Hand to Talk About

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Everyone:

I sat in a $30-$60 game a little earlier tonight and this interesting hand came up.

Before the flop, it was passed to me and I held Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] two off the button. I raised and the two players behind me called as well as the big blind.

The flop came T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. The player in the blind checked. I bet. The player behind me raised. The player on the button called the two bets cold. The player in the blind folded, and I called.

Fourth street was the A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I checked. The on the flop raiser bet, but his bet put him all in for $40. The button called. I check raised making it $100 total, and the player on the button called.

The river was the T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I bet and the player on the button folded.

All comments welcome.

Best wishes,
Mason

[ike]

Seems right to me. I guess the play you're wondering about is the turn checkraise? Since the button didn't raise the all-in to protect his hand you can assume he's drawing (especially with the flop coldcall this seems likely), so the raise is pretty automatic. I don't think theres any point in this hand where you can fold. The button is pretty clearly drawing and the raiser may have you beat but players play so erratically when near allin that without a specific read a fold feels very wrong.

[theriverwild]

i like the turn check raise to protect your hand, but if that ten didn't hit were u checking the river through or betting since his hand seems like an obvious draw anyways and would only call if he was drawing at the flush and made a pair of aces?

[Gotmilk]

nh mason :-) if the preflop raiser only had $29 left so the check raise would only be a completion , how do you play it ?

[Legian]

Hi. I'm new to posting here.

The turn and river seem pretty straight forward to me given both the short stack and seeing as how you played it on the flop.

But it's the flop that interests me. Why not reraise the shortstack then and there? He'd likely put the rest of his money in, allowing you to start working on a sidepot against the button.

Regards, Legian

[largos]

I think you lost the main pot.

[DcifrThs]

[ QUOTE ]
nh mason :-) if the preflop raiser only had $29 left so the check raise would only be a completion , how do you play it ?

[/ QUOTE ]

first off, congrats on your earlier tourney finish....

second, i think mason bets out if a c-r would just be a completion. i may be wrong here but thats what id be thinking. without the 29 though its a clear c-r imo against an almost certain draw: his money is going in anyway so no brainer...

-Barron

[Zele]

This must be a pretty tight game if QTo was worth a steal in CO-1.

The turn is a lot like being HU on the river, with the added urgency of getting the bet in to charge the (likely) flush draw. When the A drops, the nearly all-in player is somewhat more likely to bet than to call a bet from you, and additionally this allows you to charge the draw 2 bets (probably the more important factor). It's the kind of decision that seems so obvious when you think it out. I hope I would think of that in the heat of battle.

[mike l.]

openraising 2 off the button w/ QTo is just a little too loose and a little too aggressive for my tastes.

[potato]

.