Spot review MTT, pocket 99

Just reviewing my hands from a few MTTs last night. This is one hand I think I played incorrectly, but wanted some second opinions. We're just in the money, stack is 16.7K (21BB) three players to my left have similar stacks, one with 75BB. UTG short stack with 1BB shoves.

I have pocket 99, decided to isolate by shoving over the top. I get called by a 20BB player, they have KK, the UTG raiser has 55, they spike a set, the KK picks up my side pot and I'm basically out.

In retrospect I should have called and folded to a shove by one of the other stacks, but at 21BB at this stage I feel it's pretty close.

What do you think about this spot?

rickblackdog said:

Just reviewing my hands from a few MTTs last night. This is one hand I think I played incorrectly, but wanted some second opinions. We're just in the money, stack is 16.7K (21BB) three players to my left have similar stacks, one with 75BB. UTG short stack with 1BB shoves.

I have pocket 99, decided to isolate by shoving over the top. I get called by a 20BB player, they have KK, the UTG raiser has 55, they spike a set, the KK picks up my side pot and I'm basically out.

In retrospect I should have called and folded to a shove by one of the other stacks, but at 21BB at this stage I feel it's pretty close.

What do you think about this spot?

Click to expand...

Considering that the original bet was 1BB, then your move is almost like an open shove pre-flop. That being said, would you really open shove pre flop with 99 from your position?

As you pointed out, call - fold to a shove would probably be better imo.

The all-in player matter in the sense, that you have less fold equity, since you need to beat him at showdown. But its still valuable to get everyone else out of the pot, so that the two of you can fight for the blinds and antes. For that reason I am pretty much never flat calling here.

But I am also not jamming. With 20BB you are deep enough to make a standard raise and then make a decision, if you get 3-bet. With 99 its kind of borderline, so it would depend a little bit on, who the 3-better was. But mostly I am probably calling, so in this exact situation I dont really think, it made any difference. Its mostly just a cooler spot, and this will happen a lot in tournaments.

rickblackdog said:

Just reviewing my hands from a few MTTs last night. This is one hand I think I played incorrectly, but wanted some second opinions. We're just in the money, stack is 16.7K (21BB) three players to my left have similar stacks, one with 75BB. UTG short stack with 1BB shoves.

I have pocket 99, decided to isolate by shoving over the top. I get called by a 20BB player, they have KK, the UTG raiser has 55, they spike a set, the KK picks up my side pot and I'm basically out.

In retrospect I should have called and folded to a shove by one of the other stacks, but at 21BB at this stage I feel it's pretty close.


What do you think about this spot?

Click to expand...

Most probably if you have won the hand you wouldn't ask the question. It is important to increase our stack and survive in the tournament and shoving there give's you a lot of fold equity. At the same time you have to think that when you are called you are almost dead (as it happened). Most probably nobody will call you here with a smaller pocket pair.
Instead, byraising here to 3 or 3.5BB, you will keep in the pot weaker hands. Also, if the guy with KK just calls you, and the flop is represented by big hands, you can fold on the turn and save 10-12BB, or maybe you can give up postflop.

Thanks guys, just looking for validation. I'm quite new to the vagaries of MTTs coming from cash. Appreciate the feedback!

Three players to the left with one that has a 75bb stack.

What if one of the three picks up a higher pocket pair? Or maybe flipping Ax range.

IMO it is a fold preflop. You just made the money. 9's is not that strong of a hand to risk your tournament life with more than 20bb stack.

I will start by saying I don't think your play was bad. I don't think it is the best choice but its not bad by any means. The open raiser with one BB is irrelevant. In this situation it is the same as you are the first to open. I think the best play here is to raise 2.75BB to 3BB and see what happens. You may get the same result of isolation with that 3BB raise and if you do get someone to call you can play post flop as you normally would and not be pot committed. If you get someone to jam over you then it would be player dependent to call or not. Raising gives you the most options here and can still achieve what you were trying to originally achieve with respect to isolation.

When I arrive at the money I generally key in on survival first to make the next pay jump. That doesn't mean I try to fold my way to the final table. What I focus on is stack sizes and position. If I'm out of position I'm a nit...in your case I would have made a standard raise and then folded to any re-raise. I also try to avoid tangling with the big stacks. It's the small stacks, though, that I need to think about. They are the ones most likely to shove on me so if they are to my left and yet to play then I tread carefully.