Never Limp

I think this should be my new rule in MTT, especially late in the game.

The way I burned myself tonight struck a familiar chord ... can't remember previous specifics, but I know I've been here before.

I'm in the SB with 9,10s. Blinds are 300/600 and I have about $3,000 in chips. UTG limped in (with about $20,000), everybody else folded. I call. BB checks. Flop comes 2,4,9 with two clubs. There's about $2,000 in the pot. Liking my top pair, I bet $2,000. BB folds. UTG re-raises. I think and think. I don't think that at this point in the tournament, he would have limped with a bigger pocket pair than my 9s, but he might be on a flush draw making a simi-bluff. I re-raise all in. He quickly calls showing pocket 4s.

I figure by limping, I put myself in a position where I'm going to have to make a tough decision. That strikes me as a cardinal sin. 9/10 probably isn't a raising hand, even in the SB, but that wouldn't have been a horrible play. With his stack, the UTG may have called, but probably not.

Of course, the post play would have been to fold.

On the limp, I probably should have only proceeded if I had flopped a bigger hand than one pair.

So, what do you think - mistake at that late stage of a tourny to limp in the SB and see a cheap flop?

swear

[ononimo]

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So, what do you think - mistake at that late stage of a tourny to limp in the SB and see a cheap flop?

[/ QUOTE ]

with T9? and your stack? of course it's not a mistake. if you're going to raise instead, the only raise you can make at this point is all-in ... either play is fine, i think.

you just got unlucky. even if you pushed preflop, UTG certainly had enough chips that he could have looked you up.

and on the flop, you might as well have raised all-in since any raise pot-commits you.

[M.B.E.]

Your preflop play is fine. Folding preflop in that situation would be very weaktight.

How many chips did you have at the start of this hand, 3000 or 30,000?

You said 3000, but then your description of the flop action makes no sense.

[ononimo]

[ QUOTE ]
How many chips did you have at the start of this hand, 3000 or 30,000?

You said 3000, but then your description of the flop action makes no sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

good catch ... i just assumed the T3000 was correct and was perplexed by why he would have simply gone all-in preflop or on the flop (i.e. calling the raise on the flop wouldn't have been a difficult decision).

assuming it really was T30,000 ... the re-raise all-in was pretty horrible - overplaying top pair/marginal kicker with decent stacks = not good.

I meant to say about 7,000.

[M.B.E.]

With that stack you don't have to bet 2000 into a pot of 2000. You ought to bet out, but I think something like 1300 would be a good amount.