What is the play,,,

[ZebraAss]

10/1 tournament

First few hands everyone still has around 800 chips

You have Ace 10 hearts on SB.
3 limp, I limp, BB checks.

Flop is Kh 5d 5h

MP1 bets 40 chips
MP2 folds
MP3 folds
I call
BB folds.

Turn is 10d.


MP1 bets 175

What is the play

MP1 had King Six diamonds. Would you try to make a play at the pot...or are you folding it? Would 2 pair top pair with crappy kicker go all the way??

[Mr_J]

Well someone will have a K, so it's fair to assume MP1 has one. Don't have pot odds to call the bet on the flop, I would've folded there.

Not advice, just an opinion from a beginner.

[raptor517]

i dont complete the sb right there. i just fold. when playing hands like that you put yourself in a marginal situation all too often. i refuse to do that. maybe im giving up too much, but i think that you can get way too attatched to hands like a10 and aj when you catch your top pair.

[alexbrew]

Playing the A-10 and hoping for a miracle straight or 2 pair flop isn't tragic, considering the measly 5 chips required to complete the blind.

However, what is the goal when the flop misses you? Take down the pot with Ace high? If you bluff at this and get called, you taking another stab, then another.

You have nothing to gain and everything to lose by going after this meaningless pot early.

[Phoenix1010]

The action is to fold on the flop. You are heads up out of position, you don't have anywhere near the proper effective odds to call to draw to a flush, and you are not drawing to the nuts. With so many players, someone probably hit that flop. You don't know what he has until after the hand. He limped preflop, made a small bet on the flop, and a pot-sized bet on the turn. Nothing about his play can be used to conclude that he definitely has a king with a weak kicker, anymore than it can be used to say that he has 56s, Kjo, or even K5 or KK.

Given that you don't know what he has, any play at the pot is risky. That doesn't mean it's wrong to try to take this pot off him. From the small blind, I will often make a play on this flop. I would have checkraised to 120 on the flop, clearly representing a 5, hoping that he didn't have the five (or KK) himself. Most reasonable players (not sure this applies, considering the MP K6s limp) will fold here without a strong hand. If you want to make a similar play on the turn, it will cost you at least 350, half your stack. No matter what, it is never ok to risk half your stack without a made hand, and without a great idea of what your opponent has. It's early in the tournament, get out of this hand.

Regards,
Steve

[Phoenix1010]

There's nothing wrong with completing here, if you play smart. You have 13 to 1 pot odds to see three cards, not counting implied odds. Even if you only play when you flop top two pair, trips, the nut straight, or the nut flush, you're still getting favorable odds to call. If you're the type to misplay the flop often with a marginal hand, it's still more advisable to only continue when you flop lock hands than to fold for 5 chips preflop.

Regards,
Steve

[Mr_J]

Yeh just 5 chips and you can hit 2 pair, trips, FH or straight. Basically a free shot at what could be a huge hand.

[raptor517]

oh fine, its ok to call 5 more with a10s. but dont get yourself caught up with a pair of aces with your 10 kicker. its just trouble. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[AleoMagus]

I fold that turn, but it's actually closer than some are suggesting. The semi bluff play is tempting, but just not worth it at this stage.

I call that flop also.

Of course you complete in the SB. I complete there with any two.

Regards
Brad S

[adanthar]

Argh, the advice here up until Aleo's post was just bad.

Complete any two, yes (including 72o.) ATs is a no brainer.

Calling the flop actually looks scarier than betting out since it sets off the '5' alarms so against anyone who isn't an idiot you see the river free. Idiots with a K will bet the turn anyway, but hey, you saw a turn card and had he bet a little less you'd likely take his stack on a good river.

Not (at least) calling the flop is criminal. The turn is a fold solely due to his bet size (and idiocy - anyone who bets this much is going to call an all in with a K) but I'd have called 100.

Incidentally, if the flop was A72, folding would also be criminal. Just because you're out of position doesn't mean someone else limped AJ behind you; stop seeing monsters.