How badly did I play this?

[mongeron]

Hello all,

Yesterday I played $200+15 NL HE tournament as usual at PokerStars. The following hand occured in the first level.

I had 2.4k of chips, I was the SB. An unknown player to me from cutoff raises pre-flop from 20 to 260.

I have QQ, I just call the raise. We see the flop heads-up, the flop comes T94.

I check, he bets 400 into a 600 pot. I raise him back to 1140. He moves all-in on me. I think for a while and fold. The pot was 4k at that point and it was 1k for me to call all-in.

I would like to hear opinions on the way I played the hand, and how you would have played it. I asked four friends of mine who all are good NL HE tournament players for their opinion, and every opinion was different.

Thanks,

- mongeron

[SossMan]

I would reraise preflop about 100% of the time. Not doing so made the flop much more difficult for you to play.

I would have made it T600 to go on the flop.

Given that you flat called, I think I would use my deception to ch-raise this flop.
I would be engineering the betting so that you can get all in on the flop. A ch-raise does this fine. You have about t2150 left, the pot is t540. I would checkraise all in just about every time here.

As for the way you played it, ch/raising to 1100, then folding, I don't like this line at all. He could easily play JJ,AT,JT,KT,QT,QJ,KQ,A9,K9,78 the same way. You have to call the all in, he cannot really put you on an overpair since you flat called preflop. You didn't define your hand.

With these hands, though I like to make the betting so that he's the one with the decision for all his chips, not me.

[Potowame]

your defending T20, with no read. with the 13xBB raise, he seems kinda a crazy, a call preflop is terrible. I think that you either had to fold or reraise to T700-T800 to go. With out doing this its hard to get a feel of what the correct play would be for me.

I think with T20 invested I type "lol, nice pot" and fold. This looks like a hand that is going to the felt, I am really not sure this is the situation I won't to take QQ all the way. If he is making this play with a worse hand you will, get a better read soon, and find alot of places to take his chips.

[SossMan]

I would need a read to not play QQ preflop.

[Potowame]

I would agree with you on this most of the time, but this situation seems exstream, when the blinds are at T20.

[SossMan]

all the more reason to raise...you really think you're dominated here w/ QQ?

[gergery]

Personally, I reraise preflop. If he calls he’s got JJ/TT/AK and I’m willing to get all my chips in on this flop, if he comes over the top he’s got AA/KK/AK and I fold (against good players, like the $200 should be). Or he’s a maniac and you’ll bust him later.

In my experience, the people that raise 13xBB preflop, are the kind of people that like to slowplay AA/KK for a limp. They raise this much with hands that are good that can take some action, but ones that are difficult to play. Say, JJ, AT. Or, they are bad players trying to steal with 44/22. But usually not T9s, QJs, 87s. They are also the kind of players that will fire again at this pot.

So either you’re alittle nervous about this read and think he might have a set or big pair or just don’t want to risk much yet, in which case you bet at the pot (T500) and fold to reraise. Or, you figure you are ahead and he has 2-5 outs, so encourage a bluff and checkraise him – but since you are risking 50% of your stack to checkraise then you call his push, or if he calls then push the turn no matter what hits.

Checkraising all-in seems to push out some of the drawing hands (AT, JJ) that you want in -- make them pay, keep them in, accept you will get outdrawn a few times in exchange for a lot more chips.

You way you played it, I think you call. You are getting 4:1, and the chances are higher than that that he has JJ, AT, QJ, etc, especially since he never puts you on AA-JJ. I’d figure him for JJ/AT, maybe TT/99/44 if you are unlucky.

--Greg

[Potowame]

with no read on the player, how can you be sure, Mathmatically you are more than likley ahead.

But theres only two ways that I would play this hand.

#1 fold

#2 Reraise to 700, which if this guy is a manic or has
AA-KK your going to be put all-in there. So, this
would put you in a tougher spot to call again. So, I
get back to the T20 chips I have invested in the pot.
With alittle more play with this guy and say Blinds at
T100 or higher Iam taking this to the River.

#2 would be more likely my play with QQ, I just don't like the situation that this player has described.

[gergery]

Do you fold KK too?

While he will occasionally have AA/KK and is trying to appear maniacal to get value from his hand, he will be much more likely to turn over JJ, AT, 44 or any number of random hands.

Taking bad players chips early is easier than trying to take it from the good players later on. Especially when some other good player with QQ takes his donation when he turns over 44

--Greg

[The4thFilm]

Instead of raising 1140 you should've gone all in or folded.