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Old 12-22-2005, 03:41 PM
Solitare Solitare is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 29
Default Re: A9s in 45 person tourny

Like the others, I'm not a fan of how you played the hand at any stage but the turn.

Preflop:
- A9s is not a good hand to raise an EP limper with 3 left to act. EP could be limping with many hands that currently beat you, such as AQ-AT and QQ-22. Plus there are 3 left to act. I want a stronger hand than A9s to be raising here.
- If you do raise, you should raise at least t600. 3x the blind plus a BB for each limper. Leaving only t300 for the BB or UTG+1 gives them calling odds that are too good.
- Understand that if you do raise t600, you are essentially putting your tournament life on the line with this hand. You are committing 1/3 of your stack to the hand. If I'm going to stake my tournament life on a hand, I want a better hand than A9s, or to be first to act.
- You are attacking a big stack. I try to avoid battles with big stacks, particularly with weak holdings.

For these reasons, I don't like the raise. I'm not even a big fan of a call. Calling bleeds of 10% of my stack against and EP limper who has me covered. With my stack close to 10xBB, I would prefer to pick a spot with a better hand where I'm raising first in.

Flop:
Like everyone else, I think the flop bet is particularly bad. You are not getting that big stack to lay down anything with a t150 bet. I also don't like the t725 bet suggested. That bet would be half of your remaining stack and leave you pot comitted. If UTG puts you all-in with something like a JJ, you have odds to call to try to hit your Ace or backdoor flush.

This is either a check or an all-in. Since UTG+1 has shown no aggression to this point, and the flop is non threatening, I'd push here.

Turn:
The check is good. You are drawing and your flop bet bought you a free card. Take it.

River:
Suddenly UTG+1 wakes up and bets t150. A suspiciously small bet that is asking for action. Since your post flop action to this point was passive, you have no clue what he might have. A big pair? A T9? An A5? Nothing?

The board is super dangerous, with straights, two-pairs, and full houses all a possibility. UTG+1 has to know this. Even if he picked up two pair, he has lots to be worried about.

I think this is a case where either he has nothing, and will fold to a raise, or he has a big hand and is trying to encourage action.

For this reason, I call here. I don't think a value bet is in order. A raise from me either gets him to fold or gets me in trouble.
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