]

I would bet much stronger on the flop- probably 3/4 of the pot to try and push him off his probably overcards. I probably push the turn at that point, I doubt he has AA-JJ, 10's are reasonable (he doesn't want to reraise for fear you have a higher overpair or whatever but doesn't want to give them up) Also very possible are any of the low PP that refuse to believe you have them beat when there is a low paired board like such.

Also- I don't really like the raise into a maniac big stack as I think you'd have to fold if he pushed, but at the same time at 15BB I don't really like pushing the 9's PF either. Ultimately I probably do the same and just raise PF like you did and fold to a BB push (if this is a bad PF line someone tell me)

Besides maybe my slight problem with smaller bet sizes I think you're fine. And I'm sure you know this but just to be annoying 50 cent rake on a 2 dollar tourney is way too high.

[AKQJ10]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Point taken about the flop bet -- I was trying to induce a call from an inferior hand, but that may not be the optimal way to play an overpair in this situation.

[ QUOTE ]
And I'm sure you know this but just to be annoying 50 cent rake on a 2 dollar tourney is way too high.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup. But I'm learning sit-and-gos and ran into a run of bad luck at the $4 + $0.50, so I'm mixing in some 2s.

Here's how it turned out after my turn bet (which didn't put me all-in -- debatable whether it made sense not to push, but I was still trying to induce a call):

Turn:
SB Checks.
Hero bets T1908 (this left T1219 in my stack)
SB raises all-in to T2195
Hero calls T287 more.

Hands aren't shown because Pac's software sucks like that. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

River: 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB shows: A /images/graemlins/spade.gif A /images/graemlins/heart.gif

So I guess I was mostly unlucky. A bigger flop bet would obviously have been called, but I don't know that I would be able to lay down my nines getting good odds....

Supposing on the flop I bet the pot, T1800, he calls. The pot is now T5400 and I have T1927 in my stack. On the turn, suppose he pushes for T995. (More likely he raises the flop, but the odds are the same.) Can I fold my overpair nines getting like 6.4:1? No way that I can see.

OK, what about 2/3 of the pot? I bet T1200 - he calls or more likely raises all-in. About T5800 in the pot, and I have to call T1600. That's almost 4:1, and i still don't think I'm capable of folding nines there for those odds. Should i be?

So basically I knew I was unlucky to pick up nines when he had aces, and now I'm convinced that better play wouldn't save me any chips (understanding that it's not about s/t results of course). But a stronger bet on the flop would be better, it seems.

[AKQJ10]

One more question:

[ QUOTE ]
I would bet much stronger on the flop- probably 3/4 of the pot to try and push him off his probably overcards.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't get why I would want to push an opponent off overcards. Isn't the whole idea to get inferior hands to call or superior hands to fold? If I get an inferior hand without odds to draw to stay in anyway, won't i show a profit in the long run?

(But I've been told by others that I take this reasoning too far in tournaments and don't win pots immediately when I should, so I'm still very much putting this together in my brain....)

[ldavidjm]

I don't think there's anyway I'm getting away from 9's there. Just bad luck.

[cha59]

[ QUOTE ]
One more question:

[ QUOTE ]
I would bet much stronger on the flop- probably 3/4 of the pot to try and push him off his probably overcards.

[/ QUOTE ]


I don't get why I would want to push an opponent off overcards. Isn't the whole idea to get inferior hands to call or superior hands to fold? If I get an inferior hand without odds to draw to stay in anyway, won't i show a profit in the long run?

(But I've been told by others that I take this reasoning too far in tournaments and don't win pots immediately when I should, so I'm still very much putting this together in my brain....)

[/ QUOTE ]

The idea is to induce a mistake by your opponent.

By betting small, you give him better odds to call. By betting more, he's making a theoretical error by calling with just over cards.

Also, getting him to fold here and taking down this pot with 99 would be good.

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]

By betting small, you give him better odds to call. By betting more, he's making a theoretical error by calling with just over cards.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, my bet was too small because something like A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifK /images/graemlins/diamond.gif are about 2:1 to draw out on me, and 1/3 pot gives that hand the odds to stay. I understand that. So my goal is to bet enough to destroy the overcards' pot odds, but not so much to blow them out of the pot if I'm able to induce an incorrect call, right?

That's different from saying my goal is to push my opponent off of overcards. In one case I should bet maybe 2/3 to 3/4 pot; in the other case no bet could be too big, unless it's so big it's interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Your point is well taken that winning the pot immediately isn't a bad result, so I guess I should err on the side of taking down pots.