first hand of a $200+$15

[stripsqueez]

UTG i get AdKd - i make it T95 to play because thats where the little thingy landed when i dragged it a tad

cutoff calls and the rest fold

flop is 3h Kc 5h - sweet - i bet T175

cutoff raises to T650 - hmmm

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[imcastleman]

He's committed but you should go all in. He most likely doesn't have a set because most players just call with a set there. He most likely has AK, KQ or a heart draw.

[Jason Strasser]

Strip,

Put a little more thought into your PF raise. There is actually a big difference between 65 and 95... Typically with AK the hand you will make to win a pot is TPTK, and you sometimes want to be able to keep the pot under control.

On the flop, I go all-in. I suppose you could be facing a set, but it's not likely enough. I would say a great deal of players who flop a set here with position would tend to call rather than raise HU, even with a flush draw out there.

So the odds you are against KQ, Kx, or a flush draw, make this a nice spot to get your chips in. I don't fold.


-Jason
P.S. Weird stuff can happen on the first hand...

[PrayingMantis]

It's YOUR flop, so I believe it's a rather easy reraise all-in. Why would he make such a strong raise with a hand that beats you here, i.e, a set? Some tricky opponents will, but I think usually you are way ahead here (against K + weaker kicker, or a smaller PP - could be TT-JJ, QQ would have prob. raised you PF), or about 63:37 against a flush draw. 2-pair is not likely, and that what makes a push here even better.

[DemonDeac Holding Rockets]

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So the odds you are against KQ, Kx, or a flush draw, make this a nice spot to get your chips in. I don't fold.


-Jason

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I agree completely.

[jimotto]

I don't play anywhere near the 200 level, but at the 20-30's seems most of the time this is a high flush draw, with a decent likelyhood of it AKh.

[Sam T.]

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He most likely doesn't have a set because most players just call with a set there.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm willing to defer to the smart kids in the crowd, but I think you may be in some trouble here. This all-in could easily be a set trying to protect against a flush draw. Or, he could have a couple of hearts, and is pushing with the draw.

Or I'm a newbie who plays $10 tables, and is seeing monsters.

[J.A.Sucker]

Well, I think you should run it out. I think that you'll go broke a lot more than the others, though. This could be 2 pair or a set (most likely). However, if he's got a draw (also possible) or a smaller K, you're in good shape. You've already put in 1/4 of your stack, anyway, so I don't think your tourney EV will be much better if you fold than if you put it in. Put it in and pray.

[Gramps]

[ QUOTE ]
first hand of a $200 + 15

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[ QUOTE ]
i make it T95 to play

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[ QUOTE ]
flop is 3h Kc 5h...i bet T175 cutoff raises to T650

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It's the first hand of an SNG. Even at the 200 level there's a number of crazies that will make this play worse hands. I mean...he called your raise to 95. Only a very loose player would do that with 55 or 33. If he has a set power to him. If he slowplayed AA or KK preflop, power to him (that seem pretty unlikely as well).

I'd put him on a flush draw, AK or worse King, or some underpair/other worse hand that he's just being a crazy and making a play with. You have to call.

If the flop was K-T-9 or something like that, I'd worry a lot more about a set (or even two pair from a very loose player.

[ThorGoT]

Not sure which position "cutoff" is. That being said: Your initial large bet says AK, AA-QQ. Maybe TT-JJ, but doubtful. Indeed, AA/KK seem doubtful, as with them I'd expect you to bet lower, hoping for a raise (allowing you to re-raise). His call says pocket pair or AK. What else would a reasonable player call with preflop, with 25 in blinds? *Not* KQ. I assume most players in a $200 + 15 are reasonable. Thus, odds are he is reasonable.

Your flop bet says you have a hand, presumably top pair, but probably not a made-four-flush. His bet says he can beat it, or at least match it. The fact that he is leaving a few hundred in his hand rather than going all in suggests he might be trapping, or at minimum that he can beat it now rather than having odds to beat it with two cards to come (in which case he should go all in). I'd say he has AK with at most one heart or a set. One you split (at best), the other you're losing to with two outs. Let's say odds are equal: fold and you're at 700 or so. Bet and you're at 0 (50%) or 1000 (50%), averaging 500. I'd fold.

I understand that a set might well check here instead of folding, which I suppose ups the relative chance he has AK. But let's say he has a set and just calls. Can he really expect you to bet out on the next hand? And if you don't and he bets, can he expect you to call it with just TPTK? Essentially, I'm thinking that if you're the kind of person who would call his turn bet, you're the kind of person who would call his flop raise, and if you're not, you're not. So a raise here will get the money if it's going in the pot, and do so sooner than would otherwise occur. Heck, 400 is not a tiny pot -- he's not being foolish to try to win it now, even with a set.

Conclusion: I think on the flop you're at best splitting (or a little behind to AK with one heart), at worst losing soundly. I'd fold. 700 is far from being too low to fight back with.

Of course, if you'd bet 45 preflop, and 100 post-flop, you'd probably be at 850 rather than 700, and a fold would be easier. Hindsight is 20/20.

BTW, I'm assuming you called. If you doubled up against a foolish player, congrats -- but I'm sticking with a 'fold' recommendation.