Good Call/Bad Call?

gordan_geccogordan_gecco
in Online Poker
POKERSTARS TOURNAMENT #4541137, HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL V (75/150)

Table '4541137 1' Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: Bulletron (2120 in chips)
Seat 8: gordan_gecco (11380 in chips)
gordan_gecco: posts small blind 75
Bulletron: posts big blind 150

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to gordan_gecco [7s 8s]
gordan_gecco: calls 75
Bulletron: checks

*** FLOP *** [As Ah Qs]
Bulletron: checks
gordan_gecco: bets 550
Bulletron: raises 1420 to 1970 and is all-in
gordan_gecco: calls 1420


I like my initial bet on the flop after he checked to me...he was pretty tight, even heads up, and I was taking down lots of pots with nothing. When he raised me, I knew I was behind, given the way he had played throughout the tournament. What are you thoughts on my call? Good? Bad? Ugly ;)?

Thanks!

Comments

  • ScottyZScottyZ
    You're about a 3 to 1 dog if he's got an Ace (other than AQ), or 2 to 1 if he's got a Q. Since you describe him as a tight player and say that it is easy to take pots off him post-flop, the flop action suggests to me that he probably has at least a Q.

    The pot offers you 2,270 to 1,420, or about 1.6 to 1. If you assume your opponent is currently ahead with 2 pair* or better, this is a -EV play.

    However, I'm wondering if there is any added value due to the fact that you can eliminate your opponent on this hand? Could this sort of thing swing a -EV play into being correct?

    Surely you would call here if your opponent outclassed you skill-wise, but you seem to suggest that you have good control over a tight opponent.

    I know it's easy for me to say with 20/20 Hindsight-O-Vision^TM, but I think checking the flop in last position and taking a free card would have been better here. It's one of those "don't bet when you would hate being raised" spots. Better to bet flops you miss completely against a tight opponent, rather than your drawing hands.

    ScottyZ

    *With the exception of him having a pocket pair below 77, in which case, you're in pretty good shape.
  • stpboystpboy
    I dont think that this is a great call or one that you would normally make in profit poker.

    Considering your stack size and the amount that you have to call I would say it's a risky call but one that many would be willing to make. Obviously at this point you are likely an underdog and most likely you are a HUGE underdog.

    My guess is that he has a weak ace and you hit your flush, you lucky sob ;)

    stp
  • gordan_geccogordan_gecco
    Thanks for the feedback, Scotty and stp. This was a tough one for me. I knew I was behind, but I figured that the pot was giving me 1.98 to 1 to call his raise, not 1.6 to 1, because my $550 was already gone. And it's about 1.75 to 1 against me making my flush by the river. Adding to that the possibility of winning the SNG (like Scotty said), I felt it was worth a call...but I also didn't want to double him up (obviously ;))

    The rest of the story is that I didn't improve, he won the hand, and I went from having a 5.5 to 1 chip lead to a ~2 to 1 lead. The good news is that I was able to remain focused, and I busted him shortly thereafter.

    Thanks again for your feedback. I agree that the safer play would have been to check the flop and get a free card. Sigh, when will I learn? :)

    Derek
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