Two TPTK Hands in Cheapo Tournaments

[Tom Bayes]

In the first hand, we are maybe 5 minutes into a $1 NLHE at Stars. I haven't played a hand yet and I know next to nothing about anyone at the table.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Hero (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1520)
MP1 (t1420)
MP2 (t670)
MP3 (t1470)
CO (t1420)
Button (t1450)
SB (t1320)
BB (t2710)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t60</font>, UTG+1 calls t60, MP1 calls t60, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, CO calls t60, Button calls t60, SB calls t50, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>.

Flop: (t380) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(6 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t200</font>, UTG+1 calls t200, MP1 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds.

Turn: (t780) 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero does what???</font>

In the second hand, we are almost to the first break of a $3 NLHE at Stars. The villain (BB) in the hand is a calling station who built his stack by calling pot-sized bets with a draw and sucking out some other guy. MP2 (the big stack) seems to be a good player.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP3 (t3095)
CO (t2245)
Button (t1453)
SB (t1410)
BB (t2875)
UTG (t1910)
UTG+1 (t1222)
Hero (t2520)
MP2 (t9625)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t300</font>, MP2 calls t300, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, BB calls t200.

Flop: (t950) 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t600</font>, MP2 folds, BB calls t600.

Turn: (t2150) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero does what? </font>

Pot = 780, you have 1500 - 260 = 1240 left.

I bet 420 or so.

Hand 2 :

Pot = 2150, you have 2520 - 900 = 1620. There's a possible flush draw. I would bet at least 1000k or go all-in.

In both case, if raised, you go all-in or calla n all-in.

[Exitonly]

i have no reason to believe i'm beat in either of these hands, the first one i'd bet 500 and call a push. pushing to start might scare off hands that you'd want to play with.

second hand the pot has gotten big enough that i can just push now.. so i do.

I push in both cases. From the betting and your description I have to feel confident that my money is going in with the best hand in both circumstances. It's a micro tournament, so there are a lot of fish like the one villain you described, I would maek him show me a better hand.

Hand 1 - Bet about 500-600. There are plenty of fish out there willing to call down with bottom pair because you "might be bluffing" and this bet sets you up to put it all in on the next street.

Hand 2 - Push. If the villain is willing to call his chips off with a lesser hand or on a draw make him do it here. A scary river card might make him fold where he'd put it all in on the turn hoping for a miracle card to save him. Fish love to chase after the chips they spew, even with 9 high!