NL Holdem Last Chance Tourney @ WSOP

[John W]

Just broke the third table and down to two tables now. The blinds are $200/$400 and Im in the big blind. I have 5700 in chip which is pretty close to the leader at my table. Im new to NL so Im not sure if I did the right thing. Everyone fold to the cutoff who is a new player from the third table so I really don't know that much about him, anyway's cutoff makes it a $1,000 to go, he has about 2,000 left, everyone folds to the small blind who calls all in for $600 of it. I look down and find two red nines whats the best play here. I will post what I did and the results of the hand later.

JW

[MikeyEdge]

I would move all-in myself. Cutoff is likely on a steal with A-X, and the SB is calling with something like Q-J hoping to hit the flop. The cutoff is likely to call you and the SB will probably drop. And then you just hope your Nines hold up.

[pokerlover]

The small blind has already called all in for his last 600

[pokerlover]

I would call the 600 and see the flop. If it comes 8 high I would move all in. If it comes with a 9 I would go for a check raise. If it comes with overcards its decision time. If I have read your post correctly there is only 200 in the side pot so the CO may be willing to check it down with you.

[John W]

I thought the $1,000 bet was a little weak, so I decided to try to isolate the SB and if the cutoff woke up with something then I just got got. So I raised $2,000 more which would essentially put the cutoff all in. He thought about it for a good two minutes and folded. The small blind was all in, he turned over A-K and I had pocket nines. The flop was J-J-4 the turn was a 10 and the river was a 10 and my nines got counterfieted and I lose. Is there a time in a tourney when you should turn it down a notch, I can't seem to do that seeing how I've made it the final two tables 3 out of 4 times and have yet made a final table.

Thanks
JW

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

What's the prize structure? What do the stacks on your immediate left look like? What size stacks are at the other table?

I think the SB has a bigger hand than the raiser. He's in survival mode and doesn't have to put any more money in the middle for 7 or 8 more hands. He's calling now, he's got a hand. That being said, you're only risking 200 more against him. If I'm going to play this hand, I come over the top and put the C/O on a decision for all his chips, but that depends on the answers to the questions above. I'm leaning towards sitting this one out.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

Calling or raising are both reasonable.

You don't know the guy, however, so it is hard to say which of these choices is best this time. If you thought there was a reasonable chance he would fold, you should raise him all-in here. If you figured he's going to be potstuck and call no matter what, then I would call only and see the flop. If it comes with a 9, slowplay. If it comes with 3 lower cards, bet all-in. If it comes with overcards, especially an A, well, I hope you were looking at their face and/or hands when the flop hit, so you have something upon which to judge whether they like the flop or not. In the absence of such tells, you probably check and fold most of the time if there are 3 overcards, or 2 overcards including an A. If it's two non-A overcards, or an A and no other overcards, you're in the twilight zone, where all decisions are equally good (and bad).

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[ohkanada]

A few things I would think about.

1) You don't know anything about your opponent.
2) Your opponent is certainly in "steal" position.
3) His raise of only 600 is on the small side.
4) If you call then with an almost 3k pot, his 2k may well go in on the flop.

Against most players (who likely are stealing) I would re-raise all-in. Against an unknown player I probably just call and see how the flop progresses.

Ken Poklitar