Just Wondering: what would you do here?

[ph_il]

Full Tilt Poker Game #4279934364: $100 Freeroll (32384911), Table 267 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 8:46:36 ET - 2007/11/24
Seat 1: scornme (48,401)
Seat 2: paulmackao (19,723)
Seat 3: JRizzo (51,157)
Seat 5: fatman300 (115,274)
Seat 6: x katja x (29,137)
Seat 7: Gumby5 (63,745)
Seat 8: L33ROY JENKINS (120,695)
Seat 9: Philthy (80,197)
scornme antes 200
paulmackao antes 200
JRizzo antes 200
fatman300 antes 200
x katja x antes 200
Gumby5 antes 200
L33ROY JENKINS antes 200
Philthy antes 200
x katja x posts the small blind of 800
Gumby5 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Philthy [4d 4c]
L33ROY JENKINS calls 1,600
Philthy calls 1,600
scornme folds
paulmackao folds
JRizzo has 15 seconds left to act
JRizzo folds
fatman300 folds
x katja x raises to 28,937, and is all in
Gumby5 folds
L33ROY JENKINS folds
Philthy...
------------

Full Tilt Poker Game #4279996628: $100 Freeroll (32384911), Table 267 - 1000/2000 Ante 250 - No Limit Hold'em - 8:59:42 ET - 2007/11/24
Seat 1: scornme (48,601)
Seat 2: paulmackao (12,723)
Seat 3: JRizzo (68,357)
Seat 4: dgo08 (73,869)
Seat 5: fatman300 (110,674)
Seat 6: x katja x (65,474)
Seat 7: Gumby5 (61,545)
Seat 8: L33ROY JENKINS (199,990)
Seat 9: Philthy (38,660)
scornme antes 250
paulmackao antes 250
JRizzo antes 250
dgo08 antes 250
fatman300 antes 250
x katja x antes 250
Gumby5 antes 250
L33ROY JENKINS antes 250
Philthy antes 250
Philthy posts the small blind of 1,000
scornme posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Philthy [Js Kc]
paulmackao folds
paulmackao is sitting out
paulmackao has returned
JRizzo has 15 seconds left to act
JRizzo folds
dgo08 has 15 seconds left to act
dgo08 raises to 70,000
fatman300 folds
paulmackao is sitting out
x katja x has 15 seconds left to act
x katja x is sitting out
x katja x has timed out
x katja x folds
Gumby5 folds
L33ROY JENKINS folds
Philthy...

 

[Tygran]

I'm definitely folding the JK. You aren't in a position you have to call this and what on earth could you possibly be ahead of? At best other guy shoved with TT or lower pp, anything else other than air is a disaster. Get out.

I'm also folding the 44, although I'd have had to think about this one longer. At best it's a coin flip and there's a good chance of a higher pp. Not good odds, you aren't very invested, let it go. The only hands you would want to see other guy flip are 33 and 22, unlikely.

 

[ChuckTs]

Easy folds in both.

 

[zachvac]

FOLDFOLDFOLDFOLDFOLD

First case, you have 44, either you're flipping a coin or way behind to an over pocket. I get that it's a freeroll but is anyone shoving with 23, 24, 34, 22, 33?

Second case you very well could be ahead, but you don't want to risk your tournament life on it. Most likely he has at LEAST A-rag or a pocket pair, neither of which you want your tournament life on the line for beating.

 

[mrsnake3695]

Fold to both. Small pocket pairs play well if you can get in for cheap and hope to flop a set. Here you can't get in cheap and are either in a coin flip or way behind to a bigger pair. K-J is behind to any ace (a favorite or small stack pushing all-in) and any pair. Not too much you are ahead of here.


Easy fold for both, you have plenty of chips with no blind pressure, wait for a better chance.

 

[OzExorcist]

I'm folding both, in the absence of some fantastic read that tells me to do otherwise.

 

[DaFrench1]

Yup, pretty easy fold, fold.

You seem to have a lot of doubts about your game at the moment. Whats up?

 

[ph_il]

Oh no doubts.

I actually called in both situations, even though they were easy folds. I need to find the hand history, but I've seen a lot of these types of play in the late stages of a FR. The desperate push to double up or over betting small pairs with big stacks.

On the first example, I put my opponent on an A10-AQ, possibly KJ or KQ hand. IIRC, he had AJ. I have a slight edge and Im going to take it. The second one, I figured my opponent was making that big of a raise with mid pair from similar plays. So, I figured I'd been in a race situation. Also, my stack was getting pretty low, so I decided to race.
I dont know if its the fact that its a freeroll, but if I believe its a race situation, I'll go for it. I'll push with mid pairs if I think someone is raising with overs. I'll call with overs if I think someone has a smaller pair.

I dont do it as much during buy in MTTs.

And the reason I asked was I was wondering if the fact that it was a freeroll changes your decision or the way you normally play. Are you willing to take more gambles than usual?

 

[ChuckTs]

My question to you: why is it your strategy changes so drastically in freerolls vs real money MTTs?

In any tournament these are really bad spots to call unless you've got VERY good reads. I can understand why you'd do this in a freeroll where taking a gamble doesn't really have an effect on you other than wasting your time if you lose, but these are losing plays long-term.

Hand 1, we're coinflipping at best and will of course find ourselves up against bigger pairs that will crush us a good chunk of the time too. We could also be up against 22 or 33, but we find ourselves up against bigger pairs more often than smaller ones, so that's kind of nullified.

Hand 2, we're sitting on 20BBs still, and have no need to race. Again, we're not always racing. We'll find ourselves dominated a lot of the time too, and are rarely actually a good favourite. Fold and wait for a better spot.

 

[mrsnake3695]

Chuck is my Hero.

Listen to him damn you.

 

[Kajagugu]

These are both coinflips. I probably fold them both. Plenty of other hands to play. No rush.

And if you play poker you shouldn't care if it is an MTT or a freeroll. You should care about winning, no matter what. A freeroll gives you infinte ROI, by the way. So should you concentrate on it more?