Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t8000 (2 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Button (t127918)
Hero (t142082)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
Button raises to t16000, Hero calls t8000.

Flop: (t24400) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t14000, Hero calls t14000.

Turn: (t52400) 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t20000, Hero calls t20000.

River: (t92400) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t45000, Hero ?.


I think my line could use some improvement. What line would you use? What do you put my opponent on?


Some background: This is exactly the 19th hand of heads up. He raised from sb to 18k on the 1st and 3rd hands of heads up (3/6k blinds). This was the first time, since then, that he had raised. Villain had only made multiple street bets once in our heads up history. I completed w/ 48o (3/6k blinds) from sb, on a 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] board, flop: check, check, turn: bet 8k, call 8k, river: bet 14k, call 14k, Villain showed Q5o.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

I'd probably fold this preflop against the villain you described.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

i think your line is fine.

i would not fold pre-flop. villain has raised 2/9 small blinds - he's not only raising AA.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

I push preflop, even if villain is tight. There is too much in the pot to flat call with this hand.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

If I push preflop, I'll always be a significant dog if he calls. What's your line, assuming you only call preflop.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

Call or Fold to river bet?

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

Call, you really played it like you were on a draw, he made a real weak bet on the turn, bet bigger on the river becuase he wants you to fold. In the future you gotta cr the turn all in. top pair is huge HU especially when its aces.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

Checkraise allin on turn.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

[ QUOTE ]
Checkraise allin on turn.

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Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

I was thinking maybe I should've checkraised, as you suggested, on the turn. My opponent would probably check 1 pair hands on the river if he thought I was on a draw, and he would bet two pair hands or better and hands that made nothing. With a board of A-6-J-8-T, what unpaired/unmade hands does he hold on the river that he raised w/ preflop? Hands that completely missed this board are K9, K7, K5-2, Q7, Q5-2, 95-2, 75-2, 54-2. What hand do you put villain on that bets the river that I beat? Also note, if I call this and lose, I will be down to 45k. If my opponent loses, he will be down to 30k.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Checkraise allin on turn.

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I think I agree. My reasoning @ the time was that if I was ahead, my opponent was probably drawing to somewhere between 2-5 outs, which was fine by me. Cards I didn't want to see on the river were a K, Q, and T. I also wanted to minimize damage in case my opponent held a bigger ace than me. He almost certainly wouldn't fold that to an all-in on the turn, and he would probably check the river if he didn't make two pair on the river. Do you call or fold to river bet? What do you put my opponent on?

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

[ QUOTE ]
If I push preflop, I'll always be a significant dog if he calls. What's your line, assuming you only call preflop.

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Not necesarily true. He could call with KQ, 66, or A6 or something. HU, he could easily call with face cards or something. Anyway, if he doesn't call, you pick up the pot. If you are ahead, it is about the same EVwise whether or not he calls.

You are a 9-1 dog to AA, about a 7-3 dog to A8-AK and 88-KK, but how often can he get a hand like that HU. You are slightly behind 22-66 and somewhat ahead of anything else.

The pot is big. I don't see what's wrong with a semibluff push.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

After taking out A7

Total Combos = 50*49/2 = 1225

77, AA = 3 combos
88-KK = 6 combos each
AK-A8 = 12 combos each
2*3 + 6*6 + 6*12 = 114

114/1225 ~ 9% of the time

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

You don't wanna push preflop if you can handle him postflop. Don't play big pots against inferior opponents. I insta-call river. You have top friggin pair HU. This is like having top two full ring. As far as the check/raise all in on turn, I don't think a worse hand is calling and only way behind hands are folding, same thing with river. If you call the river then you played it the same way I would.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

I think most of the time you need to raise pre-flop since you're OOP. Having called PF, this was a great flop for you HU. A great flop. I like a CR on the flop -- no more free cards. Even if he folds, you are now 2-1 chip lead, and you define your hand. CC is only okay if you are slowplaying him, therefore after the turn, which is no scare card, you must check-raise him. The way you played it, his river bet is scary -- looks like he's trying to tempt you (or else it's a very weak bluff). Getting better than 3-1, hard to fold since he would very likely play K-J, Q-J, 99 and other small pairs this way. I don't put him on AJ, A6, JJ or 66, since he would likely have slowplayed you after the flop with these HU monsters. However, A8, AT, 88, TT, KQ, JT, all seem possible.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

[ QUOTE ]
After taking out A7

Total Combos = 50*49/2 = 1225

77, AA = 3 combos
88-KK = 6 combos each
AK-A8 = 12 combos each
2*3 + 6*6 + 6*12 = 114

114/1225 ~ 9% of the time

[/ QUOTE ]

So if he is raising 27% of the time, he has A7s dominated 7-3 about 1/3 of the time. The rest of the time you either are called ahead or slightly behind 22-66 or you pick up the pot.

Pushing is certainly chip EV+ compared to folding.

I would rather push, since you are OOP and you do not have an easy hand to play.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

[ QUOTE ]
You don't wanna push preflop if you can handle him postflop. Don't play big pots against inferior opponents. I insta-call river. You have top friggin pair HU. This is like having top two full ring. As far as the check/raise all in on turn, I don't think a worse hand is calling and only way behind hands are folding, same thing with river. If you call the river then you played it the same way I would.

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Valid point about playing big pots with inferior opponents. However, the money is not that deep that you can keep pots small.

Also, it depends on your style and your opponent. I outplay passive players like this HU by playing aggressively. If I can't make big semibluffs preflop or postflop, I lose my advantage.

Re: Stars $22 180 man MTT, heads up A7
 

Reraise pf. Check-calling the flop is fine. Check-raise all in on the turn.