WSOP final table hand

[bogey]

I haven't posted anything from the World Series, but this hand could have made the tournament a lot different and has been driving me nuts for a while. Its relatively straightforward but is the only spot on the final table where I feel I maybe should have played a hand significantly differently. I thought it might be fun to discuss before I hopefully get to see Tex's hand on tv. Thanks for any replies.

There are 8 people left at this point. Chip stacks are around this size:
Seat 1 Joseph Hachem 6.3mm
Seat 2 Andrew Black 10.55mm
Seat 3 Tex Barch 9.1mm
Seat 4 Daniel Bergsdorf 4.59mm
Seat 6 Aaron Kanter 11.21mm
Seat 7 Brad Kondracki 1.97mm
Seat 8 Steve Dannenmann 5.81mm
Seat 9 Scott Lazar 6.74mm

I'm in Seat 7 and am obviously pretty shortstacked. Blinds are 120k/60k with a 20k ante making each round cost 340k.

I'm UTG and have QQ and raise to 400k. Folded to Tex on the button who calls. Everyone else folds.

I've been playing with Tex for the last few days and I view him as a solid player who mostly plays his cards and doesn't make too many moves but is certainly capable of it. He knows I probably know this.

Flop is an ugly K 9 4. (I dont remember exactly what the last two cards are, but 9 and 4 will do. Also I think there is 2 to a flush on the board that doesnt match one of my Q's.)

I check and Tex bets 500k. ?

[Seadood228]

Arrrgghhh I hate the spot you are in.. It's very hard to answer a question like this due to the mindboggling stakes, but I'll give it a go.

Preflop - I'd prefer a limp/push or an open push. QQ is going to be a tough hand to play postflop when your pf raise pretty much commits you to the hand. You are going broke to a bigger PP no matter what, and with your chip position a coinflip isn't so bad. You also might get a call from a hand like 77-TT, and these are hands that will be hard to double through after the flop, unless of course they overtake you.

Flop - This is so tough because there is always the possibility that you are going to put your money in drawing to two outs. Still, your chip position is such that you don't have enough room to be making these types of folds. I'd get my chips in on the flop hoping that he hasn't outflopped me. Since you still have a little FE if Tex puts you on a monster hand, I like a checkraise allin. There aren't any draws where Tex would call off in that spot that he wouldn't have if you open pushed.

[shaniac]

Were the antes really 20K?

In any case, if I am in your seat, there is no point in the hand where I become interested in folding QQ. If I'm raising 20% of my stack preflop, I'm pushing the overwhelming majority of flops. There's over T1.1M in the pot on the flop, you have T1.5M left and are the shortstack in the tournament. You've locked up $1,000,000 USD real money. There's one overcard on the board (I don't consider this a particularly ugly flop for QQ). It's a no-brainer push in my estimation. Check-raising would be the second best option, and I'd only consider folding on flops that were much worse for my hand the one here.

I really dislike check-folding here, because a player with chips who is capable of making a move at the pot with less than the goods (as Tex should be capable of doing at this stage of the tourney) will get the better of you way too often in spots like this if you're CF'ing.

Congrats on the score, btw!

[REL18]

Gotta push the flop check raising doesnt seem to good he has to many chips to release his hand hes nearly pot commitied and probably puts u on a decent hand. Check raising seem to connotate to tex that u have a good hand depending on how long your decision took. Anyway hes commited after the 500k bet so if u think hes gonna bet half the pot u should push the flop

[redrooski24]

I think I'm check raising this all in. Pushing might also get you a call from a medium PP, both options are good but I like a c/r for some reason. I definitely agree with shaniac that there is almost 0% chance I'm folding QQ at any point in the hand. I'd need a flop of AKJ to fold this. Congrats on the huge payday also.

[Seadood228]

Do you want him to release his hand if he doesn't have a K? I can't see any 4+ out hands that are going to call a c/r allin but would have folded to a flop push. Perhaps a weak FD, but arguably Tex would not have called off 400k against a stack this short. IMO any trailing hand that the villian would call off getting 3/1 on the flop would have also called getting ~2/1.

As long as villian doesn't have a K, I'd WANT him to call given my chip position.

[EDIT] Another advantage to c/r allin is that you might be able to fold a hand like KT or KQ. He'd have to put you squarely on AK, AA, or KK, but you never know. It's a longshot, but a shot nonetheless. If you move into him on the flop, the chance of folding any of those hands is approximately 0.

[benkahuna]

Tough Hand. I'd run pretty much all analysis through HoH, vol. 2. I move in on the flop so I either have the best hand or a chance to suckout.
Chances of the best hand are good. Your M is less than 10 so you really want in and out of this hand quickly. All in vigorish is pretty high here. I also think any preflop raise on your pot commits you to this pot. Acting first I think you have to go all in and just see what happens. 2 overcards is really scary, one isn't a nightmare. You're shortstacked and the pot (for you is big). I think it's the time to take a chance. Your giving Tex an exit.

Your pf raise suggested a lot of strength and Tex should have picked up on that. I think he's calling with a quality hand. With you checking to him, it's too tempting for him not to take a chance even without aa or ak. He might have even had a holding like jj and thought he was good. His bet was a solid amount, looking like it invites action. It could mean anything. How Tex perceives you is really important here. I'm guessing at this point your table image is tight. Given what a tough situation this is, I think more information would help make the best decision.

What range of hands do you put Tex on? You could run the approximate probabilities of each hands multiplied by how you fare against them and if you're ahead (assuming at least a ten percent chance Tex is simply bluffing) and if you look like you're ahead, push in. Absent a read, we all know that's what Gus would do. Of course, who wants to play the WSOP like Gus? :P


Anyway, I feel silly armchair quarterbacking this one. You did way better in the ME event than me and I have no idea what sort of play I could make in your situation, televised, super high money final table and all with no Mike Matusow to keep me company. Congratulations.

Congrats on the PayDay!

You have to push here given your stack size It's ulikely you will get a better chance than this before the blinds
eat you up.

btw: Played against Andy Black the other night- He's Good!

[betgo]

It feels funny commenting on this, but here goes.

This is the WSOP final table, so you have to assume your opponent is playing rationally. What kinds of hands is he likely to be flat calling an early position raise for 1/5 of your stack with? AJ-AQ, 66-JJ. The only reasonable hands with a K are KQs and KJs. You don't like to see an overcard, but it's the A that would really worry you. Other than the overcard, this is not a dangerous board. I think there is as much chance he is trapping with AA or KK or he made a set as there is that he has a K.

I like the check, as Tex is likely to bet and giving one free card is not a disaster. I agree with others. I would checkraise allin.

I imagine you folded, but I don't think I could have let it go. I push pre-flop. You obviously had a much better idea of his play and if you folded, you were probably beaten, but I see how that could stick in your head for a long time. Congrats though.