$Freeroll NLHE MTT: Crazy hand on FT - I think this was the best play

[tzuriel]

Hand History driven straight to this forum with DriveHUD 2 Poker HUD and Database Software

Not much to say here. Down to 5 at the FT of our very own CardsChat freeroll! AJs is a great hand here, I think. Standard call from the SB and check call on the flop.
Should I have played this faster and bet on the turn? Putting him on a decent pair and the money is just going to go in here no matter what, right? Not expecting *THAT* pair!

Crazy run out. When you DON'T want a flush!

Next hand I was all in with 22 and the same guy scoops me with 44! That's poker and on to the next one.

At this FT and maybe even the table right before, EVERYONE was getting that pocket pair. Pretty crazy.

NL Holdem $0+$0 (3000.00BB)
HJ ($60460)
CO ($17386)
BTN ($52475)
HERO ($67878)
BB ($84301)

Dealt to Hero: J♠ A♠

HJ Raises To $12300, CO Folds, BTN Folds, HERO Calls $10500, BB Folds

Hero SPR on Flop: [1.69 effective]
Flop ($28500): 6♠ A♥ A♦
HERO Checks, HJ Bets $14250 (Rem. Stack: $33910), HERO Calls $14250 (Rem. Stack: $41328)

Turn ($57000): 6♠ A♥ A♦ 8♠
HERO Checks, HJ Checks

River ($57000): 6♠ A♥ A♦ 8♠ Q♠
HERO Bets $21600 (Rem. Stack: $19728), HJ Raises To $33910 (allin), HERO Calls $12310 (Rem. Stack: $7418)

Spoiler

HJ shows: Q♦ Q♥

HJ wins: $124820

https://www.cardschat.com/replayer/7q1o4Fa8

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
The effective stack was only 20BB against HJ and a little more against BB, and with these stack sizes the standard play is to shove any hand, you want to defend from SB. With the short stacked CO hanging around you are applying a lot of ICM-pressure to HJ, when you shove here, and this is way more profitable in the long run than calling and having to play the hand out of position and making it easy for BB to enter the hand as well.

However this was a very atypical open size to more than 4BB, and since it was a final table, you should have some kind of read on CO, what this might mean. If he was a loose and splashy player, who did something like this often, then AJs is still a jam. But if he was a more solid player, who normally raised smaller, but now suddenly he is using this enormous sizing, then it looks very strong, and the best play is to just fold AJ.

Flop and turn
Great flop for you obviously, and I dont see any reason to do anything other than check-call. If he is behind, he is way behind, so not much point in raising or leading and allow him to play a bit to close to perfect.

River
You improved to the nut flush, and with only a half pot sized bet behind I would just shove. If he has trips or maybe a worse flush, he is not going to fold, because you put him all in for his last 34k rather than giving him a 12k discount. And if he has anything less than trips, he is probably not going to call 22k either and leave himself only 12k behind, if he is wrong. So by using this sizing, you are just letting him get away cheaper, when he has a worse hand, he cant fold, and you are still losing the maximum, when he has a boat. Because obviously we can not bet-fold the nut flush getting 10:1 even on a paired board.

Results
Not surpriced to see QQ here, and this is why, with the right read, his preflop sizing is an alarm bell, which could perhaps have allowed you to get away. Even if he is doing this sizing with a hand like 88 or AK, you are still behind or flipping, so its just not a great spot to get involved out of position with AJ.

 

[theANMATOR]

The one vital piece of information I do not see above is blind levels. I could not tell that the preflop raise was 4x open.
If I'm overlooking - please point it out so I can recognize it next time on your threads TZ.

Hard to fold pre - but I'd say he is doing this with A/K, A/Qs, TT+.
Once we hit the flop - we are either way ahead of his pocket pair or way behind A/K, A/Q.
I jam the turn as suggested above by FD.
The runout is what it is - Would he fold to a jam on the turn? Doubt it, so the hand would have played out the same - unless villain could have made a pretty difficult hero fold on the turn.

 

[tzuriel]

The one vital piece of information I do not see above is blind levels. I could not tell that the preflop raise was 4x open.

It's usually at the top.

NL Holdem $0+$0 (3000.00BB)


Thanks ANMATOR. I always find your comments insightful.