My Dubious BB Play in the PS 10+1 Sunday Rebuy

[DougBrennan]

I'm looking for second opinions on how I played the following hand from the Big Blind. My feeling is that I may have misplayed pretty much every bet I did or didn't make, but I'd like to know how others of you might have approached it.

PS 10+1 Rebuy 300/600 ante 50

I'm at an aggressive but reasonably solid table with no great individual reads on anyone. My stack is 29500, 2nd at table, above average for tourney.

I am in the BB with 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Folded to Button (25750 chips) who min raises to 1200. SB (14250) calls, as do I. Do you fold here?

Flop: 6 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Short of a boat, this is pretty much my ideal flop. SB checks. I go into trapping mode and check. Would a bet out have been better?

Button bets 1800, SB calls, and I call. Maybe I should have raised here?

Turn: J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

SB leads out with 3000, and fearing he has an already made straight, I fold. Button calls, but folds to an all-in river bet. FWIW, the river was a rag 4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], so i would not have made my straight.

I think my fold was probably correct, since I did not know where I was in the hand, but I think that I should have done more earlier to determine relative strengths. Or maybe I should never have been involved at all.

What do you think? And no need to pull punches, I already think I played the hand like crap, and my tourney went rapidly downhill from that point on.

Thanks for any input.

Doug

[wayabvpar]

I think a bet or check raise on the flop is warranted. Although you have top pair and a nice draw, the hand is still pretty vulnerable (especially to a min raiser...I see big wired pairs get played that way a lot). A raise will give you some info as to where you stand, and you can make a decision after that. It is also likely to give you control of the hand as everyone waits to see how you act.

[MVicuna]

Hi,

He would need to have 85 or T8 for him to have a str8 on the turn. Does he normally call out of position with hands that ugly?

You have top pair and the str8 draw against a weak button steal and the SB. Go for a big check-raise and then push in on the turn regardless of what falls.

Or don't overcall as one of them could be drawing to the flush and that cuts down on your clean outs if you don't think your pair is good.

Its not HU, thats another reason to fold on the flop after the SB calls. Its harder to push 2 people off hands if they decided to call the flop and you miss your hand.

MarkV.

[Beavis68]

Why would you try to trap with a pair of nines and an eight kicker? You want to bet this, and win it now, then the straight draw is back up in-case you get called.

I find it unlikely that the button had a straight - if I dide, he would have had one on the flop too. He would have had to have been raising pre-flop with 10-8. That seems unlikely, probably had KJ or QJ, or maybe J-10 or even Q-10.

I think the only major mistake on this hand was not betting the flop.

[PlayerA]

Actually, I'm not so sure you played it that badly. So, you wanted to go for the check-raise on the flop. Once the button made the weakish but not too weak bet and was called by the SB, then I think there is nothing wrong with calling to try and hit your hand. You will have to make a such a huge raise that you may be overcomitting yourself. You're getting correct odds to draw. Heads up against the button, the check-raise is easy. The SB makes it tough.

You miss on the turn and now the SB bets out and you have your dilema. You really don't know if he's making a play or not. Since the button made a weakish bet and there was no raise. He make just be taking a shot at the pot. His bet was kind of weak given the current size of the pot and potential draws. You don't know whether or not you are drawing dead, so folding is not horrible.

[patrick dicaprio]

i certainly dont fold preflop. on the flop i would make a goodsized bet out rather than checkraise. if you bet here into him as a preflop raiser he cant really call unless he has better than top pair, in which case you have gained some information. you want to win the pot right away not go to the river.

since you checked and he bet I would raise him back. if he reraises then you can safely fold. Many players will play a big pair somewhat weakly on the flop if there is a draw but then make a big bet on the turn if the draw doesnt get there.

so if you raise and he reraises you then you know he has a better hand than you, plus you may even win it right there if you raise and he folds.

Pat