Two Hands Faced with Calling an All-In

[bluewilde]

Now, I realize the Trout games are MTTs, but I don't wanna have to go next door and make new friends.

Seriously, I played this game against you guys and figure who better to ask then the other people there. Plus these are both final table hands and so they have a distinctly mid-late game STT feel.

In hand 1, Villain has been playing his big stack aggressively. How should I play this?


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (8 handed) converter

MP2 (t5615)
CO (t2625)
Button (t4725)
SB (t995)
BB (t903)
Hero (t3560)
UTG+1 (t2277)
MP1 (t4800)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t800</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises to t5615</font>, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t6715

Before we get to the reraise, how's my opening? If I limp, anticipating a standard biggy raise, I can push. But is A high really a trapping hand like that? I'd probably only like that with AA or KK. I can't open-fold so I think raising is the only line. How's the amount?

How should I have responded to the reraise? My thoughts were:

I "feel" like I'm ahead, but, rationally, this push looks a lot like a PP 77-TT. Furthermore, the whole table has noticed I'm uber tight. This goes two ways: 1) villain knows this raise represents something I don't want to fold so he must have a premium hand 2) villain knows I'm weak so he can likely chase me away with a marginal hand.

He could also have AJ-AQ and I'm dominating, but even in these best-case scenarios, I'm 66%...kinda shaky for all my chips when I'm not under pressure to have a "do or die moment."

Really what it came down to was that I was enjoying myself, and wasn't confident enough in my hand to risk leaving. Worst reason ever?

Also, while I'm not under pressure, I know for a fact that every guy at this table plays better than me. I won't have a larger edge later by passing here IFF I'm ahead. I would have to be unambiguosly sure that the other guy has a PP, which ultimately I was.

Second hand I just didn't believe the guy. He thought for a very long time, so long that it wasn't acting, he seemed legitimately perplexed. I figured the only hands that would give him so much trouble would be a PP lower than Qs, or a flush draw. This was basically a "I'm pretty sure I'm ahead because he took about 45sec to act on a straightforward board" call. Again, I think I have an image as a tighter, weaker player who's been folding a lot postflop and people might be trying to push me around a little. I really thought this was a bluff; did I invent that or did I do a reasonable interpretation of the action. Bad call/good call?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (6 handed) converter

Button (t8185)
SB (t3900)
BB (t3306)
Hero (t4032)
MP (t2702)
CO (t3375)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t1200</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, SB calls t1000, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>.

Flop: (t2325) Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t800</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises to t2675</font>, Hero calls t1875.

Turn: (t7675) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

River: (t7675) K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t7675