3.30 turbo SNG

UTG hasn't played many pots ever since winning a big allin 4th hand. Hero TAG.

UTG- t3030
Hero-3300
PokerStars (4 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T, T. SB posts a blind of 25.
UTG raises to 200, Hero raises 200 to 500, 2 folds, UTG calls.

Flop: A, 5, A (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks.

Turn: 8 (2 players)
UTG bets 200, Hero???

Edit: Bet sizes I believe are in there now. Didn't even notice at first

Hi.

Need bet sizes.

Kthx.

without knowing bet sizes, raise. bet the flop though.

Fixed. Thank you for noticing

Don't reraise preflop.

As played, I like the flop check.

Call the turn.

Probably fold the river.

The PF raise makes the stack to pot ratio awkward on the flop, so while you might raise this hand if stacks were deeper, I agree with the check.

Flop bet is mandatory imo. Why? If you bet a moderate amount and get called you know your dead. If you check then youre flying blind the rest of the hand and will be pushed out of a significant pot, or youll go down calling what may be a real (and larger) bet on the turn or river.

I check this flop with a wide range in a tournament (usually A-X too). I'm guessing you bet a large % of your range here.

We are blatantly WA/WB, and betting TT here is the same as betting 72o here. Seems like the only useful info we get is usually "oh, I had the best hand" or "damn, he shoved".

There just aren't too many hands in his range he can turn into bluffs really.

just any two cards in his range lol. when youre wa/wb you bet for value, but small enough to get out to aggression.

Underpairs and unpaired overcards and are the only things he can bluff with, and he'd need to fire a reasonable amount twice to bluff successfully. I think his range is probably something like 66-JJ, AQ+ (maybe AJs) and probably a couple of KQ type hands in there somewhere. Is he really firing twice with 66-99 or with KQ that often?

With deeper stacks I think betting is preferable. With shallower stacks I prefer checking behind here.

Oh, and we also get a shot at a 2 outer to beat a hand ahead of us.

Youre nearly 60bbs deep! This isnt a cash game! Maybe in a $3.30, but if you check these hands at reasonable stakes youre being taken off the pot every time.

I check an ace here a fair amount.

When I meant deeper stacks though, I was more referring to the postflop pot size rather than blind size. We have 2.5xpot left in our effective stack, which isn't much to work with.

let me put it another way. If youre willing to call this bet, then you should have bet the flop. Sorry, its just wrong.

He's more likely to call a bet on a later street with a weaker hand.

The only reason I see to bet the flop is to prevent him from firing two barrels with a weaker hand. I think the value we gain on the turn from catching a 2 outer against an ace, or value betting/snapping off a bet from a weaker hand outweighs this.

I can't see him ever calling the flop with worse hands, and he's never folding better hands (better hands are either trips or pretty much exactly JJ). On the turn, I can definitely see us getting value from weaker hands though.

I can't see that it really acheives anything productive. It's basically a blocking bet with no exact purpose.

i have to agree with simo here. by betting the flop we're essentially turning our hand into a bluff. we will always be scared and hoping for a cheap showdown if he calls. i don't think he's calling with worse hands here either.

since you are down to 4 players, I'd bet more pre, and bet flop 100% of the time. that's the best play IMO

No...its a blocking bet with a purpose..to block a bluff. Again, you cannot possibly believe its right to call the turn but not right to bet the flop. They are 100% inconsistent.

I think youve been reading some forums and repeating catch phrases without understanding. Betting the flop is absolutely not turning your hand into a bluff, its a VALUE bet. If he calls you SHOULD be scared. If he doesnt call with a worse hand sobeit, what you cant do is invite him to BET with a worse hand, which is exactly what a check on the flop does.

are you taking this personal? your tone kinda gives this impression.

when you value bet a hand in a situation where there is no value to get, you're turning your hand into a bluff. that has nothing to do with catch phrases, sorry.

i see more value in check/calling a bluffy donkey here than in raising.

but this is for 10 or 9 handed.


i totally missed the fact that this is 4 handed. 4 handed i have to agree with you, as dynamics are a whole lot different.

edit: oops.

apologies..I was a bit annoyed...I shouldnt read politics and poker at the same time. I disagree that there is no value to get though. Value can be gained from preventing a bluff as well as from getting a call.

I'm happy for him to bluff once. I'm calling one bet.

The only time this creates a problem is when villain decides to bluff on two streets.

Suppose he bets 700 on the turn and we call. The pot is then $2400 and he has $1830 behind. He can't be sure I don't have AK or AQ. Is he really going to be shoving with 88 there hoping I fold TT-KK?

I simply do not think that a guy that's not played many pots in a $3.3 turbo sng is about to risk his whole stack bluffing. If you discount bluffing, I think checking is likely to be the correct play, because we do get some more value from lower pairs on either the turn or river, and we have a free shot at catching a 2 outer to stack trips. The only downside to this is when he catches a 2 or 6 outer, in which case we lose one bet.

My thoughts... I like the preflop raise 4 handed. In a bigger game, I would call.

After the check I am betting into this on the flop. I just looked quickly, but theres 1000ish in that pot. I'm betting 800 into it. I want to take it down right now. Not looking to hit my 2 outer - the time to do that is on the flop.

I agree, this takes away his bluff potential. If he flat calls, I am really concerned. If he comes back over the top, I am dropping it. I don't think this guy has KK, he would have shoved preflop. And if this player is really tight, he could lay down his JJ fearing the ace.

If he leads out the turn - and not with the mini 200 bet but with something real - I am prepared to fold. If he checks, I am probably checking behind him. Not sure what I would be looking to do on the river. Would like to hear some thoughts on this.

Not saying this is the correct move, just how I know I have been playing hands like this.

Once he calls a flop bet Im folding to anything he does on the river except a donk bet.