$$5.5 NL HE MTT: A Merry Christmas special from PokerStars

[puzzlefish]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

$5.5

Game Options

1. Bounty

Currency

$

This is just one of those trap hands it seems. But what a wild outcome. Is this a jam from hero or a fold here?

pokerstars, $4.90 + $0.60 - Hold'em No Limit - 1,500/3,000 (375 ante) - 8 players
Replay this hand on CardsChat

UTG: 35,330 (12 bb)
UTG+1: 33,886 (11 bb)
MP: 254,485 (85 bb)
MP+1: 108,542 (36 bb)
CO: 75,413 (25 bb)
BU: 56,951 (19 bb)
SB (Hero): 55,860 (19 bb)
BB: 15,820 (5 bb)

Pre-Flop: (7,500) Hero is SB with 8♥ 8♣
UTG raises to 34,955 (all-in), 3 players fold, CO calls 34,955, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets to 55,485 (all-in), 1 fold, CO calls 20,530

Flop: (151,925) 9♠ J♦ 7♠ (3 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: (151,925) T♦ (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: (151,925) J♠ (3 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: 151,925

Showdown:
SB (Hero) shows 8♥ 8♣ (a straight, Seven to Jack)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 18%, Flop: 9%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

UTG shows K♥ Q♠ (a straight, Nine to King)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 13%, Flop: 23%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

CO shows A♣ A♦ (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 69%, Flop: 68%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

SB (Hero) wins 41,060
UTG wins 110,865

 

[Poker Orifice]

Fold

What is a 'trap hand'?

 

[puzzlefish]

Fold

What is a 'trap hand'?

That's when the best hand thinks that they are going to be paid off only to get sucked out on.

And why would you fold? Chance to triple up and get two bounties, with 20 BB remaining.

 

[Poker Orifice]

The post was asking for 'what'... not 'why'.

 

[puzzlefish]

The post was asking for 'what'... not 'why'.

Oh that's right. You aren't capable of providing the "why".

 

[SpanRmonka]

I have to agree with @Poker Orifice here. When 2 players ahead of you go effectively all in, as in they won't ever ever fold to your jam.....the best play on balance is fold with 88.

You are likely looking at exactly the scenario you faced, 2 overs and an overpair. Plus always be wary of the person who only calls when really its clear they are all in.....that is very very often a monster.

I'm personally almost never calling there. The bounty would need to be big!!!

 

[puzzlefish]

I have to agree with @Poker Orifice here. When 2 players ahead of you go effectively all in, as in they won't ever ever fold to your jam.....the best play on balance is fold with 88.

You are likely looking at exactly the scenario you faced, 2 overs and an overpair. Plus always be wary of the person who only calls when really its clear they are all in.....that is very very often a monster.

I'm personally almost never calling there. The bounty would need to be big!!!

Bounties are roughly 25% of the buy-in so not a lot at this stage. It's all good, this is why I post the hand.

 

[300HPGOD]

Bounty sizes play a role in this but you would have to beat both players to win a bounty and unless CO is extremely wide I dont think they are just calling with hands 88 is crushing as they should be jamming over with the smaller pairs that they choose to get involved with here. There will be some times that you are up against AK and AK here and be in a great spot but more often one of these players has a larger pair and then you are drawing thin. After CO gets involved with this hand (without knowing anything about them) I would just fold here even though 88 is a strong hand. I just feel it will be up against it too often here to make this a jam. I also rarely think you will see a scenario here where it will be something like 44 vs 66 vs your 88. It could happen but more likely you are going against a bigger pair or at least 2 overcards so you are flipping at best.

This is a spot to me where if you wanted to gamble and make someone have a larger pair since you start the hand with 18 BBs then I dont hate it and do not think its the worst move in the world but in the long run I think its much better to fold here.

 

[Funtast]

This is a spot to me where if you wanted to gamble and make someone have a larger pair since you start the hand with 18 BBs then I dont hate it and do not think its the worst move in the world but in the long run I think its much better to fold here.

Come on this CO call screams JJ+ and that call with 88 for not even 2 bounties is terrible and a fishy move. It's burning money. Even if CO wasn't there it would b a close one since against UTG shove you are dominated or flipping most of the time. Why do that with 18bb?

 

[Claudiunm]

Well, I see 3 types of players there.
1- UTG is a bingo player (he was lucky in that hand. Maybe he was lucky until the end of the tournament?).
2- A Poker player who called the hand correctly trusting AA,
3- And a fish that even though he only had an 88 entered the pot against 2 all in without evaluating the opponents' play, trusting in the powerful hand he had.

 

[ADRI7HO]

If the opponent who gave all-in seemed to be a better player, then I would have thrown the 8,8 hand, because usually the one who only gives all-in in this case is a monster hand.

 

[puzzlefish]

Yeah I would not say there were any good players at the table. UTG made some blunder moves and was playing too wide. CO wasn't that great either but just happened to wake up with AA here.

It's super easy to come to the right decision holding AA, but even in this case the call was stupid because it made the play look weak like a misclick. AA is better all in heads up. If CO had jammed, I probably would not have jammed with 88.

Holding 88, I was counting on some broadway connectors or gapped broadway connectors when the cards were turned over. I was seeing a lot of loose play at the table. I was also thinking that BB might come along since they were down to 5BB. In this instance, there are bounties that aren't worth much but also the chance to get a big stack to actually win something meaningful in this game, where nothing was really going my way. Maybe I am not respecting 18BB as much as I should be.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I posted to get some perspective on the hand and got the response that I expected.

 

[Funtast]

... holding AA, but even in this case the call was stupid because it made the play look weak like a misclick. AA is better all in heads up. If CO had jammed, I probably would not have jammed with.

Are you drunk?

 

[Vallet]

Most of the players left the table after putting all in on the preflop in the last bounty tournaments I participated in. Basically you're sitting and waiting to get cards like AA, make a call, double the stack and get a bounty. It resembles an all-in or fold structure. One can only sympathize with the player in the Cut Off position. He had no choice.