LHE Multi. - Comment on this play

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

'Stars $30 + 3 LHE multi. 162 started, 20 left, 18 get paid. 7 handed.
400/800 blinds, 800/1600 limits

I have 12,624 and am the BB with A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

2 folds, MP2 (3774) limps, CO (12348) limps, Button and SB fold, I choose to just check, (2800)

Flop: J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I check, MP2 bets, CO folds, I raise, MP2 calls. (6000)

Turn: 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I bet......

Comments? The rest of the action and results later.

[nolanfan34]

I like it. Between the folding equity you have by check-raising the flop and betting the turn, and 6 overcard outs, I think it's a good play. You can likely fold to a raise here on the turn too.

You've played your hand like AJ or KJ so far, so I think it's a profitable way to play the hand.

[betgo]

I don't see the purpose of not raising preflop.

[Chief911]

I really do not understand what you are trying to do here.

1. You check with AK with two limpers to you. Why? If you do this, and are unimproved on the flop you now have to most likely check/call, and check/fold the turn. You could also bet out on the flop unimproved, but if you get a caller you have to shut down on the turn.

If you raise preflop, you take control of the hand, lead the flop regardless, and most likely win the hand even if you are unimproved there.

2. Flop. Ok, so you checked, missed, raised ?? and were called. Boy, is this getting ugly.

3. Turn does nothing for you. And you bet out into the CO, setting him allin if he calls. This is the only part of the hand that I kinda like, but also makes your play seem more risky since he most likely knows on the flop he's playing this hand for all his chips.

Overall: I dont like the preflop check, unless you are willing to give up control for the remainder of the hand. Once you do that and are not improved on the flop, you have to give up on the bubble.

Nick

[nolanfan34]

Edit:

Didn't notice that MP2 is just about all-in. I suppose that makes it a little more interesting. I do agree with Chief that I would raise PF.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

My rationale for the preflop play.

1) it's close to the bubble and I want to both maximize my chances of growing my stack *and* preserving my chips.

2) If I raise, they both call. Absent a TP/no-draw flop, they will not both fold if I bet the flop, they'll be getting odds to pursue a lot of draws. I have a tough row to hoe if I have to bet 800 into a 5200 pot. Similarly check-raisng 1600 into a 6000 or 6800 pot does little to protect my hand.

3) by checking preflop, I can represent a much wider range of hands than I can if I raise.

4) on a dangerous flop multiway, I can check and fold if it's a bet and raise to me.

In a cash game, I raise here 99.5% of the time. In NL, I likely push preflop in this situation. Earlier in this tourney it's an almost automatic raise. Only one limper and I'd probably raise 75% of the time. I think this specific situation called for me giving myself as many options post flop as possible. At this point, I start the hand with 7.5 big bets. The small stack will not be pushed off a small pair if the pot's too big on the flop relative to the bet size, and it's more likely both stick around in that case.

In this case I thought it was to my benefit to keep the pot small.

I admit it was a non-standard play, but I think it allows me to get away when I miss badly and represent a lot of hands on precisely the type of board I got on the flop

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

MP2 uses up most of his clock and folds.

I go on to win the tournament. What was interesting later was that when it got to HU, I was outchipped by more than 2-1 and at max limits (4,000/8,000). My opponent, by all appearances, had become chip leader through aggressive semi-bluffs and a couple of suckouts against much smaller stacks. I remember thinking that it was going to be tough to trap this kind of player enough at limit to catch him.

Man, was I wrong. He folded way too often on every street, and in the short span of 22 hands I absolutely ran him over while getting relatively unremarkable cards. So much for first impressions. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]