WSOP interesting hand 2 minutes into the tourney

[Paluka]

So we're 2 minutes into the WSOP. I was lucky enough to flop trips out of the big blind the first hand of the tourney and take down a small pot so I'm the table's chipleader! Anyway I'm on the button for this hand.
UTG + makes it 150 to go (the blinds are 25-50 at this point), it is folded to me on the button and I call with 77. The sb folds, the bb calls. The flop comes 973 rainbow. BB checks, the raiser bets 300, I call, and the bb folds. The turn is a 5d, putting two diamonds on board. He bets 700, I raise him 1000 (which I think was probably too small of a raise). He calls my raise quickly. As the turn was playing out, they made an announcement over the loudspeaker that the first person knocked out of the WSOP this year would get interviewed on TV with ESPN. Not exactly the kind of glory I was looking for. So the river comes the Jh, my opponent looks down at it, and instantly goes all in for about just about 7800. I stand up, stunned. He looks away from the table so nobody can really see his face, and after about 15 seconds he says "this is my best shot at getting on TV." So, do I call or fold? Do I end up on ESPN?

[CrackerZack]

Well, I heard someone got KO'd on the first hand and ran from the room so you would've been the bridesmaid. I fold and hate every minute of it. But if I only got to play for 2 mins, I would've literally cried my way out of there.

[Michael Davis]

This is why I have to wear diapers when playing no limit.

-Michael

[Lori]

I fold, reinforced by his comment.

Lori

[Duke]

As requested.

The only way you're winning is if he sorely misread his hand. He thinks he's got 777 beat, and thinks you'll call with 777.

I retract my original opinion, and now think that the fold is the WCP move.

~D

[Saborion]

Dink responding.

As for calling or folding, I'd say fold. Sure as hell sucks though.

[Dynasty]

All of you are playing too scared.

[Robk]

I usually agree when you tell people this. But it seems you don't have a handle on the typical psychological state at the beginning of a tournament (not that I play in many). Check out these hands Warren Karp wrote about in the latest cardplayer:


In the first round, with $25-$50 blinds, I was dealt J-J, made a standard raise to $150, and got called by Paul Wolfe and two others. The flop came J-10-4 rainbow.

I bet $475, not liking the straight cards, and was immediately called by Paul. The turn was the A. I hated that card and put out a test bet of $600. Paul smooth-called, and a red flag went up.

With $1,225 now invested in this pot, if the board didn't pair I was going to check-call up to $2,000. Paul must have been reading my mind, because that's exactly what he bet. I called and he showed me the nuts, K-Q for the straight.



In the second round, with blinds of $50-$100, I limped in from second position with pocket threes. Paul called; he was moving lots of chips, and if I hit, I wanted some money in the pot to climb out of the hole. Three others also called, and the flop came 9-8-3. Yes! I had flopped a set again, but there was a straight draw and two spades out there, so I bet the pot, $500. Paul called immediately, and a red flag went up again. Did he have J-10, two spades, a higher set?

The turn card was a 6.

I thought this was a relatively safe card, thinking Paul couldn't have called with 10-7, so I bet it. Again, he smooth-called. Unless the board paired, I was done with the hand.

The river card was the K, putting a three-flush on the board.

I checked, and Paul bet $600. I called not for the strength of my hand, but for the size of the pot.



Seems to me that if everyone is playing scared, you had better play scared also.

[Keats13]

Well, you're the chipleader, so even if you call and get shown T8, you still have a few chips left and don't get on ESPN. Worst of both worlds.

[stupidsucker]

I think I would call it... This is perhaps why Im not paying in the wsop.

I also think I woulda pushed on the turn or raised him on the flop.

He was the preflop raiser right? So I guess he COULD have JJ, and this would suck after flopping the set, and he probably would have called any bet with that flop too.

AJ is also likely so is AA or KK or QQ imo.

T8 is just not likely at all, and he probably put you on the flush draw.

So what happened?

[Chris Dow]

I'm not sure what happened but my money says he wasn't wearing diapers so he made a mess while folding. In all seriousness, as soon as he says that ESPN garbage you can fold your 7's like you have 72.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
...as soon as he says that ESPN garbage you can fold your 7's like you have 72.

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be wrong. You need to determine whether he's saying that because he means it or because he's feigning weakness.

[Chris Dow]

Fair enough but read the description of his body language, he hides his face after doing it? This isn't a guy who wants to go be seen on ESPN. I would muck based on what I read.

[ZootMurph]

My first question is why didn't you raise the flop? You DID flop a set, after all... pretty hard to imagine him ahead at this point.

What do you think he has? 46, 68, 8T, 99, or JJ are all that are ahead of you. Because of the way he played it to this point, I think we can count out the first 4 hands. I'd really need to see his face when he saw the Jack...

With a set of 7s, I'd have tried to take the pot down on the flop that early in a tournament... making it 1500 to go. If he called, I'd bet the pot if he checks to you, or 4x his bet if he bets out (about 3k if he bets 700). If he's still in at that point, I'd fold to the all in bet on the river. You have plenty of time to make a comeback.

[salty]

Fold,I would hate to but what he said would make me fold,Id say that with a made hand.

[Paluka]

I folded. I didn't think this guy came to the WSOP to go out on hand 3. The one tourney pro at my table thinks he had the straight, and later the guy told him "I messed up and bet too big on the river". I feel pretty good about my fold, but I admit I may have folded the winner.

[Richie Rich]

/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

do I call or fold? Do I end up on ESPN?

Since the first guy to bust out walked out of Binion's avoiding the ESPN folks, I'll assume that person was neither of you and you folded. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[fnurt]

I agree that he was more likely to have JJ than the straight, this would be some zany betting with 86. Also, if we credit his statement that he bet too much on the river by mistake, it's more logical to believe that the river was a miracle card he wasn't expecting. If he had a made straight on the turn, or if he was drawing to a straight all along, he probably would have already thought out what he intended to do on the river and there wouldn't have been so much drama to it.

[Ulysses]

I haven't posted here because I've gone back and forth a lot. I can tell you that they'd have to put the clock on me in this one.

My initial thought was I would take it down to the wire and finally say screw it and call, hoping he has a weirdly played overpair, J9, or a bluff.

Then, after reading Rob's post and a few other posts on this and other sites, I changed my mind and decided I'd fold - so far a vast majority of the huge overbets I've read about at the WSOP (especially early) have turned out to be the nuts.

I think this might be one of those "in a cash game I call, in a tourney I fold" situations.

Just about any two cards this guy turns over will be a surprise. I can't think of any two cards I would play like that. Perhaps the hand that I might just possibly play like that given a certain set of circumstances is 99.

Anyway, hands Paluka beats: 33, J9, really weird AJ, overpair, 55, bluff

hands he doesn't: JJ, T8, 99, 68

I hate it, but I think I fold.

I might also use the ol' tactic I picked up from my buddy GiftofGab and ask the guy "Do you want me to call?" and hope to pick something up.

Very tough one.

[Lori]

I think this might be one of those "in a cash game I call, in a tourney I fold" situations

In a cash game my chips hit the middle simultaneously with his.

Lori

[turnipmonster]

I think it was a good fold. On the turn almost certainly have the best hand, I think a pot raise is in order, especially because he is going to take the pot from you if a scare card hits. seems like you need a stronger read to play it the way you did.

--turnipmonster