Satellite where 1-5 get a $33 ticket, I'm 5/12 currently. I think its been 12 left since before the last break so at least 20-30 minutes.

Get dealt KQo in the BB position with 2 limpers. We all have a comparable stack size and just over 10 BB left. I was tempted to re-raise but with 2 out of position callers I wasn't sure what they'd be in with so checked.

Flop comes with a K, I suspect I have the best pair and best kicker, though 2 spades down is a concern and someone might be chasing an ace. I'm never sure at this point whether I want to do a smaller bet to get a value call, a mid-sized bet to either make people pay or to take the pot, or to shove.

I went for a 2/3rds pot bet which is probably what I'd do if I was bluffing too, but I wasn't. Nobody called so took the pot. Was thinking if the turn didn't change things I'd jam there.

What sort of bet sizing would you do here?


888Poker, $4 + $0.40 - Hold'em No Limit - 500/1,000 (100 ante) - 6 players
Replay this hand on CardsChat

UTG: 11,368 (11 bb)
MP: 16,683 (17 bb)
CO: 11,456 (11 bb)
BU: 14,764 (15 bb)
SB: 7,960 (8 bb)
BB (Hero): 13,620 (14 bb)

Pre-Flop: (2,100) Hero is BB with Q♣ K♦
2 players fold, CO calls 1,000, BTN calls 1,000, 1 fold, Hero checks

Flop: (4,100) 7♥ K♠ 4♠ (3 players)
Hero bets 2,706, 2 players fold

Total pot: 4,100
BB (Hero) wins 4,100

I'm not sure if my Satellite strategy is sound, but with 12 players left, you're not going to be able to limp and call your way into a ticket. Upping the aggression at this point will usually be the most effective approach.

With effective stack size being 11 BBs, I'll just jam pf and usually see the limpers fold.

Oddly final table started just a few hands later but I burst in 7th place shoving with AJ pre-flop. Got called by dominant chip leader from the other table (he had 62k chips) who had A2. Turn showed the 2, J never came.

Should have paid attention to the stack sizes once the final table started, the guy with 62k probably wasn't bothered by my 15k all in unlike everyone else so had no fold equity with a raggy ace.

Weird blind levels, saying that I do think at this point limpers should be punished with a jam, QK is a really strong hand in that particular position. You may see a low pocket to call you, however going at least 50-50 in an action that far from tickets is actually okay. If you just picking up the blinds and they fold is great for us too.

this hand seems typical of a late stage sattelite. one thing to watch out for is limped broadwsy pairs. pocket AA limp let you see the flop then go all in hoping a draw or top pair mske bad call. ive seen this many times so keep this in mind when you are aggressive with less than two pair

Preflop
Player reads are kind of important to figure out, what those limps from 11-15BB stacks mean. If one of them was a reg, and you never saw him limp before, then I might smell a trap and take a free flop. But most of the time I am jamming this. You are getting an excellent risk-reward risking 12.620 to pick up 4.100, and it is very common for people to limp-fold this close to the bubble. And if you get called by a hand like a rag ace or a small pair, you have decent equity, and when you win the "flip", you can more or less cruise into the money.

Flop
With an SPR of just 3 in a limped pot, there is no way, I am ever getting away from KQ on this flop. If they limped with AA or flopped a set, or if they somehow get there, it just sucks to be me. At the same time you dont particularly want to play for all the chips, so fold equity is still a really good thing, and therefore I am all about fastplaying. Perfect sized flop bet setting it up for a turn jam, so they cant profitably draw to a straight or flush or a random two pair.