$5.50 NL HE MTT: KJs in SB as midstack on sattie bubble?

[Andyreas]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

5.50

Currency

$

Hey forum,

I'm pretty sure I didn't play this hand too well, so learning to improve for next time.

The game is a sattie to a $109 MTT. 3 tickets are granted and we're 5 left.

I'm 3rd in chips (with 22 BBs) and I've been in top 3 for a long time now but haven't won a pot in a while now.

I'm trying to mostly play it safe until the two shorter stacks (around 15 BBs) bust but they are not doing me the favour. 🤣

One of them is a nit and is lucky enough for people trying to bluff him several times when he has the nuts and chips up instead of busting. 🙄

As the title indicates, I get KsJs in SB and villian with 2/5 in chips min-raises in. My read about the villian is as follows:

• opens a slightly wide range (J8s from UTG)
• called a huge jam of 30 BBs with 44 earlier
• C-bets frequently (also as bluff)
• If no hit, doesn't barrel turn/river as bluff

Since he plays wide and I decide to call while actually thinking to play less hands and be patient (oh, the irony 😅).

BB folds.

Flop comes Kh4h9s. I check to him, he c-bets half pot. Since he has been c-betting as bluff several times before, I decide to check-raise to happily take the pot down here. To my surprise, he jams on me.

Due to my read, he's usually not bluffing here. If I fold, I have a similar stack to the two other shorties.

What's your action now?

Spoiler: My action

I decided to make the call, even not exactly liking my TP with an ok Kicker here. He reveals KQo. Turn brings my J and I get some hope again only to get crushed by a T as river. 🤣

My questions to you:

• Fold pre?
• If called, is the check-raise fine?
• What's your action to his jam?

Thanks for your input.

 

[najisami]

Wow Andy! You got yourself in a tough spot there .
What do you mean with 2/5 in chips?

Anyway, since you were trying to navigate your way to that 3rd position and getting the button next hand, I think calling there was the worst choice. Folding that pretty hand was much better unless you'd prefer to take a chance and put the pressure on him by shoving. He knew you wouldn't do it without a monster at that point.

I also don't like that check-raise at all because he wouldn't call or raise you unless he has you beat (AK, KQ, possibly 99, AA ..) and since he has you covered, he can also push with AQ, AJ, or AT of hearts. All these hands are in his range.
And to conclude, my action to his jam would be a bitter fold hoping to find a better spot.

What was the outcome there ?

 

[Poker Orifice]

I would read Dara's book.

 

[najisami]

I would read Dara's book.

I wish I had it 😌.

 

[Andyreas]

You got yourself in a tough spot there .
What do you mean with 2/5 in chips?

Yeah, those are my specialty. 🤣
I meant he's 2nd based on chip count, so not Chip lead but after him.

Thank you for your feedback!

What was the outcome there ?

You can check my spoiler.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
As a mid-stack you dont want to play pots out of position against a larger stack, so this is a jam or fold spot. Personally I jam, but nit-folding is not terrible given the ICM implications.

Flop
We are not check-raising flop with top pair to "find out where we are" and then fold, if our opponent continue. So as played get it in and hope for the best. You can also check-call flop and hope, he checks back turn. But it would still be a call down on clean runouts.

 

[Silversurfer99]

rigged

 

[Andyreas]

Personally I jam, but nit-folding is not terrible given the ICM implications.

Thank you as always for your analysis. 🤗

I thought about jamming since there are suited Broadways but I decided against it since I assumed he'd be more likely to call (due to his previous calls), so me having much less fold equity than expected.

Would that change your decision? 🤔

 

[fundiver199]

Would that change your decision? 🤔

It would for sure push it towards a fold, since we dont want to be called by hands like 44 or A9, which he is supposed to fold.

 

[feisas7991]

punt on every street basically.
no calling pre flop
no raising on the flop

the only options you have are: fold, 3b fold. or jam

hope this helps and GL!

 

[ratbat615]

Wow 🤩 what a hand .

Pre: I would definitely call with KJ suited there with five left. Let’s take a look at best suited starting hands . AK AQ AJ / KQ KJ / so I guess KJ suited is not the best it’s not even top 3 so we must be careful playing post.

Flop: I love 💕 the check. We must be careful because we only have one pair with Third best kicker. The villain bets half pot I would definitely call here given the information you have on the villain when you call if he was bluffing he would definitely give up on turn. So close to money every player has to tighten up.

 

[akmost]

I like your reads on the opponent ,
Make the call here is by far the worst option because situations like that is the worst case scenario haha!

If I were you I would probably have jammed pre but having seen him calling with hands like 44 for 30bbs make me think that the opponent doesn't understand much about the game/dynamics.

 

[eetenor]

Hey forum,

I'm pretty sure I didn't play this hand too well, so learning to improve for next time.

The game is a sattie to a $109 MTT. 3 tickets are granted and we're 5 left.

I'm 3rd in chips (with 22 BBs) and I've been in top 3 for a long time now but haven't won a pot in a while now.

I'm trying to mostly play it safe until the two shorter stacks (around 15 BBs) bust but they are not doing me the favour. 🤣

One of them is a nit and is lucky enough for people trying to bluff him several times when he has the nuts and chips up instead of busting. 🙄

As the title indicates, I get KsJs in SB and villian with 2/5 in chips min-raises in. My read about the villian is as follows:

• opens a slightly wide range (J8s from UTG)
• called a huge jam of 30 BBs with 44 earlier
• C-bets frequently (also as bluff)
• If no hit, doesn't barrel turn/river as bluff

Since he plays wide and I decide to call while actually thinking to play less hands and be patient (oh, the irony 😅).

BB folds.

Flop comes Kh4h9s. I check to him, he c-bets half pot. Since he has been c-betting as bluff several times before, I decide to check-raise to happily take the pot down here. To my surprise, he jams on me.

Due to my read, he's usually not bluffing here. If I fold, I have a similar stack to the two other shorties.

What's your action now?



View attachment 346426

Spoiler: My action

I decided to make the call, even not exactly liking my TP with an ok Kicker here. He reveals KQo. Turn brings my J and I get some hope again only to get crushed by a T as river. 🤣

My questions to you:

• Fold pre?
• If called, is the check-raise fine?
• What's your action to his jam?

Thanks for your input.

Have not seen results past V opens and you have KJs

Satty strat basics
Collision factor- other players collide knocking each other out letting us win-
when this is occurring we can be very very nitty
It seems that this is occurring so nitty for right now is the best action
If the table dynamics change we would then change at that point as 22 bb is lots in a satty to pay the blinds --only 1 bb needed to win a seat

ok V opens we are nitty what do we do with KJs OOP 1 left to act?

Data on V is they will collide with others with 44 so we are not shoving here---yes that is a nitty play shoving expecting max folds-but not vs this dude
Next best nitty play is to fold let this dude collide with someone else. Then call with the intention of folding unless we crush the flop but really just fold is much much better


I assume you called- so the nitty play we want to make on the flop is most often going to be fold!

Ok we make a pair on the flop ( this is not crushing it) and decide to make the pot as large as possible vs a player that does not like to fold and could knock out other players- or be knocked out and let us win the seat easily--- this is not nitty- this is not the best satty strat based on table dynamics

We love this Villain type when we are in 3rd place here --- we love that they will collide with others- not us -so we over fold everything that we cannot nitty shove preflop and let them knock out the BB or one of the shorties or themselves vs the biggest stack.

We can just fold our way to a win most often-again with this table dynamic and considering you said there is a nit and another player over playing the nit do we even want to play KK if we know it will go post flop?

It is very difficult to switch our brains from chip EV to table dynamics but that is how we win more satties