$Freeroll NLHE MTT: KQs in UTG+1

[mariussica88]

The UTG is the 2nd tournament chip leader after the guy from my left and he raise a lot from any position.
UTG stats after 37 hands: VPIP 43 PFR 19 Limp 27 Post flop AGG 3 FlopCbet 75 TurnCbet 100

How should I play this hand if I do not fold pre-flop? I know that I should fold pre-flop but since this guy raise almost every hand after he came to this table I decided to play KOs.


pokerstars - 1000/2000 Ante 200 NL - Holdem - 9 players


Hero (UTG+1): 241,277 (120.6 bb)
MP: 379,308 (189.7 bb)
MP+1: 68,056 (34 bb)
MP+2: 150,130 (75.1 bb)
CO: 85,926 (43 bb)
BTN: 12,940 (6.5 bb)
SB: 66,662 (33.3 bb)
BB: 66,542 (33.3 bb)
UTG: 301,351 (150.7 bb)

9 players post ante of 200, SB posts 1,000, BB posts 2,000

Pre Flop: (pot: 4,800) Hero has
UTG raises to 4,000, Hero calls 4,000, fold, MP+1 calls 4,000, 3 folds, SB calls 3,000, BB calls 2,000

Flop: (21,800, 5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets 10,900, Hero calls 10,900, MP+1 calls 10,900, 2 folds

Turn: (54,500, 3 players)
UTG bets 27,250, Hero calls 27,250, fold

River: (109,000, 2 players)
UTG bets 54,500, Hero calls 54,500

Results: 218,000 pot (0 rake)
Final Board:

Spoiler

UTG shows : (Two Pair, Kings and Nines)
(Pre 29%, Flop 84%, Turn 93%)

Hero mucks : (One Pair, Kings)
(Pre 71%, Flop 16%, Turn 7%)

UTG wins 218,000

 

[300HPGOD]

In a non freeroll tournament I would advocate 3 betting here to attempt to isolate the villain who you think is opening too wide. However, in a freeroll everyone is usually loose and it is very difficult to isolate, especially with that many left still to act. I would play this as if there are players behind me who are aggies and like to raise a lot I would fold this not wanting to play out of position in a big pot (although KQ suited is not a bad hand for that) but if there isnt anyone behind me that I think will raise without having it I like calling to see a flop where we can win a lot. Agiain, 3 betting is best to isolate but that play just doesnt work too well in freerolls imo.

On the flop as played you can raise although we have a player behind us as well so it depends on a bunch of things. I generally just call here and see what MP1 does behind me and see what the turn brings. Basically I dont like two hearts with two opponents but I also want to let UTG continue to bluff it off if I really think they are wide here.

Turn as played is tough since MP1 is still in the hand. The 7 is good since it is not a heart but its bad because it connects the board and now the board connects with a lot of hands we think a wide opener could have. This is not the easiest spot but I think we still call here and hope MP1 didnt wake up with anything. I would also be telling myself here that if I am calling this turn then I am calling most rivers against UTG. MP1 is a different story but luckily they fold the turn.

River is a relative blank and we face another half pot bet. Seems valuey but would K10 and KJ not play the same way? This comes down to how loose do we really think villain is but since we got this far and we really are operating with the idea UTG is wide then we have to call this imo and hope for the best. I dont love this but it could be worse, villain could have made more in the 2/3rds range.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
With the read, that UTG is opening to wide, and in a freeroll where I expect less players to squeeze light, I can be onboard with calling here.

Flop
Dont think we have any other option than call here. 5 players saw the flop, and even if UTG is wide, he is also uncapped, so he does have hands, that beat us. On the other hand folding is obviously to tight.

Turn
JT did complete now, but even if UTG is wide, do we really think, he is opening JTo? If its only JTs, its only 4 more combos, that now beat us, and only one more guy called preflop. We can also still beat a flushdraw, and we can beat KJ/KT, which he might be overplaying.

River
Its probably somewhat questionable, if even a LAG is still betting KJ/KT "for value", so our hand is pretty much a bluff catcher now. But with that being said, the read was, that this guy is to loose preflop, and that will often carry over to postflop to some extend. There is also a busted flushdraw, which you unblock, and you are getting another good price only needing to be good 25% of the time. So while this half pot betting on all streets does look a lot like something, that has us beat, I do think, we have to call again. It is close though, and I would not consider folding to be a mistake.

Results
So he had K9s, and I am not surpriced, you were beat. But at the same time I would not beat myself up to much over this. With the reads and dynamics described, and this being a freeroll, it is really difficult to fold top pair second kicker here. So mostly just one of those annoying spots, where a LAG actually happen to have a real hand. I will say though, that against a tight player, this is a fold preflop, because getting involved just set us up for a situation like this, where we hit top pair and get taken to valuetown.