What would you have done?

BigChrisEl

Hey everyone,

I played a SNG tournament on Party Poker on the week-end and had a very interesting hand early on and just wondering what you guys would have done? Just to let you know the table over all was very tight and passive, lots of people calling to see the flop and just checking all the way to the river. I forget how much people had except for the player in the hand.

SB
BB 305
Player A
Player B
Player C
BigChrisEl 1500
Payer D

Blinds were 10/15,
Player A called for 15, Player B called for 15, Player C folded,

I was dealt A 10 , I raised to 100

Player D folds, SB Folds, BB calls the bet
Pot total = 260, Me 1400, BB 205
Flop comes out A :spade: 8 9

BB Checks, I was looking at a Pair of A's and both a straight and flush hand. I checked.

Next card J :diamond: , BB goes all-in (205). Now I called but the question I have is did I do the right thing and what would have you done?

I'll tell you guys how the hand played out a bit later.

Thanks

gordan_gecco

BigChrisEl wrote:

Hey everyone,
I was dealt A 10 , I raised to 100
Pot total = 260, Me 1400, BB 205
Flop comes out A :spade: 8 9

BB Checks, I was looking at a Pair of A's and both a straight and flush hand. I checked.

Next card J , BB goes all-in (205). Now I called but the question I have is did I do the right thing and what would have you done?

You definitely made the right choice in calling. You're holding the nut flush, as he can't make a straight flush since you have the 10 . However, I would have bet it outright when the flop hit. You don't have your flush yet, and you could easily lose to a straight. (As a correction, I wouldn't say you had a straight draw after the flop, since you would need a runner-runner to make the straight:)).

He could have a number of hands, including a weaker flush or a made straight. Or he may have just moved in trying to steal the pot by representing the flush, as he was short-stacked. However, people usually only post threads like this when they lost the hand, so I'm going to guess he won the hand.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that he was holding a pocket pair, made his set on the flop (which he decided to slowplay), and the board paired on the river, giving him a full house.

To answer your question again, though, yes, you made the right play in calling, although you shouldn't have checked on the flop:).

BigChrisEl

Sorry my mistake it was a J :diamond: not J

ScottyZ

Just to let you know the table over all was very tight and passive, lots of people calling to see the flop and just checking all the way to the river.

I would call this *loose* and passive.

I wouldn't have raised pre-flop. You have an ideal limping hand here. A weak hand with very strong potential.

The flop leaves you in a strange situation. This is clearly an excellent flop for you with top pair (bad kicker) and the flush draw (3 cards to a straight is *NOT* a straight draw). However, it seems to be a flop where you're somewhat unlikely to get a call from a hand that you're currently beating.

I would personally tap the BB on the flop, partially because I have a good hand with an excellent draw, partially because my opponent might actually make a desparation call with a hand which is losing to an Ace (feeling pot-committed perhaps), and partially to establish the fact that I am going to play an aggressive style to the rest of the table.

You did the right thing on the turn by calling. You are know for certain that you are the favorite to win at the showdown.

EDIT: Okay, the turn card was updated to Jd. I would still call here. You may turn out to actually be winning, and you apprear to have a *lot* of outs if you're not. This call is almost as easy as the Jh call. :cool:

ScottyZ

gordan_gecco

BigChrisEl wrote:

Sorry my mistake it was a J :diamond: not J

Oh, well then, that changes everything:)! Scratch my full house scenario. I'm gonna guess he was holding Q10o, and he made his straight when the J fell. I still think you should have bet it outright on the flop, because you gave him a free card with which to make his straight.

In this case, I would have laid it down. You still need a heart to make the flush, so you are about a 4 to 1 underdog to make the hand. Since you are only getting under 2 to 1 pot odds, this is an easy fold. If he wasn't all-in, you could call because your implied odds (assuming you make the flush) are probably very good. But, he WAS all-in, so you have no implied odds. Again, I would have laid it down at this point.

Thanks for the correction regarding the turn card:).

ScottyZ

as he can't make a straight flush since you have the 10

It's possible that the opponent has 1 out to the 9-high straight flush.

ScottyZ

gordan_gecco

ScottyZ wrote:

I would still call here. You may turn out to actually be winning, and you apprear to have a *lot* of outs if you're not. This call is almost as easy as the Jh call. :cool: ScottyZ

Hmmm, the Jedi master makes a good point:). Perhaps this is why I usually don't offer advice on how people played a hand:). Ah well, I think my response was *pretty* good for my first time answering a "how did I play this" post:).

ScottyZ

Well I certainly agree that it a call is incorrect based on pot odds *IF* you can read your opponent for exactly QT (or T7). And yes, you should consider pot odds, and not implied odds in all-in situations (where there is no side pot).

However, you're a big favorite against *any* other hand your opponent has other than trips or two pair; and even in those cases, you're getting just about the right drawing odds (about 2-1) to call anyway, having at least 14 outs (all hearts except the J, and all 7's and Q's).

ScottyZ

DJP

OK, the nut flush you have covered if the river is kind. And you do have top pair with a medium kicker. But, and this is a big but.... lol

The BB could also have AK, AQ, AJ, A9, A8, JJ, J9, J8, 99, 88. Not to mention the baby flush draw, and straight draw. Low stack will call those types of draw hands when desperate, which makes him dangerous. lol

Gut feeling...

I'm gonna guess buddy has made a set, (pocket J's, 9's, or 8's)

or 2 pair (AJ, J9, J8).

If it's true don't feel bad. I would have called him too.

So tell us what happened. The suspense is killing me. lol

BigChrisEl

Well I thought when he bet on all-in when the Jack hit that he connected with a J.

The reason why I thought that cause on a hand earlier he had a K, J and he forced another person all-in (he had more chips on that one) when there was 10,Q,Q,A on the table. He lost that one as the person he force all-in had Q,10. He also was the type of player that usually bet when he connected a card (but as well all know assuming the way a player plays can cost you)

Also when he didn't bet the flop I thought that maybe the A scared him. When I saw the J :diamond: I was going to bet him all-in just that he bet first.

BigChrisEl

So of course I called him. The cards flip over and he has AA. Right there I think crap I misread him.

The river comes out 7 , I am stunned not only by his cards but by my incredible luck.

The guy turns around and starts saying "Why the Hell did you call that? You had crap."

He then says "Good luck cause you can't play poker and are going to lose all your money"

I reply by saying "Thanks for info and goodluck". I then go on later to win the tournament.

ScottyZ

I think it's no co-incidence that the people who accuse other people of playing badly typically can't play for $h*t themselves.

I liked your reply to him though.

I haven't seen a worse played AA in a long time, and the fact that he's down to around 360 in chips in Round 2 of a tournament suggests to me your opponent may not quite be the superstar that he thinks he is.

You played it well yourself on the flop and turn... it was only pre-flop I would have probably played differently myself.

And congrats. :cool:

ScottyZ

DJP

Buddy was mad, because he was slow playing and it cost him everything. He should have bet it all pre or post flop, and forced you to draw. He got greedy. A lesson there for everyone. It's happened to me too. Slow playing trips will cost you. I still do it from time to time, but less than I used to. The board has to be the right cards to do it.

And I usually refer to them as "Phil", when they start whining like that. Usually someone at the table will catch the joke too. A simple "Is that you Phil?" usually does the trick. lol

Nice hand.


PS, I noticed I forgot to add AA to the list of his possible hands. I meant to. lol
I still would have put him on Jacks.