Live $150+15 early hand

[yaaaflow]

Early on in a 150+15 tournament. Starting chips of 5000, blinds at 50-100. Generally passive table, lots of limping preflop, no relevant reads.

Hero is at 4000 chips.

Hero is MP3 with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

3 folds, MP1 limps, 1 fold, Hero calls 100, 2 folds, SB calls, BB checks.

Pot size 400
Flop: K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets 200, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 calls.

Pot size 800
Turn: A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

MP1 bets 200, Hero calls(?) 200

Pot size 1200
River: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

MP1 bets 1000, Hero ???

Looking for insight on all streets.

Let me count, you can lose this hand to A,3; A,T; AA; AK; 4,5, right?

His play up to the point of the 1,000 bet fits best A,3 or A,T.

Why only a call after the turn? A raise of 500 or so might give you a better read on where you're at in the hand. If enemy comes over the top, and you manage to get away from the hand, you save yourself calling 1,000 on the river. Or you put enemy on A,10 or A,3 and fold.

Your weak call on the turn encouraged the big bet from enemy. A,3 is a likely holding, but so is A,x and enemy thinks you don't have an ace. Or you don't like your kicker very much.

I'm not sure I could fold, but that's why I suck. I probably call.

I want to further note -- this is why I avoid hands like K,10 even in the circumstances you describe. It puts you to hard decisions like this. I'd rather limp with middle suited connectors than K,10, especially unsuited.

Also, change my re-raise above to something more than 300.

[EverettKings]

I probably raise the turn and go from there. There's lots of ugly cards that can come and if you go into check/call mode, pretty much only better hands are going to get money in the pot. As played I make a crying river call and hope to see AJ or a midpair bluff. I just don't have enough information to fold yet.

[yaaaflow]

This was a hand played by a friend of mine in the tournament. My range of hands for the opponent after the flop call and turn bet is AQ (may raise preflop), AJ, AT, QJ, possibly A3 or Ace rag. Villian may call the flop with a weak king or weak ten, but I strongly doubt he would lead out on the turn with it.

My line here is to put in a 800-1000 chip raise on the turn, probably fold to a push but expect to take it down right there. Given the way my friend played it I would have to call any bet on the river because the villian has to believe a pair of aces is ahead there and is valuebetting the river.

[22suited]

I'm mad but I think I fold. I either am behind and didn't pay the price to figure it out earlier, or villian is betting an inferior hand and thinks he is ahead. I don't see why he would be bluffing you on what seems like a dry pot.

On a side note, if you were villian which of these hands would be played well if they were his holdings?
A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (or clubs or diamonds)
A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
3 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Sometimes I will play 33 exactly like he just did. He did a feeler bet on the turn and punched the river knowing that the only hand that could raise him was the nut QJ in which case he could fold to a reraise.

[JustPlayingSmart]

[ QUOTE ]
I want to further note -- this is why I avoid hands like K,10 even in the circumstances you describe. It puts you to hard decisions like this. I'd rather limp with middle suited connectors than K,10, especially unsuited.

Also, change my re-raise above to something more than 300.

[/ QUOTE ]

Having harder decisions with 2 pair is not a reason to avoid playing a hand preflop. The reason to avoid this hand preflop might be because it is easily dominated, making a lot of 2nd best hands. If he had limped 78s and flop was 783, turn A, and this action happened, would you say that you avoid playing 78s because of this?