Questionable play?

[Jwasnock]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (6 handed)

Hero (t2050)
Button <font color="purple"></font> (t2495)
SB <font color="purple"></font> (t1570)
BB <font color="purple"></font> (t2255)
UTG <font color="purple"></font> (t840)
MP (t790)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG <font color="purple">(UTG)</font> folds, MP folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t200</font>, Button <font color="purple">(Button)</font> folds, SB <font color="purple">(SB)</font> calls t150, BB <font color="purple">(BB)</font> folds.

Flop: (t500) A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets t200</font>, SB calls t200.

Turn: (t900) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets t300</font>, <font color="CC3333">SB raises to t1170 (All-In)</font>

Looking back I realize that I should have tried to bet more to steal the blinds initially, once I caught a peice of it, I tried to see if I could take it if he missed. Then the flush draw came and I have a big decision to make.

What do I do now? Am I pot committed at this point or should I lay this one down? I have 1350 left at this point, enough to make a stand with if I fold, but there is now 2370 in the pot and 870 for me to call.

The one thing I'll point out is my opponent on this hand just lost 900 chips to a bad beat on the previous hand, so I was thinking he may be on tilt.

Any advice is appreciated! I'm new to this board, and think it is a great forum!

[Jwasnock]

Just bumping it back up... any advice?

[Jason Strasser]

Jwasnock,

Welcome to the forum.

The minimum raise is not a good move here, ever. If you are going to steal the blinds. Steal them! Make it 300 to go, and go from there.

On the flop, I'd also bet pot like you did. Good bet. However, the call is something not good. You'd like to pick up the pot there, and be able to move on. This board has only a few hands he can call with: flush draw, top pair, bottom set. Unless you are against extremely weak competition (what level sng is this?), you can safely say you are behind a majority of the time on the flop bet.

I would check behind here on the turn. It seems like he has a really nice hand and is sandbagging. Or he is a doofus. Either way, checking behind is good. Here are the two scenarios:

1) You hit the draw (we'll say that a 7 or Q also counts as hitting the draw). He either pays you off, or you win a nice pot.

2) You miss. You can fold to his river bet, or check behind, or call a very very suspicious bet (rarely--opponent dependant).

Hope that helped.

[Beavis68]

Yeah, this is a case where you could have had a free card, and ruined it.

[Jwasnock]

Thanks for your inputs. This was a $50 NLHE Tourney. I agree I should've 3 bet the blinds when I'm attempting a steal. Also, should have probably checked it on the turn. I ended up deciding to call and got lucky. 2/images/graemlins/club.gif hit on the river and he showed 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, so my 7's ended up being good. I was right about him being on tilt a little I think, making that move, but could've been an Ace also.

Ended up with 1st place in the tourney and this hand was definitely the most pivotal, even though it was probably my worst play.

[mack23]

Another Friday afternoon without the motivation to work? Imagine what it will be like next Friday.... Here's my 1 cent, cause I couldn't find a second one laying around:

I like the call of his all-in. You correctly read that he was on tilt and you had to believe even if you were behind that you had 14 outs. What I would have done differently is the post flop bet... maybe 400? Although his call was an error, maybe he wouldn't have chased for 400 and you scoop up and move to the next hand without the worry of what happened on the turn.

[Jwasnock]

Geez, I think I've got an internet stalker on my hands - you are starting to scare me! Besides, I don't take advice from someone who will lay down an AK to an all-in bet on an AJ3 rainbow flop to the loosest of loose bully players this side of Phil Laak! /images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just kidding with you. Good luck next Saturday...

[mack23]

Thanks for the reminder of that idiot play. I thought about why I folded that for days afterward... Honestly I wasn't really afraid that he had the best hand, but that he would outdraw me and I'd be out in 22nd place out of 25. And yes, I know that is a terrible way to play poker! I swear to you if that situation comes up next weekend, and there are 15 players left, I'll make the call and be happy about getting my money in there with the best hand.

I have a couple out of area friends who post here, so I've been checking out the forum for a couple months now but had never posted until today. When I saw your screen name though it was too funny of a coincidence and I had to reply /images/graemlins/smile.gif