What do you do with this draw?

[Soh]

Hello,

PartyPoker multi-table Sunday tournament. The blinds are 200-400. It's still long way to go to place in money.

You have 8000 in chips. This guy with 3000 in chips in early position raises to 800. Everyone folded to you, and let's say you decided to call for another 400 with KQo from the BB. Heads up. The flop comes JT4r. Now what's your play?

a) Check and call.
b) Check and raise all-in if he bets.
d) Bet small amount.
e) Bet all-in.
f) Other.

Thank you

Soh

[Kevin J]

Well I know what I'd do, since I played the hand. I'd bet about 3/4 of the pot.

I really like this size bet, because I feel it covers the entire sectrum.

First of all, checking my hand is out of the question as far as I'm concerned. I want to give myself a chance to win it right there. Why should I want to draw, if there's some chance I won't have to? So if he has something like an under pair such as 77, 88, or A8s, etc., this bet should be sufficient to cause him to fold the best hand.

But what if he does have some kind of a hand? Well, now it depends on how good he feels about it. If he's not that comfortable (remember he just got a reasonable bet thrown at him after he showed strength), he might just call and check the turn (if I check it to him). I certainly don't mind a free card when I'm behind. Don't forget that if he checks it back, I still retain the option of bluffing the river depending on what I felt he had.

On the other hand, if he has a monster, he might make the mistake of trying to trap me by slow-playing. Or, he simply goes all-in, which I would quickly call, since I have him covered by a lot at this stage in the tourny.

My point is, that by not putting him all-in right away as you (Soh) suggest, I allow him more opportunities to make a mistake. I don't WANT it to cost me the maximum if I don't have to. Yet, I DO very much want him to fold some of his hands that would have me beat. I think the size bet I made accomplishes exactly that. IMO-

[eggzz]

I agree. Very sound strategy. Without knowing too much about your opponent, you figure he may have something like Aqo, he is getting close to desperate, with the BB being more than 10% of his stack.

My original thought was to bet $1000 which is half his stack. Kevin says 3/4 of the pot which is around the same amount. His only options I would think would be to call all in or fold. I couldn't make a $1000 call here,(it would be all or nothing) and if I didn't hit the flop, I would likely fold to your bet.

[sdplayerb]

I pushin. Pushing in is barely more than what is already in the pot.
If he didn't start with a pair T or higher or AJ it'll be very tough for him to call.
If he does, depending on what he has, you have a lot of outs.
Making him make the tough decision. He also may put you on JT and fold something decent.

On a side note, I would not have called with KQ to an early position raise. And that is because you got a favorable flop, and now have a tough decision for a lot of chips. I would rather not be put in such a decision.

[Soh]

One of the advantages of going all-in is that you probably will go all-in anyway if you have to, so you might as well do it yourself than call his bet or raise, so that you increase the cahnce of winning as he might fold the hands that he shouldn't had he known what the BB had.

I don't think it's a bad play to call with KQo, except when the flop comes JT2 and don't know what to do :-)

[sdplayerb]

I said the first part, glad you agree.
And yes it is bad to call with KQ. If the flop is K high, he will only call if he has you beat (AK, AA, KK, set), same with Q high (AQ, AA, KK, QQ, set).
So you will win a small pot or lose a big pot.

[Kevin J]

Um, don't you think your decision should have something do with what kinds of hands this opponent would make such a raise with? Against some, it could certainly be a fold. Against others, a clear call. Others still, it's marginal.

I don't disagree with what you're saying (about pre-flop. I DO disagee with you post-flop). But he made a $400 raise and had $2200 left. My call closes the action with potential implied odds of 27:2, because with the right flop, I could bust him.

[Kevin J]

[ QUOTE ]
Pushing in is barely more than what is already in the pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a pretty liberal use of the word "barely". There is $500 in the pot. Putting him all-in costs $2,600. That's over 5 times what's already in there. Hardly "barely" more than the pot.

[Kevin J]

[sdplayerb]

What flops do you but him with?
KQ, KK, QQ.
And you don't necessarily get him to call for all his chips when behind with any of those.

KQ is called a trap hand for a reason.