Could I have played this differently?

Turk · #1 12-19-2004, 01:31 AM

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (8 handed) converter

UTG+1 (t635)
MP1 (t1720)
MP2 (t835)
CO (t1125)
Button (t995)
Hero (t570)
BB (t1025)
UTG (t1095)

Preflop: Hero is SB with T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG calls t30, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls t30, CO folds, Button calls t30, Hero raises to t100, BB folds, UTG calls t70, MP2 calls t70, Button calls t70.

Flop: (t430) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (4 players)
Hero bets t225, UTG raises to t995 (All-In), MP2 calls t735 (All-In), Button folds, Hero calls t245 (All-In).

Turn: (t2630) 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players, 3 all-in)

River: (t2630) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players, 3 all-in)

Final Pot: t2630

bigredlemon · #2 12-19-2004, 01:40 AM

With Ts, I'd play them for set value. There's so many high cards that can come to beat you, you're probably have to either bet large or limp. If I had to bet, I'd bet a little more, something like 130 given all the limpers, espcially if this is a loose table.

On the flop, you're underbetting here. With 3 people in, a cards that low, they're only staying in for a flush draw. Anyone that could call any kind of raise here either has an overpair or a flush. I'd lead out and bet the pot... which would be all in for you. Betting 1/2 your stack makes you pot committed, so you might as well push right now. It's not invulnerable so there's no point in slowplaying.

betgo · #3 12-19-2004, 02:28 AM

I think you played it fine. I would raise limpers with TT. On the flop, you don't want to scare everyone away with a huge bet.

partygirluk · #4 12-19-2004, 02:35 AM

Limp Preflop.

UTG showed QJ of spades right?

bigredlemon · #5 12-19-2004, 03:17 AM

I think betting big is important here. No one's going to call unless they catch a piece of the flop. No one's going to hit a pair of 2s or 5s if they called a t100 raise preflop. Tx isn't likely since he's holding two of them. The only person that would call is a lower set of a flush draw.

He raised preflop so betting the pot will look like he's representing a large pair protecting against the flush. A set isn't going to fold to a pot sized bet. A set thinks he has the best hand.

There's no reason to NOT bet the pot. Unless you're playing with wildly loose players that'll call with any two high cards of course. Betting 250 makes him pot committed to go all in anyway, so why let the flush draws see a cheap card?

Irieguy · #6 12-19-2004, 03:22 AM

With pocket 10's, the flop is going to have an overcard well over 50% of the time. That's why you don't want to play pairs smaller than QQ for a raise in early position when the blinds are small. They're just too hard to play after the flop.

Now, after the flop, your bet is laying the first caller 3 to 1. Any caller after that will be getting 4 to 1 or better... so you are pricing in a spade draw. Remember, you can't do anything about what cards are going to fall... but you have complete control over the size of the pot. If you bet 225 and a spade draw calls you, you lose money. If you bet your stack and a spade draw calls, you win money. The outcome of the hand is irrelevant.

That's really the way to look at poker decisions: regardless of what anybody had or what happened, your flop bet costs you money.

But even more important than all of that, if you raise from early position into a multiway pot with pocket 10's during level 2 in a SNG, you are losing money.

In this particular case, all your chips were obviously going into the pot one way or another. But the fact that you are wondering if they went in correctly shows that you are analyzing your game well.

Irieguy

Turk · #7 12-19-2004, 01:52 PM

Close. K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

bigredlemon · #8 12-19-2004, 04:05 PM

two overcards and a flush draw... he's getting pretty good odds to go all in with against top pair. I guess he didn't see the set coming.

PoBoy321 · #9 12-19-2004, 04:21 PM

Pre-flop, I'd suggest just limping. Like a lot of other people have said, it's early in the tourney so it's unnecessary to get yourself in coin flip situations, so pushing is out of the question, but you're also going to see an overcard on the flop most of the time, so it's difficult to play TT out of position.

Post-flop, I think that pushing is your best option. You're sitting on the stone-cold nuts and the pot is about the size of your stack. There's a flush draw on board and you don't want to give them proper odds to call. You want to get all of your money in anyway, so why not get it all in right there?