$Freeroll NLHE MTT: Pocket nines with tricky board

[Jamuka7657]

Wasn't sure about my postflop decisions with this hand, wondering how others would have handled it:

Blinds are 30/60(no antes)

Relevant stack sizes

Hero(UTG+2): 89.05 BBs
BTN: 40.16 BBs
BB: 32.06 BBs

Hero is dealt

Preflop: Folds to Hero, Hero raises to 2.25 BBs, BTN calls, BB calls.

Flop(pot is 7.25BBs)
BB checks, Hero C-bets 2 BBs, BTN calls, BB calls.

Turn(13.25BBs)
BB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets 6.63 BBs, BB folds, Hero calls.

River(26.51 BBs)
Hero bets 13.26 BBs, BTN folds.

 

[cgcook38]

Flop(pot is 7.25BBs)
BB checks, Hero C-bets 2 BBs, BTN calls, BB calls.

Betting this is aggressive, and I would do the same some of the time depending on the opponents. I think once I do and I get two players along, I'm done with hand unless the turn and river go really well. Which they did.

On the river, there were plenty of scare cards out there. I like the bet, but I think I would size it smaller. I would want to be able to get out of there with minimal damage to a (big) straight or better, but I would also want the two pair person to call me.

 

[tewwa94]

I like the flop c-bet, I think I would check the turn to pot control because it's a multiway pot and a Q is not folding on a freeroll tournament, and bet, called or raised the river depending on bet sizing and opponent.

 

[liuouhgkres]

I don't like flop c-bet, it's not value bet for sure and it's not a good hand for bluff. I think, check call on street is the best plan you can have with this hand. As played, turn call is very bad. you beat nothing and your gutshot is not to nuts. Easy fold. As played, I hate your river bet. Villain can have flush, straight and full house that beats, you don't have value bet here. Overall, played awfully on all streets, except preflop.

 

[thatguy6793]

I think the turn and river are played badly by both you and BTN. In terms of BTN he's leading aggression on the turn with the 1/2 pot bet but then folds to aggression on the next turn given the hands he repped on the turn this is a scare card for you most likely given your check-call. But more importantly how you played it is also wrong, particularly on the turn and river as well. First you c-bet on the flop but then check-call on the river, a check-call on both streets is a much better play if you want to stay in the hand because your hand doesn't have much showdown value and you don't want to keep inflating a pot by donk betting every street. On the turn the J is particularly not a great card for you, it gives you the straight draw but most likely this card also helped the BTN's remaining range given the action so far, a lot of Jx and Ax combinations are still in his range and virtually any Kx is happy to get as much action from you as possible. On the river though you compound this mistake by betting into a card that, while helping your hand hits a decent part of BTN's range, especially assuming a lot of his Ax combos are still in play as he would now have the nut straight. The river also completes the flushes giving you a weak straight. The bet here then is almost useless as basically the only hands that will call your bet here are going to be flushes and ace high straights (and obviously a full house if QQ, JJ or TT hit although these are less likely) both of which compose most of the BTN's remaining range. I think you should have checked with the intention of calling a understandable bet, given its a freeroll, as this keeps you from a re-raise all in situation early in an MTT because you won't be pot committed but also hides your hand strength to hands like two pair that may raise on the river but fold to your aggression.

 

[AllinCow]

Think I would of check called considering the other 4 cards your against. Might of even just let it go if raised after checking. Depending on the information I got on the others players. with 20 big blinds left, I think you can find a better spot to commit your stack.:icon_stud

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Flop is close and kind of depends on your opponents and your general cbetting strategy. But whatever, is what it is imo.

As for the turn, I am not really in favor of peeling - we are kind of praying for a very few river cards, we get one of the better ones, and it's not even outrageously great for us vs the villain's range. In a spot where it's pretty unlikely we face a large amount of bluffs, I just don't see the turn call being profitable. Not to mention we have tons of other hands that perform better here... like boats. And straights. And more boats.