Help with a hand

holman3rd · #1 11-05-2005, 09:00 PM

One of my biggest weaknesses in tournament play is not knowing when to stop firing bullets at the pot on a bluff. I typically run into a lot of trouble against fish, even though I know better. The following hand is a typical situation. It's from last night's PPMV semi-final with about 428 players left. It's still relatively early and I had a below-average stack, but was still comfortable relative to the blinds. I had won two hands up to this point b/c the cards were really cold.

Here's the hand:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

CO (t1843)
Button (t3373)
SB (t4470)
BB (t3970)
Hero (t3005)
UTG+1 (t4057)
UTG+2 (t1485)
MP1 (t3922)
MP2 (t2915)
MP3 (t5230)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
Hero raises to t300, UTG+1 calls t300, 8 folds.

Flop: (t750) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets t600, UTG+1 calls t600.

Turn: (t1950) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero pushes. UTG+1 calls t2105.

River: (t4055) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t4055

I had only been at this table for a couple orbits, so I didn't have a good read on villian, other than he seemed to have loose pre-flop starting hand requirements. I think my preflop raise was pretty standard. I hadn't played any hands outside of the blinds yet, so anyone noticing would start to be thinking I was playing tight. I was a bit surprised to get flat-called by the player to my left.

I made approx. 80% continuation bet on the flop, hoping to take it down right there. Was surprised, again to get called. I figured he had to at least have a Q, probably AQ or KQ. Figured that QQ would have re-raised preflop. Possibly could have JJ, but again, would have figured a preflop re-raise. Perhaps I'm narrowing the range too much...maybe that's a leak. But I really couldn't figure a wider range when UTG+1 flat-calls with a lot of players behind him.
Turn is a brick, and this is where I'm having a lot of trouble. Usually, if I back off here, I open myself up to get bluffed. I've already committed 30% of my stack, so I push with my two overcards and straight draw (the converter doesn't show my push for some reason).

He calls. Obviously I lose. I'm not putting this here as a bad beat. I'm looking for advice on putting him on a range of hands and how I should have played the hand differently. I'm not saying I should have folded because I lost.

Thanks in advance.

holman3rd · #2 11-06-2005, 01:09 AM

anyone?

Firefly · #3 11-06-2005, 01:12 AM

I give up on the turn. Thats a draw heavy board and you've got no piece. Save some chips

#4 11-06-2005, 01:32 AM

I may be in the minority here, but I like that flop for AK. You got 2 overcards, which is a possible 6 outs (as long as he don't have AQ or AJ), and 4 outs in the 4 T's. So at worse, 7 outs, and at best, 10 outs if you are behind (and you probably are since he called your flop bet). Would I shove all my chips in on the turn? Nope, I'd probably check and hope for a check behind, or at least a bet that gives me good odds to draw.