12 replies to this topic

[Drwnded]

Last night I finished second in the FT 200K tourney for a cash of 29K - thanks to all the regular strat forum posters for the help you've all provided in improving my game over the past six months.

The key hand: blinds were (i think) 1 and 2K, there was still 2-300 people left (top 99 places paid), and I was on the button with about 40k chips. No reliable reads on the table, as I had been moved there just a few hands earlier. UTG+1 pushes all in for about 12k. MP-1 then just calls, leaving him with about 35k left. It's folded to me on the button with 10,10. Both the BB and the SB have stacks of about 20-30K. The average tourney stack I think was about 18k. Your play?

[Rocketwadster]

You should be able to do an account transfer to Rocketwad at FT, but dont send more than 0.5%, as many other deserve some of it as well...

[throwemaway]

Last night I finished second in the FT 200K tourney for a cash of 29K - thanks to all the regular strat forum posters for the help you've all provided in improving my game over the past six months.

The key hand: blinds were (i think) 1 and 2K, there was still 2-300 people left (top 99 places paid), and I was on the button with about 40k chips. No reliable reads on the table, as I had been moved there just a few hands earlier. UTG+1 pushes all in for about 12k. MP-1 then just calls, leaving him with about 35k left. It's folded to me on the button with 10,10. Both the BB and the SB have stacks of about 20-30K. The average tourney stack I think was about 18k. Your play?

I think UTG's range is pretty wide..He has an M of less than 4 (depending on antes) and hes about get mauled by the blinds..I really think your ahead of him...

Now Mp1 calls, and that is who I think we should be worried about...Are you OK with possibly having to dodge 3 overcards here to win a massive pot? What about isolating the UTG raiser? I think if you raise all in here, you can probably get him out of the pot, have his 12 K of dead money in there, and be way ahead of UTG...I can't see him going all the way with Ace queen here, and JJ and up wouldnt he re raise UTG initially to isolate?

I'm pretty curious as to how this played though, as this truly is a crucial hand of the tourney

[gobears]

Congrats on the finish - that's a nice payday!

I think that just calling 1/4 of our stack is out especially with the blinds to act who have decent stacks.

The call by MP is giving him room to fold to a push although he has put in 22% of his stack on the call.

Still far from the money, M of 13, I think that I push here - best case scenario is that the blinds and MP fold - and you're HU with short stack with dead money in the pot.

If I don't push, folding would be my next option.

[mk]

i like a push here, hoping that utg has a smaller pair, meaning we're in great shape with a huge overlay.

[crazyplaya6]

yeah clearly a push or fold, hoping for the dead money best case scenario. with mp just calling id be semi-worried that hes looking for a push from you, but thats about it.

[Bizzle]

Fold. Level 2 thinking, people.

[Rocketwadster]

Maybe its just me, but I would fold this here in that spot.

[gobears]

Fold. Level 2 thinking, people.

How do you know if MP is thinking level 1 or level 2 though?

[Bizzle]

How do you know if MP is thinking level 1 or level 2 though?

Its a $216 tournament? I'd be shocked if MP-1 didn't have AA, but I don't suppose KK is out of the question.

[Drwnded]

As some of you suggested, my first impulse was to push. As Bizzle suggested though, the thought occurred to me that MP1 might be begging for more action with his flat call.

I decided to simply call as well, figuring I had position on the flop, with my plan being, assuming both blinds folded, I would bet out if checked to on the flop, especially if there was only 0-1 overcards to my tens. On the other hand, if MP1 bets out strongly on the flop, I knew I'd likely have to fold, but would still be left with a workable stack. I also hoped MP1 might be happy to cooperate and check it down, depending on the texture of the flop, in which case my tens might also hold up.

As it turns out, the flop came A,7,10 rainbow. He bet out 10k, and I decided he likely held a big ace, and that if he had flopped a set of aces, i'd simply have to pay him off. I flat called his flop bet, raised his turn bet all in, and he turned over AK.

From there I just had to not do anything stupid, stole the blinds about once per orbit, and picked off a few desperation all-ins and cruised to the final table.

[HtotheNootch]

As some of you suggested, my first impulse was to push. As Bizzle suggested though, the thought occurred to me that MP1 might be begging for more action with his flat call.

I decided to simply call as well, figuring I had position on the flop, with my plan being, assuming both blinds folded, I would bet out if checked to on the flop, especially if there was only 0-1 overcards to my tens. On the other hand, if MP1 bets out strongly on the flop, I knew I'd likely have to fold, but would still be left with a workable stack. I also hoped MP1 might be happy to cooperate and check it down, depending on the texture of the flop, in which case my tens might also hold up.

As it turns out, the flop came A,7,10 rainbow. He bet out 10k, and I decided he likely held a big ace, and that if he had flopped a set of aces, i'd simply have to pay him off. I flat called his flop bet, raised his turn bet all in, and he turned over AK.

From there I just had to not do anything stupid, stole the blinds about once per orbit, and picked off a few desperation all-ins and cruised to the final table.

My strategy is to call, and flop a set.

[mk]

Told ya this wasn't AA/KK, biz. People just don't want to play those hands against multiple opponents with zero visibility. I know you claim that 'people are stupid', but I still don't think isolating with those hands is a bad play.

I watched the WPT Foxwoods episode last night with Schulman and Gazes. Do you remember the hand where they were down to three-handed, Gazes picked up AA on the button, raised, got re-raised by Schulman, and then Licastro moved all-in over the top? He thought a while and Sexton's commentary was a lot like our coversation yesterday. Gazes was thinking, 'I don't really want to play this hand against both opponents, but maybe I can get a big sidepot going with Schulman...' He decided to move in and isolate. I'm not saying Gazes is definitely right because he's a pro, I'm just saying that it's the play you see much more often than flat calling. Flat calling is an awesome, bold, risky play to make late in tourneys, but I just don't see it very often.