NL holdem tournament- early round situations

[Lottery Larry]

Home tournament, 14 players at the start. Two hands:

1) 3rd round, blinds $T25/50, starting stacks $T1000. 6 players at the table, 7 places left until the cash prizes.
You hold pocket 9s on the button. Everyone folds and you raise to $T200. BB, who has been playing pretty tightly, showing down big cards and betting aggressively when catching top pair and good 5-card hands, reraises to $T500.
You have been playing tightly as well, not going to the river too often and showing big cards when you do get to the river.

You call, the flop is rainbow 5, 6, 7 and the BB goes all in for around T1000. You have T700 left.

What do you do here?


2) 2nd round, AT in your hand in early position. unknown player in blind bets $T200 on a KTx flop. Turn gives you a gutshot Broadway draw, UP bets $T200 again. River is the Ace for two pair. UP checks.

What do you do?

What would you have done differently on the flop or turn?

[cferejohn]

Hand 1: If you aren't prepared to call this flop, which is about a good a flop as you are going to see for this hand, you shouldn't have called preflop. The call wasn't worth it if you were planning to lay down anything other than a set. I think you have to call, unless you have some very reliable tell that this guy has a monster.

Hand 2: So the turn was either a J or a Q, one presumes, so with the A on the river, there are now 4 broadway cards on the board. I can't imagine that UP would check to you if he had the straight, so it seems quite likely he now has two pair. AK probably woul dhave raised before the flop. AJ/AQ (depending on what the turn card was) are possible, although those would have meant he was betting the flop with nothing but a gutshot).

I think the most likely is KQ or KJ for two pair, and you are ahead. I would make a small value bet on the river. Maybe another 200.

[KHALI]

I am a relative newbie to the game but here are my thoughts. The second scenario is easier. You are probably ahead now but got lucky to be in that situation. That hand in an early round, full table or close to, in early position is a fold before the flop. If you call or raise in what would you do if reraised. You would have to lay down unless you want to gamble. I would avoid it as I am not that skilled.
The first scenario is tougher. It is a legit hand in that position to make a play but if played back at by a tight solid player then you have to make a decision before the flop(is he only going to reraise with a strong hand). I think the call is incorrect because you have now called 500 off out of 1200 or over 40% of your stack. I think a lot of guys would fold or push here. It depends on your read of the guy. When you called what was you thought process? Hoping to hit a set and if not dump it? or did you still think you were ahead? What were the outcomes?

[Scooterdoo]

[ QUOTE ]
Home tournament, 14 players at the start. Two hands:

1) 3rd round, blinds $T25/50, starting stacks $T1000. 6 players at the table, 7 places left until the cash prizes.
You hold pocket 9s on the button. Everyone folds and you raise to $T200. BB, who has been playing pretty tightly, showing down big cards and betting aggressively when catching top pair and good 5-card hands, reraises to $T500.
You have been playing tightly as well, not going to the river too often and showing big cards when you do get to the river.

You call, the flop is rainbow 5, 6, 7 and the BB goes all in for around T1000. You have T700 left.

What do you do here?



[/ QUOTE ]

I would have folded preflop, raised all-in, or called and made a decision to raise all-in on flop if they are all lower than a T or maybe a J. He surely has two overcards or a pair. I imagine if he has a pair it most likely beats yours -- he would have just called with 88 or lower. The problem with calling preflop is that an over card to your 9 is likely to flop and you will have just pissed away those extra chips because it will be too dangerous to call any sizable bet. If I thought he was a really tight player I fold since I'm either a big dog (to a higher pair) or a coin flip to two overcards and I see no reason why he won't call my all-in.

Since you already made your decision to call preflop the call on the flop is easy since there is a good chance he had two overcards (AK most likely candidates) so you might be ahead and you do have the gutshot straight and set outs. Short of a 9, what better flop could you have been hoping for when you called preflop? Of course there is a very strong chance that he has an overpair, but I assume that you were already hoping that he didn't or you wouldn't have made the preflop call.

[ QUOTE ]


2) 2nd round, AT in your hand in early position. unknown player in blind bets $T200 on a KTx flop. Turn gives you a gutshot Broadway draw, UP bets $T200 again. River is the Ace for two pair. UP checks.

What do you do?


What would you have done differently on the flop or turn?

[/ QUOTE ]

On the river I make a value bet of 150-250, I'm fairly certain you have him beat -- I put him on a K. Of course he could have had QJ and now just rivered the straight. However, you have been calling all of his bets so if he did pull the straight his slow playing is a bad move since you are more likely to check after him than raise; plus since you have been calling his 200 bets all along you would likely call any bet in the 200-500 range on the river so I don't see him looking to check raise you.

I probably would have played the flop and turn the same way, but I'm not sure how many chips you have so it's hard to say.

[Lottery Larry]

"Hand 2: So the turn was either a J or a Q, one presumes, so with the A on the river, there are now 4 broadway cards on the board. I can't imagine that UP would check to you if he had the straight, so it seems quite likely he now has two pair."

Would your answer change if there were two rags to go with the high cards and the river Ace makes 3 to a straight?

[Lottery Larry]

Hand one was 88 vs 99- great move by the player with the lower pair but the better straight draw

Hand two- there was 3 to the Broadway after the Ace fell. I had gone in for just over $T1000 on the river- my opponent turned over QJs for the nut straight

[Lottery Larry]

"you have been calling all of his bets so if he did pull the straight his slow playing is a bad move since you are more likely to check after him than raise; plus since you have been calling his 200 bets all along you would likely call any bet in the 200-500 range on the river so I don't see him looking to check raise you."

He would not have had to check-raise me. I put him on two pair at best, since he didn't raise preflop and I never even considered that he'd caught the straight. I was planning on going all-in if an Ace fell, "sure" that it would be a winner.
Bad bad play on my part

[Lottery Larry]

"I would make a small value bet on the river. Maybe another 200"
If only I had been so smart....