Final Table KQo?

[ajizzle]

Hey guys. Don't know if I should post this in the no-limit or Tourney forum, so decided to post it at both.

Just played in the TGC Rookie Freeroll, where there were 350 some players and tons of 2+2ers, given we all started our accounts at The Gaming CLub this week for the OIC (Open Internet Challenge).

7 players left, 2000/4000 blinds, and have 29,000 in chips, UTG with KhQc.
Open raise the minimun, making it 8000 to go. BB will have 360 chips left if he folds. SB has close to 90,000 chips and is the big stack. All fold to SB, who calls. BB folds.

Dealing FLop: Qh Tc 6c

Have top pair on the flop. NORMALLY, I would push all-in with my medium to small sized stack, but decided that I will only bet the minimun, since I do not want to be busted out before the BB. Since he would be all in the next hand, I wanted to risk as little as possible, but still try to win the hand. Nontheless, SB calls 4000

Dealing Turn: Qh Tc 6c 8c

Not good, but SB checks to me again. Don't know if he's slowplaying, so I bet out again, this time 8000, but he still calls. I assume he has a T or 6. I seriously thought of pushing here, but once again, I didn't want to risk busting out before the BB. Even though doubling up would have put me in a good position to make the top 3, 7th place paid 120 and 1st place payed only 240 (it was a freeroll remember).

Dealing River: Qh Tc 6c 8c 2c

Big stack checks again. I once again bet the min, hoping he would fold, but he once again called. I definitely didn't want to push here because of the four flush, even though I had the Qc in my hand. I figured he was calling PF with high cards, so there was a possibility that he had a higher flush.

He turned over AcTd. He had the pair of tens like I thought, but also had the flush.

I was left with 1000 chips in my stack, with the BB the next hand. Probably the worst thing that could've have happend.

Luckily, I won the next hand on my all in blind, SB lost, and someone else busted before the blinds got back to me, so I finished 5th, the highest of any 2+2ers in the tourney.

Any and all comments appreciated.

Ajizzle

[Paul2432]

A few comments.

In a tournament you want to win hands without a showdown. The way you played the hand you practically guaranteed a showdown. Remember, you need to balance the risk of having an all-in bet called and losing with the risk of letting your opponent stay in the hand an drawing out on you. I think all-in on the flop is the only reasonable play here (given your pre-flop play).

Actually, I think folding before the flop is probably the best play with all-in pre-flop a defensable but not as good option.

I don't understand your river play either. You say you bet hoping he would fold. Do you mean you hoped he would fold a straighflush, a ace high flush or a king high flush? That he would fold any of these hands is extremely unlikely. Since there is virtually no chance he will fold a better hand than yours you might as well just check behind on the river. Frankly, I don't understand why he did not check-raise you all-in.

Nice job on the in the money finish.

Paul

[JonCooke]

KQo is not a good hand UTG 7 handed.
Especially if you feel like playing passively post flop because of another short stack.

[Zag]

Admittedly, it must be a pretty flat payout, if 1st place is only twice 7th place, but even so, I think that the strategy here is pretty easy: UTG with KQo is an easy fold. These minimum raises are horrible -- they just invite people to call along with you. Showdowns are bad unless you have a monster, you want to win this hand a lot sooner or get out.