He slowplayed a set?

[JustDerek]

Am I nuts, or is my college roommate (who taught me to play poker) arguing against fundamental no-limit strategy? Consider the following excerpts from our email exchange of the last couple of days:

HIM:
10 player single-table tourney [$10+1, online], 5 players left. I'm third in chips with 2200

The guy who's second with 2400 raises before the flop. I have 99 and go with him.

Flop 9 3 2.

I check, he bets. I raise. He re-raises to put me all in.

He shows AA

Turn comes A

Kill me now.


ME:
Well, it's no fun to get drawn out on, but... you misplayed the hand. Why slowplay it when you flopped top set? Since he raised preflop, I'm assuming that you put him on a big pair.

On the flop you KNEW you had the best hand at that point, so you've got to move in and take it away from him. Checking it to him gains you nothing and possibly LOSES you $$$, because you're leaving your hand unprotected by not charging him to play. If you'd bet into him with a good number of chips, then he's on the defensive. He'd have to worry about whether you had the set, and if he's not an idiot, he knows that his aces would then be a major dog.

The point is, YOU should have been the one making the all-in bet. If he calls, then you're better than 5:1 to win. Of course, we know how the 5:1 shot came out, but that he was freakin' lucky. Maybe he would have called you anyway, who knows. But you see the point.


HIM:
Well, I have to disagree with you, but mostly because I was playing the person, not the cards. I knew he was an aggressive player and would respond as he did. I wanted to go all-in, and whether it happened on the flop or the turn, I knew it would happen with him, assuming he had a hand, which I was pretty sure he did.

I did put him on the high pair or AK/AQ. The worst hand (for me) he could have had was 2 5, but I was sure he wasn't in on that. So, I knew with my hand he would have to hit twice or hit one of two possible cards.

ME:
[ QUOTE ]
because I was playing the person, not the cards. I knew he was an aggressive player and would respond as he did. I wanted to go all-in, and whether it happened on the flop or the turn


[/ QUOTE ]
But you let HIM put YOU all-in. You didn't use the advantage having the better hand to force him to make a tough decision. See what I mean? A set is a strong hand, but not an unbreakable one (esp w/ 2 cards to come). It's not a powerful enough hand to trap with.


HIM:
Maybe not. But with that flop, I felt it was strong enough to trap with. Also, at that point, I was 50/50 on whether or not he had a pair (needing to hit the prayer) or AK/AQ (needing two prayer runners). My goal was to get as many of his chips in the pot as possible. Which I did. Maybe not the smartest move in the book, but one I'd make again in the same situation.

[Degen]

the villain was the last raiser PF and we have to assume he's going to be leading at this pot. i would have played it exactly as your friend did, and i might even have waited to the turn to check raise him, possibly even the river. thats a pretty farkin unbeatable hand on that flop, especially heads up and given the PF raise, you don't really put him on 45, possibly A4, but even thats a gutter.




Andre

[wuwei]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I nuts...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep. Your friend played it just fine. When your opponent is drawing to two outs, if I can get him to put all his chips in voluntarily, I win. I'm assuming there's no flush draws, and 9 high isn't a dangerous flop for broadway draws. Checking top set into an opponent HU when they will almost surely bet is a good move.

[tech]

[ QUOTE ]
If you'd bet into him with a good number of chips, then he's on the defensive. He'd have to worry about whether you had the set, and if he's not an idiot, he knows that his aces would then be a major dog.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nobody is folding aces here.

[Nathan183]

He flopped top set on a very safe board. With the preflop raise, he has his opponent on two high cards, or a pair. Given this, it would be foolish to try and bet villain off of his hand.

There are times when you want to protect your hand, but this isn't one of them. When you flop the nuts, and have your opponent drawing to, at best, a two outer, you want to get as much money as possible in the pot.

[Baked67]

Uh....yeah, he played it fine for sure. The board is not threatening in the least bit, unless he had some crazy read that his opponent over plays low suited connectors. I would play it the exact same way he did.

[Bigwig]

The only problem I have with your friend's hand is his flat call preflop. I don't know what the blinds were, but in 3 handed play 99 is a reraising hand preflop.

[jedi]

He didn't slowplay. He check-raised. He was way ahead, with only 2 outs that could beat him. Sucks that one of them hit.

[dfscott]

In fact, your friend played it faster than I would've. I'm not expecting my opponent to be happy about a 9-high board. My plan would've been to check-call the flop to let my opponent catch up and then check-raised the turn all-in.

[dmmikkel]

What if he had overcards, would you not want him to bet at it and in best case catch his card.

As I see it you are a huge favorite, so why would you want him to lay it down.

In this particular pot all the money was going in no matter what, but if he didn't have an overpair, you want him to bet at it.