Would you have had the same result here?

[Dentist]

20+2 NL tourney on P-stars

I have 3100

Blinds 50-100

I pick up 7s6s on the BUTTON

1 player in MP limps in with T1600

BB checks, 3 players take the flop:
6 3 2 (2 clubs)

BB checks, MP bets $200

I contemplate raising, but decide to just call and see what the turn brings.

BB also calls... I put him on a flush draw or something, and the MP player I feel has overcards or possibly something like 77 or 88.

Turn: 7 - giving me top 2 (it did NOT complete the flush draw)

BB checks, MP pushes in for about T1100

I now consider that he may have a set, but still feel strongly about the overpair or overcards.. I call.

however, then a strange thing happens - the BB who had me covered now pushes in..

Now I'm completely confused, but completely pot-committed... I call this as well and pray...

MP turns over exactly what I put him on, an overpair 10 10.
BB turns over the nuts - 4 5

River did not help me, and I am out......

What would you guys have done?
fold pre-flop? (a definite possibility)
of course, anything after the flop would've ended in disaster.... if only the 10 10 had raised pre-flop....

[SossMan]

I think that's a fold preflop w/ out more callers.
After the flop, it's pretty tough to get away from.

I supose you could have raised MP to like T600 on the flop, one of them surly would have come back pretty big and you could have dropped.

[Squirrel]

No, I wouldn't have.

I would have folded preflop without a second thought. (If I didn't steal raise)

[woodguy]

I think it was Doyle Brunson who said 'Never go broke in an unraised pot"
With everyone limping, it is close to impossible to put anyone on a hand.
Save you chips for a better spot.
regards,
woodguy

[soxfan70]

Maybe I'm weak/tight, but I think I fold to the flop bet. Top pair with a God-Awful kicker, when you were looking for a flush or a straight, and a small pot. Not a chance I call.

[Squirrel]

I agree completely.

Raising in this spot will usually get you into less trouble than calling. Folding is the safest, and usually the wisest play.

[Dentist]

you guys would fold to a wimpy 1/2 sized bet on the flop with top pair??

Folding pre-flop on the button with a suited connector seems weak.

I planned on playing the hand responsibly from there. I didn't get crazy raising the flop with my weak pair.. I just called to see what the turn had to bring.

The turn hit me beautifully....

Questions:

1) how many pre-flop limpers would it take for you to consider calling there?

2) I think folding to that wimpy flop bet is a bad play, much worse than calling, raising was an option, and probably would've given me the info i needed about my hand.

3) On the turn, when you hit your kicker you have to feel OK about calling the big bet which screamed overpair at best.

However, folding to the BB's large re-raise was probably a solid fold.

[Martin Aigner]

Dentist,

unlike most said before there is no way I would muck that hand preflop in this situation. But if you decide to play hands like these, you gotta be careful, which means: One pair on the flop is nothing. This doesn´t necessarily mean that you should fold for the 200 bet, but I defenitly wouldn´t call the bet. Either raise or muck. For the raise it´s not that much important that you have flopped top pair. Since you did flop the toppair you may consider it a semibluff, but nothing more. If you get called, you are in trouble deep.

The reason why I wouldn´t muck the hand preflop is that only one player in MP entered the pot and I´m on the button. With this given situation I think that I can outplay my opponent on most flops and it wouldn´t cost me too much if not.

So I would raise the flop if I think that it´s likely that my opponents muck, or fold, if I think that it´s likely to be called.

Given your post and read I think that I´d have raised to 600. If I get any action back I´d muck. A call would be dangerous, two calls from both players means that I give up the pot unless I make something real good (2 pair wouldn´t be real good in this situation!)

Best regards

Martin Aigner

[Squirrel]

Middle to late in a NL tournament, I only limp with hands that:

1) I am going to reraise with.

2) I have position AND I would be happy to flop top pair AND the blinds play predictably AND If I raise "a reraise would make me puke", or something like that.

3) They can flop HUGE (small pairs)

Small suited connectors play OK early when the money is deep, but as the blinds start going up, they are horrible chip burners.

For everytime you flop a huge hand there will be 10 times you flop a piece, have to make tough decisions while burning chips, only to find out later you were drawing damn near dead. No thanks, I'd rather be playing the best hand.

1) Very early in the tourney, I'd love to limp behind any number of players. Middle to late, I will NEVER limp.

2) I think calling is by far the worst of the 3 options.

3) Yeah, on the turn I love my hand. Look where it got you.

You flopped top pair, were in 3rd place, and you were drawing to perfect perfect. This is not an uncommon situation for 7 high before the flop.

These are not good hands when all postflop decisions are for large portions of your stack. (i.e. NL Tournaments)

[fnurt]

I don't think raising the flop is a crazy play at all. I think calling and waiting for someone to pair their overcards is the only crazy play here. If you think your pair is good, you want to win the pot now; if you think it's not, then get out. Waiting to see the turn card is a bad idea in situations like this, where virtually every card in the deck scares you.

[gergery]

I disagree with most of what the above posters say.

1. Preflop: I fold but it’s a judgement call and calling is reasonable. My pokertracker results show I am just breakeven on suited connectors. I have a lot of little losses and a few big wins but a couple big losses. I probably fold this since I’m not getting enough limpers ahead of me, but it’s certainly reasonable to gamble alittle and try and bust someone with this hand since you’re getting 16:1 (his stack vs. your limp).

2. On flop, I call, easy decision. With MP betting, I certainly don’t want to reraise, as its very likely he’ll call with overcards, or could have an overpair. I don’t fold because he only bet half the pot and could very well have just overcards. A 4,5,6,7 helps my hand and a 2,3, 8,9,T is unlikely to help overcards. It’s worth $200 to see another card and maybe win $550. If you are not going to call this flop, then there is no way you should play this hand preflop. If turn is an A or K and he bets again, I can fold no problem. If he checks turn, then he had overcards and I bet.

3. Turn: I call, easy decision. I put MP on overpair for sure, as I think trips milks it more. The plan worked, as you would have busted MP. BB must have exactly 54 for his straight, or 66,33,22. The odds of him having those specific hands is very small (<5%). He could also have called with a number of hands that you could beat, like 63,62, for lower two pair or T5 with two clubs for a loose flush/gut draw.

This isn’t the WSOP, it’s a $20 tourney, and people will play like your o’s did here often enough for your play to be correct.

And since I’m a bad player myself and play lots of $20 tourneys, I should know, lol.

--Greg