1.20 S&G in the BB - Two Pair on the River

[Steveg1976]

Stacks:
* BTN with 4110
* SB with 5905
* BB with 2555
* UTG with 930

Blinds: 50/100
Site: pokerstars
* * Dealt to BB:6♦ K♦
* * Sklansky group 7
Preflop:
* * 2 players fold.
* * SB calls [50] Hero raises 300 to 400
* * SB calls [300]
* * Total folds this street: 2
* * Potsize: 800
Flop: K♥ A♣ J♥
* * SB bets [300] Hero raises 500 to 800
* * SB calls [500]
* * Potsize: 2400
Turn: 3♦
* * SB: checks Hero: checks
* * Potsize: 2400
River: 6♠
* * SB: checks Hero bets [1355] [ all-in ]
* * SB calls [1355]
Results:

I put the small blind on an Ace rag after my flop raise. My big bet on the river are one to not show my hand and maybe he thinks I am bluffing so that I can get paid even better later. Two I figure I could easily be called with just top here and get paid. Would a Check Call have been a better line in this situation?

Villian has been loose but I wouldn't call him a maniac but loves Aces and will overplay top pair.

The results have been hidden.

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[Jillychemung]

So many hands in opponents range have you crushed. They could be slow playing AA or KK or even JJ or have easily hit the ST8 and figuring you to do their betting for them. Of course now this is a $1.25 SNG so heck I wouldn't be surprised if you say that the opponent had 33 or 66.

I would have checked preflop and then checked all the way down except for the river where I would have called a 1/2 pot bet if the pot was still 600.

 

[OzExorcist]

I would have checked preflop and then checked all the way down except for the river where I would have called a 1/2 pot bet if the pot was still 600.

Ditto. We've got a medium strength hand at best, and one that's crushed at worst. I wouldn't be committing anywhere near this many chips with these cards, and I'd certainly baulk at getting all-in.

In fact, I might even fold that flop. In theory we've shown strength before the flop, villain likes to play aces, there's an ace on the board, there's also draws on the board (which we have no piece of).

There's a good chance our hand is second best right now, and we're very unlikely to improve it by the river. In fact now I'm fairly sure I'm folding this on the flop. We just don't need to risk our lives here.

 

[JimmyBrizzy]

I'm gonna throw out a guess of something like Ah6h/3h for a two pair better than yours. I'm not quite understanding why you got so many chips in on that hand (lots of hands he could have that beat yours, not sure he's good enough to have fold equity at a 1.20 sng). I think with a really decent hand made earlier he might be betting out a little bit in the beginning, but who knows its down to 4 people so there are more playable hands.

Still some play left in the tourney with your stack in ok shape. And with position I think definitely checking on the river is a must.

Anyway now I've just analyzed this hand way too much, WHAT HAPPENED!?!?! I NEED TO KNOW!.....haha

 

[Steveg1976]

There's a good chance our hand is second best right now, and we're very unlikely to improve it by the river. In fact now I'm fairly sure I'm folding this on the flop. We just don't need to risk our lives here.

I know that a pair of Kings is not a great hand but this blind v. blind, my flop bet was really to take it down or be done with the hand. If he is slowplaying AK or AJ so be it but highly unlikely same with q10 as my preflop raise should have gotten that hand to fold. So most likely at this point has a A smaller than 10 or pocket pair. I have any pocket pair except JJ beat right now as AA or KK would have raised preflop not just called. He called the Flop bet, so now I am done with this hand. I checked the turn expecting a bet and I fold. Then I catch a 6 on the river. My question was really is two pair good enough to bet. If he has 66 or 33 there is nothing more I could have done to push him off that hand having led preflop and after the flop. A check with two pair against my opponent likely Top pair weak Kicker seams like a pretty weak play.

 

[Jillychemung]

At this stage of the tournament, SB could very easily be making a move since he'd only fall back to a close 3rd and if he's successful he's got a lock on the tournament. If you can really narrow SB range down to TP then more power to ya but I certainly couldn't.

 

[Steveg1976]

I was the BB.

 

[Jillychemung]

I was the BB.

Same applies. SB is not afraid of your stack so he could be doing anything. The risk/reward for the SB here is huge on the reward side and minimal on the risk side. IMHO

 

[Steveg1976]

I think Stack sizes may have been the aspect I lost site of as this hand developed.

As I turns out he had A3 for a better two pair and checked it twice allowing me to hang myself when I caught the 6 on the River.

 

[AlexeiVronsky]

After he called the flop raise you almost certainly need to shut down and hope for a free showdown. Should fold to the turn bet, doesn't look like a defensive bet and a bluff is very unlikely. With the 2 pair on the river you definitely should check behind there's just way too much that can beat you and you want to just show down with a medium strength hand like two pair on this board and with this action, you're not likely to get any better hand to fold especially in a $1.20 sitngo and very few inferior hands are going to call as he missed his draw if he had one and even a single pair of aces based on your action can't be looking good.

 

[OzExorcist]

I know that a pair of Kings is not a great hand but this blind v. blind, my flop bet was really to take it down or be done with the hand.

The fact that this was blind vs blind is a case for raising before the flop, which you did. Once your pre-flop raise has been called though, surely you have to give the villain some kind of credit for a hand - especially a villain who you say overvalues an ace in their hand.

If he's bluffing the flop, so be it. You simply don't have a strong enough hand to play back with.

 

[Steveg1976]

If he's bluffing the flop, so be it. You simply don't have a strong enough hand to play back with.

This was really the heart of my question, is two pair a strong enough hand to betting in this position. The answer is no, especially since I didn't have top pair. At the time I thought he would stack with just top pair but that was still not a strong enough reason to shove into the chip leader.

 

[OzExorcist]

True. My point was directed at the flop though: second pair with a weak kicker, especially against an opponent you know likes to stick about with an ace, isn't a strong enough hand to be re-raising with.

Aside from the fact that we've very likely got the second best hand in that spot, there's also the pot size to consider. When you re-raise the flop, you build a pretty big pot. If stacks were deeper maybe it'd be viable as a feeler raise, but not when it's going to mean half of your stack has made its way into the pot.