Tough No Limit Decision

[Ross]

Key hand in a NLHE tourney. Blinds are 50 - 100 at an 8 handed table it is the toughest table I have ever played I am the least experienced player by a mile but thus far holding my own I have 3400, I am still a long way from the money.

UTG folds UTG+1 limps UTG+2 folds I find I have A [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] Q [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] I call wary of the early position limper. All fold to the BB who checks.

Flop A [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]

BB checks early position limper checks. I bet 500 BB raises another 2000 he has another 1000 after the raise. Early position UTG+1 folds.

Now what ? My opponent is a very good player whose devil may care table image is a complete front. I have thought about this one long and hard and I still don't know if I played it right.

I would appreciate your views results to follow.

Ross

[Guy McSucker]

Eek!

If I'd been check-raised like that, not all-in, I would be scared. It looks to me like he wants a call.

I would pass. A check-raise bluff is unlikely, given that there was no preflop raise. I don't know many players who would do this without two pair, a set, or a pair-and-flush-draw. In any of these cases, you're an underdog, although only marginally in the drawing case. Since you don't know which it is, you can't call.

(I expect I got this one wrong. Can't wait to see the results.)

Guy.

[ohkanada]

Pre-flop I would either raise or muck facing 1 limper.

On the flop I would fold after his check-raise. Sounds like A3 or a very aggressive flush draw.

Ken Poklitar

[Mark Heide]

Ross,

If these are tough players, then the decision should be easy. You must move in, especially if you've ever scene this guy bet a draw.

From your description the pot is three handed. There are alot of players that will make this move against you, especially if you limp in. His raise will usually make a weak ace or king fold, and he knows this. What he does not know is that you limped in with a big hand and hit.

Now, let's look at the mathematics of the situation. Since, he was in the big blind his likely combination of hands that could hurt you are any A3, K3, or 33 combination. But, that only makes 18 combinations. It is more likely that he has two spades J-2 which is a total of 45 combinations. So, the odds are 2.5-to-1 that he has two spades. Move in.

Good Luck

Mark

[alieneyes]

I would note a couple of other hands here (although neither is too likely) if these are tough players: AA and AK. My case is that facing two limpers, AA might want to play deceptively to make some profit. For AK, he might also fear the utg limper and not be prepared to commit.

Also I think making it 2500 and leaving himself with only 1000 pretty much pot commits him. My guess is he either has a better hand than Ross or JsTs (he is only a 3:2 dog there). Guess I need the results to know how wrong I am though.

[Ross]

Thanks for your responses. I am afraid I played the player badly and moved all in. I know he is capable of making a move on players he knows will a put hand down I also thought that with 2 spades out he would have bet trips or 2 pair out on the flop rather than give either of the 2 limpers a free card.

I was of course wrong he had K3o, I hit a Queen on the turn and lived to fight another day before finishing on the final table

thanks


Ross

[gaylord focker]

I wish I beat your resluts in, because I was going to say I have a feeling this was K3. I think what you have to consider here as weather or not the BB expects a call. And when looking at the board, and your position, I think the answer has to be yes. Two early limpers, and you make a decent size bet at the pot, he has to put at least on a good ace. Then he makes a raise that is big, but he doesnt go all in which would make it more dificult for you to call, and increases your chances of folding. I think its just to easy to put him on a hand that you can beat, (like two spades), and move in on him. Also he still has to keep in mind there is another early limper that could check raise behind him which makes it more likely he has a made hand.

[Mark Heide]

alieneyes,

Since there is only one combination of AA left, and six combinations of AK, I wouldn't worry about it. In this situation you need to know what are the most likely combinations. As you can see, they are either two spades or K3. Futhermore, even with K3, you can still draw out with 5 outs. I would only fold that hand against someone that was a player that had to hit the flop to bet.

Good Luck

Mark