[Gator]

Greg, Philuva and Ironman thanks for your replies.

Bottles – I wonder if we played at the same table. If you busted out at 23, we could have been at the same table when it was at four tables. Were you by chance at the table with two attractive women (one of which had a gold fish as a lucky charm)?

Anyway, here are the results and more importantly, these are the questions I was hoping to have answered.

Pre-flop: As the big blind, I think everyone agrees that not raising with T9 suited is the correct play against just the small blind.

Post-flop: I get middle pair, weak kicker and an outside straight draw. Maybe, after watching him play one hand, I should have categorized the Small blind as overly passive and read more into his bet after the flop. Even so, head to head, are you suggesting that I lay down middle pair to a bet from the small blind? I know if I’m the small blind, I will sometimes bet against just the Big Blind post flop if the Big Blind hasn’t raised, to see if I can steal. The board is positioned so that he might have a four card straight and a semibluff isn’t out of the question. Shouldn’t I punish that move? If a laydown with middle pair isn’t correct, then should I just call? I hate calling in that I don’t learn anything and if he is on a steal, I want to win it there.

OK, his reraise tells me I’m in trouble – this is my first indication that I probably am toast. I give him credit for a pair of jacks with a low kicker (even a passive player in the small blind will raise the big blind with AJ if it’s folded around).

There’s T24K in the pot and it’s T4K to call. Seems to me, that even I know he has jacks, this is not a bad call on my part. Would you lay down here?

Turn: Before the turn, I’m planning to fold to a bet unless I get some improvement. That will leave me with just T10K and I will be the small blind. Still, I may be able to hang in there a position or two and increase my winnings a bit. But the turn is a Queen. Now I have second pair and an open ended straight. If my read is right, I have 13 outs. He bets 8K – I could cold call (and probably right thing to do) but going all in with the 10K isn’t that much different given I have a 2K blind approaching.

If I catch an out, I have legit chance to win tourney.

By the way, he turned over J 3 and won the hand with a pair of jacks.

So, should I have folded to opening bet post flop, not raised, folded to reraise, not called turn bet? Thanks again.