TPTK and the small hand small pot syndrome mixup

This is a position I find myself in time and time again in a tourney and it is the TPTK hand vs something that is stronger or something that hits stronger on the turn.

I will often raise the top pair on the flop only to get called.
Now, I have a dilemma because I can no longer play small hand small pot, I might check behind on the turn in position but sometimes have to bet but by raising the flop I am bloating the pot.
If I just call the flop then I am usually allowing any hand to draw out and maybe higher cards to hit and beat me in this example, any J,Q,K.

I like to play fast at the beginning of a tourney in an aggressive accumulating mode so this often means that players call me light. This only gives me difficult decisions in these exact type of hands.
I think in this example, I should fold the turn but more importantly, how do I keep the pot small when the stack sizes are still relatively big.






Hand 1/1Hand HistoryReplayerPoker Stars, $200 Buy-in (200/400 blinds, 40 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #18981491

MP2: 17,579 (43.9 bb)
MP3: 14,223 (35.6 bb)
Hero (CO): 18,063 (45.2 bb)
BTN: 11,901 (29.8 bb)
SB: 5,344 (13.4 bb)
BB: 22,125 (55.3 bb)
UTG+1: 9,780 (24.5 bb)
UTG+2: 14,997 (37.5 bb)
MP1: 34,234 (85.6 bb)

Preflop: Hero is CO with T A
3 folds, MP2 raises to 800, MP3 folds, Hero calls 800, 3 folds

Flop: (2,560) T 6 9 (2 players)
MP2 bets 1,200, Hero raises to 3,600, MP2 calls 2,400

Turn: (9,760) 6 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero bets 6,000, MP2 raises to 13,139 and is all-in[/color]

I think it's important to know a little about the villian in question.

Secondly; it would be helpful if you showed the suits of the cards too. I'm not a fan with how you played this hand overall tbh

Why exactly are you raising the flop? Also; why bet so big on the river?

ramdeebam said:

I think it's important to know a little about the villian in question.

Secondly; it would be helpful if you showed the suits of the cards too. I'm not a fan with how you played this hand overall tbh

Why exactly are you raising the flop? Also; why bet so big on the river?

Click to expand...

Hmm
something wrong with the hand converter.
The 1st 2 card on the flop are clubs.
I raised the flop for value with TPTK and also to protect against the draw.
I would normally check the turn on a dry flop to keep it small but in this case don;t I have to bet again.
Villain is pretty average, seems tightish, not overly aggressive.
I had been playing aggressively so a lot were calling me down with nothing, middle pairs, etc.

Nelson said:

This is a position I find myself in time and time again in a tourney and it is the TPTK hand vs something that is stronger or something that hits stronger on the turn.

I will often raise the top pair on the flop only to get called.

Now, I have a dilemma because I can no longer play small hand small pot, I might check behind on the turn in position but sometimes have to bet but by raising the flop I am bloating the pot.

If I just call the flop then I am usually allowing any hand to draw out and maybe higher cards to hit and beat me in this example, any J,Q,K.

I like to play fast at the beginning of a tourney in an aggressive accumulating mode so this often means that players call me light. This only gives me difficult decisions in these exact type of hands.

I think in this example, I should fold the turn but more importantly, how do I keep the pot small when the stack sizes are still relatively big.




Hand 1/1Hand HistoryReplayerPoker Stars, $200 Buy-in (200/400 blinds, 40 ante) No Limit Hold'em Tournament, 9 Players

Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite. View Hand #18981491

MP2: 17,579 (43.9 bb)

MP3: 14,223 (35.6 bb)

Hero (CO): 18,063 (45.2 bb)

BTN: 11,901 (29.8 bb)

SB: 5,344 (13.4 bb)

BB: 22,125 (55.3 bb)

UTG+1: 9,780 (24.5 bb)

UTG+2: 14,997 (37.5 bb)

MP1: 34,234 (85.6 bb)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Th Ah

3 folds, MP2 raises to 800, MP3 folds, Hero calls 800, 3 folds

Flop: (2,560) Tc 6c 9s (2 players)

MP2 bets 1,200, Hero raises to 3,600, MP2 calls 2,400

Turn: (9,760) 6d (2 players)

MP2 checks, Hero bets 6,000, MP2 raises to 13,139 and is all-in[/color]

Click to expand...

Fold pre if these sort of hands give you trouble. You can 3b pre too if he's opening light. Actually it looks to me like a 3b pre or fold pre depending on how wide he opens. Only reason to call is his post flop play is weak. AT is not really strong enough to be calling even though you have position and you are both deep
As played, on flop you can just call. Yes sometimes they are going to outdraw you but your hand isn't that great and is just a bluff catcher on this board texture. Like the best bluff catcher but still a bluff catcher. You don't have to raise. And even though you raised here, your raise still gives them 1:3 which is the same odds they'd be giving themselves if their bet was just to give themselves the odds they wanted. Call and evaluate. Raising scares away weaker hands. By just calling, you keep weaker Tens, a 9 or 88/77 in the hand and it can appear to him as though you are the one drawing, especially considering that you have a loose image and you keep him guessing.
I would prefer a line like this.
Flop - call
Turn - call or check down
River - thin value bet if he checked both turn and river and river bricks. tough spot if he 3 barrels but I probably call most rivers.

It seems to me like you are being too afraid of being sucked out on and start to be like one of those guys who 'protect' their big pairs and just want to scare off weaker holdings. Just play the hands as is. Don't worry too much about being sucked out. I mean you're trying to do it to them(you say you play loose and fast I don't know what you're doing if you're not trying to stack people off early) but super afraid of same happening to you. Man up abit yea!

You didn't give any info on villain either. Hard to get a read on him. Can only generalise his range.