Hey Everyone.

I'd love some feedback on this hand, especially because I've run into this situation before, but never w/ ICM considerations at play. This is the final table of a $3 MTT w/ 704 players that I played last night. I was 3rd in chips and gearing up for a run into the final few players. Wonder if I could have avoided it. Or maybe I could have called the river instead of going all in. I went all in because I was pretty sure he had lots of worse hands that could call, not many that could beat me. But with ICM the call is probably the move. What do you think.


Winning Poker, Hold'em No Limit - 10,000/20,000 (2,500 ante) - 8 players
Replay this hand on CardsChat

UTG: 1,453,170 (73 bb)
UTG+1: 435,118 (22 bb)
MP: 281,169 (14 bb)
MP+1: 1,991,309 (100 bb)
CO: 168,130 (8 bb)
BU: 384,038 (19 bb)
SB: 476,175 (24 bb)
BB (Hero): 1,152,303 (58 bb)

Pre-Flop: (50,000) Hero is BB with 9♥ Q♠
3 players fold, MP+1 raises to 40,000, 3 players fold, Hero calls 20,000

Flop: (110,000) 5♦ 7♥ Q♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP+1 bets 46,800, Hero calls 46,800

Turn: (203,600) K♣ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP+1 bets 77,368, Hero calls 77,368

River: (358,336) Q♥ (2 players)
Hero checks, MP+1 bets 222,168, Hero raises to 985,635 (all-in), MP+1 calls 763,467

The river is definitely just a check-call. Even though you improved to trips, your hand is still no more than a bluff catcher. He is not opening Q8 or worse from HJ, and he is never betting a worse hand on the river for value, and especially not with this sizing. If he has a hand like AA or AK, then the river card was very bad for him, so he is just checking back and certainly not sizing up his bet. I would call in this spot though for the following reasons:

1) You block AQ, KQ, QJ, QT which is most of his value range.

2) All the draws missed, and you dont block any of them.

3) As the chip leader he can afford to bluff you on the river.

Originally Posted by fundiver199

The river is definitely just a check-call. Even though you improved to trips, your hand is still no more than a bluff catcher. He is not opening Q8 or worse from HJ, and he is never betting a worse hand on the river for value, and especially not with this sizing. If he has a hand like AA or AK, then the river card was very bad for him, so he is just checking back and certainly not sizing up his bet. I would call in this spot though for the following reasons:

1) You block AQ, KQ, QJ, QT which is most of his value range.

2) All the draws missed, and you dont block any of them.

3) As the chip leader he can afford to bluff you on the river.

all we need to know

you should have only called because its almost impossible that villain is going to call your all in with a worse hand than yours, even if villain had aces or ak its still a tough call because he will most likely think that you had trips and will fold his hand after your shove.

Hello, I agree in the large part with guys. I think that in this situation everything seems good. Here made more risky move on the river. We should remember that it is final table and there are usually good players. I prefer only check/call on the river, because I'm not very confident with 9 kicker. I also think that we should be carefully against chipleader on the table. Very helpful would be some informations about hands from chip leader. Even If I know that chip leader is loose, I see on the tables many short stack players and I would be very carefully against chip leader. GL

Originally Posted by rock0001

you should have only called because its almost impossible that villain is going to call your all in with a worse hand than yours, even if villain had aces or ak its still a tough call because he will most likely think that you had trips and will fold his hand after your shove.

Exactly, he is almost never even betting the worse hand on the river, and certainly, he is never calling with worse. The way it plays out he is bluffing or has the boat or Q and he opens from the MP1 so he probably has the T+ kicker. You have more than double chips from 4th place, so no reason to shove here at all, unless you have the nuts. Just call and move up in the prizepool.

Agreed with all above, check jam on the river is horrible and only really acts as a bluff. If he is bluffing, go ahead and call him, but otherwise there are very few made hands that you are beating. When he gives you 4/1 on the turn rather than a stronger bet or a check it is very suspicious. Unfortunately it's hard to have time to think each hand through, and hard to concentrate fully on every hand we play, only realising after the fact, which hands were the most important ones. These mistakes happen. Who knows, some days, he is the one making the mistake, calling your wierd check shove having read it as a missed flush draw, ready to show you his aces, thinking he is infront.

Take-aways - think about which hands can sensibly call that you beat.
Think about your position ICM wise if you lose the hand
Remember players that have made the FT of an MTT are usually good players and won't be calling light.