Were these the correct plays?
 

$30 + $3 Pokerstars Sit 'n Go (2 table)

Hand No.1

Blinds are 10/20 - very early in the tournament.

I've got 1,350 chips. I'm dealt J9s on the button.

All stacks at the table are about 1,300 to 1,700 except the BB who has 3,000 chips.

UTG calls. UTG + 1 mucks. UTG + 2 calls. Folded to me. I call.

SB raises to 40 (i.e. 20 more to play). BB calls. UTG calls. UTG + 2 calls. I call.

Flop is 8 6 5 (2 of a suit, matching the suit of the J9s in my hand). So I've now got both a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw.

SB bets 20. BB raises 80 to 100. UTG moves all in (he has me covered).

Call or fold?

Results to follow.


Hand No.2

It's down to a heads up situation - I've reached the final 2 survivors but find myself in dire straits.

I'm the SB and after posting I've only got 2,900 chips left. My opponent has 22,000 chips after posting the BB.

Blinds are 600/1200 with antes of 75.

I've got 83o.

All in or fold?


Results to follow.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

Hand No.1: You also have 2 overcards.

Hand No.2: Go all-in !

Hand nr 2
 

I would fold hand number two. You will likely get called if you move in and I would like to have a better hand before I move in. You still have enough chips to wait for something like J7.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

Hand #1: with a flush draw, gutshot straight draw and two overcards, you might have up to 18 outs. However, that all-in is unlikely to be one pair. If it's a straight, your overcards are worthless and one of your gutshot outs is gone, leaving 11 outs. two of which might be to a tie. If it's a set, you only have 8 outs to the flush plus the 3 gutshot outs, so 11 outs again, but he'll have redraws. Of course he doesn't have to have a set or straight. All things considered, you probably just about have odds to call, but it's close, and that's assuming all your outs are clean.

I would fold and fight on. You haven't invested much and this is both a close decision and a draw: two good reasons to muck.

Hand #2 is a nightmare. You don't want to wait too long and you'd like to take the initiative, but 83o really is bad and you probably can't raise him off the pot anyway. If you double up now you'll have about 7000 I think, versus 5800 if you do it next hand. I think it's worth waiting, but next hand you're committed whatever, with 1275 of your 2900 in the pot before you begin. You're almost bound to get something more hopeful than 83o though.

Guy.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

Hand #1 - Fold. You don't have odds to call with your draw and you can't be sure a J is an out (a 9 probably isn't).

Hand #2 - You have to take a stand either with this hand or the next. I'd wait for the next hand. Randomly, the next hand will likely give you either better high card value or draw value than this one. Fold.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

1: Easy fold. Probably looking at a set with the all-in. Getting no odds to make your flush. Way too early in tourney to be calling off all your chips.

2: I hate this situation. I'd probably fold and hope the next hand is better than 8-high. Unfortunately, whatever you do this hand or next, you'll probably have to settle for 2nd.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

In the first hand, you put yourself in this situation by calling pre-flop and now your left chasing the flush. I would fold because even if you complete the flush, chance UTG has higher one. He came in strong and I think you have to respect it.

On the second hand, I would fold, Cant imagine not getting something better on a new deal.

Re: Were these the correct plays?
 

magician, even asking that question for hand no.1 makes you look like a smuck.

Re: Were these the correct plays? - Results
 

Hand No. 1

I decided to fold, figuring that my overcards didn't count as outs at all (hitting a pair with them wouldn't give me the best hand) and that I MIGHT be drawing dead on the gutshot straight.

One guy calls all-in after me. Turn completes what would have been my flush and I have to be content that I made the right decision despite folding what would have become the winning hand that would've tripled me up.

Hand No.2

I move all-in, thinking he MIGHT fold and if he calls, hoping that I am not dominated.

He calls and flips over 87o, no help arrives for me, and I have to settle for 2nd place.