Contest HH1B top/top on bb

[Dwilius]

I have trouble playing with a decent stack later in tournaments. I usually just play my blinds, setmine, and wait for a hand. I haven't been very active lately and I'm dealt ATo on the big blind. Three players limp to me and I don't even consider raising. What should I do here, is there a betsize I should make to help me decide where I stand?

Cardschat.com $200 Freeroll (50331554), Table 35 - 120/240 Ante 25
Seat 1: yunGsta618 (19,110)
Seat 2: bob_tiger (4,080)
Seat 3: papercut (10,490)
Seat 4: King505 (3,325)
Seat 5: dwilius (8,466)
Seat 6: AA Jim D KK (8,525)
Seat 7: acesfull420yeah (19,455)
Seat 8: blacklapin (7,240)
Seat 9: X_HoeD_X (3,985)
table antes 25
King505 posts the small blind of 120
dwilius posts the big blind of 240
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to dwilius [Th Ad]
acesfull420yeah folds
blacklapin folds
X_HoeD_X folds
yunGsta618 calls 240
bob_tiger foldsAA Jim D KK folds
dwilius: haha
papercut calls 240
King505 calls 120
dwilius checks
*** FLOP *** [3d 6d Ts]
King505 checks
dwilius bets 615
yunGsta618 calls 615
papercut calls 615
King505 folds
*** TURN *** [3d 6d Ts] [9d]

 

[Steveg1976]

You have a good enough hand to raise from the BB against all those limpers raise up to a 1K. Most likely everyone will fold and you pick up the limps and the antes, not a bad result. If shoved over the top, you know where you stand and can make a decision based on reads. If you are called then with that flop you pot bet it and call a shove. When the blinds get big and especially when the antes kick in you can't just sit back and play monsters you must accumulate chips when ever a good opportunity presents itself.

 

[Dwilius]

Fair enough, you say raise preflop, but I really don't like the idea of getting all in on this flop still fairly deep. How about as played, what next? What if I bet and am raised, or if I'm called by one or both?

 

[Steveg1976]

I didn't say to shove the flop, I said to raise the amount of the pot, and to call a shove though that is certainly debatable.

As played, check the turn and call a reasonable bet 1/3-1/2 the pot any more than that let TPTK go on that board. Same for the river. It is a passive way of playing but you have a vulnerable hand and don't want to trap yourself.

 

[Steveg1976]

I hate this hand, I have sat here and thought of at least 5 different ways to play hand and hate them all. Do you have any kind of reads on the two villians in this hand.

 

[Dwilius]

Yunsta had been playing alot of hands and erratically. I don't think I took note of how weird at the time (that's bad). A couple of huge preflop raises, a few overbets, once with second pair no kicker. Minraised A9, big cbet and called a push on JTx flop. Papercut was pretty new to the table, limped and folded a couple of hands, so he has something this time.

 

[Steveg1976]

If I did the math right the pot by the turn is 2790, and you have 7586. If you pot bet and some one shoves you will be pot commited.

It is weak but I think I like the check/fold on the turn and the river. the board has gotten ugly and you are up against a maniac and a unknown that can cost you your tournament life. You don't want to go broke with TPTK. Hopefully the two of them will go to show down so that you can get some kind of sense of what they were thinking, if they were thinking.

By not raising and allowing so many people to see the flop it is very difficult to figure out where you stand in this hand.

 

[Dwilius]

I do have the nut flush draw also btw. I could get away from this hand but I'd like to see another card. Should I wait for someone else to respond before I say what i did on the turn?

 

[Steveg1976]

always allow more time for more responses.

 

[ABorges]

Checking preflop is not bad. You're out of position if you're called and playing a big pot with ATo like that is not very good. Flop bet is fine and as always everyone comes along for the ride against your weak top pair. Turn card is pretty bad... flushes got there, T9 outdrew you and you're still out of position against 2 players. Your Ad is certainly something to consider... I think check calling is best as long as the bet is reasonable, hoping you get a river check when your flush doesn't get there and betting for value when it does. They may bet now with something like JT or QT besides the flush and you may still be ahead. Leading the turn will force you to fold if you're raised, but there's certainly an argument that could be made in favor of betting with the intent of pushing if the raiser is Mr. Yunsta. Check folding seems too weak with TPTK and the nut flush draw, especially in a freeroll... Any other line doesn't seem right, so I think check-calling > betting > check-folding, though I'm still sleepy and not thinking very well, so maybe I'm way off.

 

[Dwilius]

Well, I don't like how I played this hand but full disclosure.

I throw out a silly little 1/3 pot bet instead of check/calling an unknown amount. They both call and the river is another 6. Now, about the only hand I beat that can call on the end is something like TQ, but I'm afraid of being bluffed off the best hand, so instead of checking I bet again . Yungsta folds and Papercut calls. Papercut had limped and called me down with QQ no diamond.

I spent about 3k on this hand and went from an avg. stack to an M of less than 10.