Hand from Party $50+5 Tourney

[JNash]

What would you have done here--and more importantly, why?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (10 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

SB (t7744)
BB (t2240)
UTG (t1250)
<font color="C00000">UTG+1 (t4540)</font>
UTG+2 (t1905)
MP1 (t3844)
MP2 (t4112)
<font color="C00000">Hero (t4713)</font>
CO (t1300)
Button (t2050)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 raises to t400</font>, UTG+2 calls t400, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, Hero calls t400, <font color="666666">4 folds</font>.

Flop: (t1500) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets t200</font>, UTG+2 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t1000</font>, UTG+1 calls t800.

Turn: (t3500) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
UTG+1 checks, Hero ???.

[Results in white below: <font color="white">
River: rag
UTG+1 has Ad Ks (one pair, threes).
Hero has Ac Jd (one pair, threes).
Outcome: UTG+1 wins t3500. </font>

[MaqEvil]

Fold preflop because AJ sucks against a raise

[Tyler Durden]

[ QUOTE ]
Fold preflop because AJ sucks against a raise

[/ QUOTE ]

And he hits the proverbial nail on the head. or something similar to that.

[jmcfg8]

Compared to your table it looks like you have the biggest stack and could possibly be hitting, which would somehow explain the call with AJo vs. an early position raiser who only has 1200 chips before he raises and 800 afterwards. To me this tells says he has a premium hand (name a +JJ pair) or at least AK or AQ. After the flop doesn't improve I would have folded without a doubt.

[Rakkad]

This should be a pretty easy fold here, a small raise from UTG from a short stack is normally strong, he wants a call and will glady go all in. You have plenty of chips, you don't have to play every big Ax you get, fold.

[JNash]

Let me explain what I was thinking. Go ahead, poke holes at it, I want to learn!

Ok, AJo preflop is not a great hand to call raises with, but...I was reading the 2x raise as pretty weak.

I had successfully won a couple of hands with aggressive play. If the flop comes J high, I'm in great shape, if it's rags I can take a swipe at the pot.

When he bets the minimum at the pot, there are two choices: a) he's slowplaying a high pair (QQ or better) or b) he has AK or AQ. At this point I'm thinking the latter. I figure that with a big bet of 1000 he'll lay down if he has only overcards--and I'm surprised he only calls. Now I'm back to thinking "trap" and I check it through.

What I am second-guessing is that if I had stuck with my read of AK, I would have gone allin on the turn. I had been playing quite tight, and would have expected him to respect my bet.

Comments?

[JNash]

Actually, he was just about tied for #2 in chipcount at the table with me. Would that change your reasoning?

While the "weak is strong and vice versa" argument clearly has some merit, I often find that "weak is weak" as well...particularly early in a tourney.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
I was reading the 2x raise as pretty weak.



[/ QUOTE ]

Careful with that line of thinking. Esp from an EP player.

[Kirkrrr]

There are several pieces of info you're neglecting to mention (or perhaps waiting for someone to ask...):

1)How often does that player open-raise from UTG (in fact, play from early positions at all)?
2)When he does, it is usually min- or normal 3/4xBB? From what you said, I'm guessing the weak'ish bet was unusual for him and would definitely put me on alert.
3)Most important of all, do his men-bets mean weakness or does he do it when strong, as well? If you've been playing up to this point (if I'm not mistaken, you're just about to get to the first break), you should already know the answers to all of those.

On that dream flop for an overpair and with so many callers, I can readily see AA/KK min-betting (I never do, but I can see it happen) and letting someone take a shot at the flop with their overcards/overpair, and the fact that he called a pretty big raise confirms my opinion.

I'd give it up.

Kirk R.

[Rakkad]

My mistake, I was looking at the wrong chip count (UTG+2 1905).

I still probably would have folded preflop, I may raise if he has been raising light, but I wouldn't like it if he called my raise.