Comments on this play
I'm playing in a NL multitable tourney, table of 8 down to 5, top 4 advance. I'm probably in second or 3 with $60. blinds are just raised to .75/2.50
Chip leader UTG raises to 4. I've only played with him one other time but I've got a pretty good read on him. He's very tight and I put him on QQ's or higher, leaning heavily towards KK or AA. I'm dealt AKs on the button.
Normally, I'd probably go all-in but I strongly consider folding based on my read and the chip position. (he's got about 100). I just can't bring myself to lay it down without finding out for sure. I reraise him 10 to get more information, thinking if he just calls, I go all in on the flop. He reraises 20 and I think for a few minutes before folding. He shows AA. I hit my flush btw.
Now, my question is should i have trusted my instincts in the first place and folded without the reraise for information. And what do you think of the reraise amount of $10. more or less? I wanted enough money in the pot for him to want to take it down without messing around.
Thanks in advance.
Chip leader UTG raises to 4. I've only played with him one other time but I've got a pretty good read on him. He's very tight and I put him on QQ's or higher, leaning heavily towards KK or AA. I'm dealt AKs on the button.
Normally, I'd probably go all-in but I strongly consider folding based on my read and the chip position. (he's got about 100). I just can't bring myself to lay it down without finding out for sure. I reraise him 10 to get more information, thinking if he just calls, I go all in on the flop. He reraises 20 and I think for a few minutes before folding. He shows AA. I hit my flush btw.
Now, my question is should i have trusted my instincts in the first place and folded without the reraise for information. And what do you think of the reraise amount of $10. more or less? I wanted enough money in the pot for him to want to take it down without messing around.
Thanks in advance.
Comments
***Is this a home tournament? I have never seen such small amounts of money in 8 tables.
vinsanity: Chip leader UTG raises to 4. I've only played with him one other time but I've got a pretty good read on him. He's very tight and I put him on QQ's or higher, leaning heavily towards KK or AA. I'm dealt AKs on the button.
***As an interesting experiment, I like to track my "instincts." Online I either have a strong "instinctive" feeling or I have no feelings. I have found that when I have a strong feelings it is almost always right. In the range of 96% since I started this experiment. A Vancouver player named Bob Copps taught me to (1) Listen to my instincts and (2) Improve them by learning to trust myself.
***I don't think there is anything too tricky about "instincts." It is almost certainly pattern-recognition that is occuring at a pre-cognitive level. In this case your instinct was telling you that your opponent held A-A, K-K, Q-Q, or A-K. Probably you were simply recognizing that pattern... when *this* player raised UTG he *always* has a big hand.
***Against that range of hands your A-Ks was only 41% pot equity. That is pretty close and since one's instinct is never perfect I think re-raising looks like the best play to me.
vinsanity: Normally, I'd probably go all-in but I strongly consider folding based on my read and the chip position. (he's got about 100).
***Going all in here would be a *horrid* play. If I am reading you correctly then the raise is to 4 and you would be going 60 by going all-in. That is a *huge* overbet. And you have said that he is tight. What will he call you with? If he calls you then you are in *deep* poo. You are risking 60 to win 4. Ugh.
***One of my principles in no-limit is "bet enough to get the job done." You know he is right. He will not call a re-raise without the goods. Raising to 15 feels about right to me. He has to call 10 into a 20-ish pot.
I reraise him 10 to get more information, thinking if he just calls, I go all in on the flop.
***I like your play here. I think it is spot on.
vinsanity: He reraises 20 and I think for a few minutes before folding. He shows AA. I hit my flush btw.
***Good fold. Had you played the hand you would have bee an 8-1 dog.
vinsanity: Now, my question is should i have trusted my instincts in the first place and folded without the reraise for information. And what do you think of the reraise amount of $10. more or less? I wanted enough money in the pot for him to want to take it down without messing around.
***I think you played the hand perfectly. You have to have some *serious* instincts to lay down A-Ks to a single raise. Either that or some very compelling other reasons to much (e.g. a super satellite in which you have lots of chips are and close to making the money).
***The answer to almost every poker questions is "it depends." It almost always depends upon your opponents cards and how he plays. That is *the* danger in becoming a rock... you will beat the weak players who are not paying attention, but you will get KILLED by the foxes.
I agree with the first part (i.e. I like re-raising by 10), but I'm not too sure about *automatically* going all-in on the flop.
Vinsanity, what is your thinking here? That is, what possible hands do you put this opponent on if he just calls the 10 reraise?
Fancy players might smooth call with the AA or KK, and a very conservative player (like the one described) might slow down and just call with hands like JJ or QQ. Are you automatically going all-in if 3 rags flop? Or how about QJx?
(Comic book guy voice:) Weirdest...blind stucture... ev-errrr.
Ummm... you don't have to play with chips at face value in a tournament.
At the very least, maybe you could multiply everyones' starting chips by 4 so you can deal with minimum units of 1 instead of 0.25.
Off topic, this is exactly why I play Brantford 5-10 and not Brantford 10-20. 8)
RockyZ
I thought about that and Like I said, for some reason I just had a really good read on this guy. I felt certain he wouldn't smooth call with AA, KK if I showed strength. I also had position on the guy so I figured if he checked, I'm all in on pretty much anything. I also felt certain he would be able to fold JJ or QQ if I went all in. However, as Dave's pointed out and duly noted by me for future reference, that's a "horrid" play
Thanks for ScottyZ and Dave's comments. It just finished tonight and I finished 4th out of 32 players btw.