ARRRGGGHHHH!!!
Where did I go wrong, or did I do the right move?
I was on the final table in a Pacific Poker WSOP satellite, 3rd in chips with 6100+ and SB. Blinds were 150/300.
I am dealt 67o.
Everyone folded to me, so I call the 150, BB checks.
Flop comes 3,4,5 rainbow!
I check,
BB bets 300
I raise 1800
BB calls
Turn comes K
I go all in 3000+
BB calls
River is a K
BB shows K4 off and takes me out with a boat Ks and 4s. My flopped straight gets sucked into the abyss......
I was on the final table in a Pacific Poker WSOP satellite, 3rd in chips with 6100+ and SB. Blinds were 150/300.
I am dealt 67o.
Everyone folded to me, so I call the 150, BB checks.
Flop comes 3,4,5 rainbow!
I check,
BB bets 300
I raise 1800
BB calls
Turn comes K
I go all in 3000+
BB calls
River is a K
BB shows K4 off and takes me out with a boat Ks and 4s. My flopped straight gets sucked into the abyss......
Comments
I know you didnt post this because you think you could have played it any different.
It does depend a great deal on the pre-flop and post-flop tendencies of your opponent. I may limp in with rag-rag against a certain opponent if I know something specific about his/her post-flop behavior. But I would say that open-limping from the SB would be the exception rather than the rule.1
If I thought I had a reasonable chance of stealing the blinds, I would make a standard size raise pre-flop. If I did not believe that my opponent would lay down a lot of hands to a pre-flop raise, I favour folding the 67o. This hand has little potential and no high card strength.
Assuming I did limp-in, my post flop behavior depends a lot on my opponent. I may check and call all the way (probably check-raising the river if I still thought or knew I had the best hand) against an aggressive player. I might lead out with a big overbet against an opponent whom I have been running over for the last 4 hands in a row hoping that he/she will attempt to finally play back at me.
Needless to say, knowing nothing about the opponent, the analysis is a challenge here. But, against an unknown or average opponent, I prefer folding pre-flop, or raising on a steal if the opponent strikes me as tighter than usual from the BB.
If you think that this particular opponent would call this particular bet, then yes.
If you think that this particular opponent is likely to bet on the flop and call (or raise) when facing your raise, then yes.
It may seem like I'm just trying to be an ass here, but I'm not. Poker is complicated in general, and this is a great example of a particular hand which can be played many different ways on the flop. And the variety of plays in the long run comes from the fact that your opponents vary.
There is going to be no single way to play the hand, but some general principles to have in mind when you have a monster hand (or the nuts) are:
1. How do I make the most money on the hand?
2. Are there any drawing threats? And if there are, how can I either prevent the drawing, or avoid problems if/when the draw apparently get there?
In this particular hand, I think
1. It depends a lot on your opponent. I might just bet out against an unknown opponent, because it's probably what they'd least expect me to do with the nuts.
2. This board looks pretty safe to me on the flop and turn. If the turn is 2-suited (which was not stated in the OP), you might consider this a minor threat. Otherwise, I see no real threats on the turn. Again, even this one depends on the opponent. That is, what sorts of holdings do you put your opponent on after he/she has called your substantial flop check-raise? Does this indicate a pretty big hand, such as a flopped set or two pair? Is your opponent calling to set up a bluff on a later street? Is your opponent calling you with a weak hand which he/she thinks may be good because you have been playing super-aggressively yourself? Is your opponent just a brutal calling station?
ScottyZ
1Throughout, I am talking about having 67o as hole cards. There are plenty of other hands that I'd consider open-limping from the SB with.
Contrary to ScottyZ I don't hate limping here. I have a good chips position. I am willing to toss 150 in and see what comes. However, if you are willing to call with 76 then sometimes raise with it or you will get too predictable.
I thought I did the right thing, I didn't want to give away the fact that I had flopped a stright by betting too large after the flop. Only when he bet the flop did I figure I would start my aggressive play. Him calling my 1500 raise really surprised me, especially seeing that he only had a pair of 4s at the time. The Ks on the turn and river really sealed my fate, but I think like everyone else has said, if I get this hand again I am going bust again.
Thanks again for your responses.