Satellite Hand 1

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Multi-table $35 satellite to the WCOOP $320 NLHE. 26 entries to the tourney, #27 gets $280, so in essence all 3 tables get paid. 55 left, I have 6,590.

Blinds are 300/600/a50 (about 2/3 through this level), 8 handed. BB is a well-known top-level tourney player on 'Stars. Big stack at the table (~13,000) and has been bullying since he got to this table at the start of the previous level. Initially, I made a mental note to not raise his blind w/o a big pair, but I've started to think he's reraising with sub-optimal hands.

I pick up A /images/graemlins/heart.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif in MP. Folded to me. I haven't had much in the past few orbits, so I decide to try to steal the blinds and raise to 1,800. Folded to the BB who reraises all-in. My thought process goes like this: At 4,700 I can't play conservative and squeek in to the money. This is a good very good player raising me. He can easily have a weaker ace of a pair below my 9, or even KQ or KJ to make this reraise.

I know it's a coin flip but there will be other satellites between this one and the tourney. I call.

Comments? Results later.

[Guy McSucker]

I am very interested to see what everyone thinks on this one.

I would fold. If I think this guy is really good, then I'll give him credit for noticing that I have not played many hands lately, so he might expect me to have a hand here. Even if not, A9 is behind a fair number of pretty poor reraising hands.

I think it's close, though.

Guy.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I call and he flips over 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Flop comes with 2 hearts, so I have 15 outs twice...oops, one of those hearts is a 7, leaving me with 8 outs which do not materialize and IGHN.

[Bozeman]

Given his play, I think you should expect to be reraised and only raise with hands for which calling the reraise is not painful. I don't think A9s qualifies. Though you didn't say what the average stack size is, I think you have plenty of time to get a good hand or steal after he is out (or be the reraiser).

Craig

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Average stack at the time 8,100
Average stack in the money 15,000

I was 5 minutes away from the blinds going to 400/800/a50 giving me about 4 orbits of life, or 2 orbits to really make something happen. In other words, I felt I was at the point where if I were sure I was on the wrong end of an 11-9 race, I should be willing to take the chance.