Micro SNG w/ Trips against possible flush

[RMGreen]

Late stages of the SNG, this is the final table. I'd been chip leader for a while, playing pretty tight. Villan (BTN) seemed to be a pretty solid player to me, not really taking too many chances, but winning his share of pots with decent bets post flop. He also wasn't afraid to get out post flop if he missed.

First off, I immediately noticed my pretty serious mistake in trying to slow play my flopped trips. I gave my opponent a free draw at a flush and suddenly my trips didn't look quite as good. So I know I should have bet the flop, but how much?

Second, after I made my error, what do I do to recover? I know checking again isn't the right move (I don't want to give him another free card), but how much should I bet here? Should I assume he probably doesn't have the flush and go for value, or should I bet high and try to win the pot right out?

Stacks:
* BB with 10315
* UTG with 1195
* MP with 1050
* CO with 240
* BTN with 5930
* SB with 8270

Blinds: 100/200
Site: pokerstars
* * Dealt to BB:A♥ Q♣
* * Sklansky group 3
Preflop:
* * 3 players fold.
* * BTN calls [200]
* * 1 players fold.
* * Hero raises 200 to 400
* * BTN calls [200]
* * Total folds this street: 4
* * Potsize: 900
Flop:
* * A♠ 10♦ A♦
* * Hero: checks
* * BTN: checks
* * Potsize: 900
Turn:
* * 6♦
* * Hero ???

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Jillychemung]

preflop bet 1000

As played, on the flop bet the pot.

As played now you want to get to showdown as cheaply as possible. Check/Call a 1/2-1/3 pot sized bet and do the same on the river.

 

[RMGreen]

So with that 5xBB bet preflop you're not worried about being out of position? I suppose since he just called rather than raised and we're playing 6-handed?

 

[Jillychemung]

BTN limps w/ 2 players to go, it's either a trap or doesn't think either blind will raise.

SB folds so that makes it more likely you could have a good hand, need the raise to narrow the BTN's range and take control of the hand.

 

[Cobryn]

Yeah I absolutely HATE a min raise. I dont know what its trying to accomplish right here. I'm raising anywhere between 3x and 5x the big blind here preflop. Your raise there finds out absolutely nothing about his hand because he's correct to call with just about any two.

I dont necessarily blame you for checking the flop, possibly looking for a check raise on the flop. When you check he could try to represent the A or 10 on the flop and you would be able to check raise here. This, matched with your read on him for continuation bets doesnt make checking the worst play ever I dont think.

I take a lot of stabs at paired boards after the flop regardless if I have it or not... so it would fit my style to lead out about 2/3 the pot on the flop.

The way its played out he could have anything right now, including (Ideally but not likely) Ax which you have dominated. By not leading out on the flop you dont know if he has two diamonds, A-x, or nothing at all. This goes back to the preflop raise, which I still HATE, and which has put me in a position in which a small pot could turn into a huge pot where I have second best hand.

At this point I think I have to check as much as I dont want to, and call a reasonable turn bet and re-evaluate on the river.

If you bet here, what do you do if he check raises you all in? I think unfortunate as it is here, you have to practice some pot control.

 

[Cobryn]

So with that 5xBB bet preflop you're not worried about being out of position? I suppose since he just called rather than raised and we're playing 6-handed?

Being out of position is WHY I would possibly bet 4x or 5x the big blind. I want to win the hand now. If he decides to continue I have to give him credit for a real hand most of the time. By min raising, you're inviting him in with any two.

Now you end up with this, in which you have a great hand, but absolutely no idea where he's at, and a flush draw on the board.

 

[RMGreen]

Okay, I think I'm understanding where you're coming from about my preflop raise. I had usually been doing 3xBB raise, but I did a min raise partly because I was out of position, and partly to change things up a little. I probably need to adjust my preflop bets a bit, but honestly I'm still pretty green overall and I don't have a lot of 'final table' experience. Thanks for the advice.

 

[sw7104]

Not to repeat, but yes raise 3x at least pre-flop; more if you want to win it there but risk a big reraise.

Post flop -- I can see trying to induce a check-raise here, esp. w/villain's history. But, with a flush draw (or boat draw!) on the board, you should make villain over-pay to see the turn.

 

[sw7104]

But to answer your question, how do you recover -- you don't. OK, that's flip. Agree 100% with other poster -- use what you know of villain to get to showdown at lowest possible price. Bet some to keep villain off-balance and from cheap steal, but be prepared to abandon ship when the big reraise comes (esp. if another D hits the board).

 

[cardsDontMatter]

Even though your raise preflop was thin, you absolutely need to get chips into that pot on the flop to make up for it. What beats you AK? Btn isn't limping with AK nor is he flatting a min-raise preflop.

This is your hand at the flop... bet 3/4s the pot to deny drawing odds and be prepared to get every chip in his stack in there. If he's got AT.. then you're coolered.

If he's got the flush, you have a lot of outs to a FH or quads.

 

[switch0723]

concise and to the point

preflop: raise to 800. Your the big stack and want to bully people around, you have a big hand aswell, punish the limpers

flop: Don't get tricky, just continue your aggression through and bet

Turn: Just bet, we have nothing to worry about, villain will call a bet here with lots of pp's/tens/flush draws, if we are raised we can reevaluate, but just bet and stop being so scared

 

[baudib1]

With these stack sizes I would consider shoving preflop. Barring that, raise to $1,000 and bet 2/3 pot on the flop, get it in on the turn.

 

[Cobryn]

With these stack sizes I would consider shoving preflop. Barring that, raise to $1,000 and bet 2/3 pot on the flop, get it in on the turn.

Theres only 500 chips in the pot preflop though. Can't you find out what you want to know (If you can take the pot down preflop) for less than 60% of your stack preflop?

 

[baudib1]

I'm not concerned with the size of the pot. We want to send a message to third-big stack that he has no business trying to limp into our BB, especially with so many shortstacks around, and the cost of such stupidity is we play for stacks. Certainly we would be doing so if he had raised anyway -- I hope we're never flatting or folding vs. button raise in this spot.

 

[switch0723]

shoving would be bad imo, since villain has 30bb's. We should be wanting to play a pot instead with chip lead + strong hand

shoving over a raise from the button would be standard, but shoving 30bb's over a limp is meh

 

[Jillychemung]

shoving would be bad imo, since villain has 30bb's. We should be wanting to play a pot instead with chip lead + strong hand

shoving over a raise from the button would be standard, but shoving 30bb's over a limp is meh

I agree here, shoving is unnecessary. A raise to 1000 (if our normal unopened pot is 3xBB) signals to the BTN that you know you are oop and that the BTN will not see a flop on your BB cheaply. Ideally the previous times that you have raised over any limpers you have bet at least 3xBB+1BB for each limper.

 

[RMGreen]

I appreciate all the critiques, everyone.

What I'll take away from this is that I need to be more aggressive preflop, especially with good hands. I usually raise 3xBB, but I should be ready to do more with a premium hand, especially against a limper.

Also, while slow playing/trapping can be useful sometimes, always be wary of giving free cards when you might run into a flush.

I wish the resolution to this was more exciting, but you can't be results-oriented when you're playing poker, right?

Hero bets 600
BTN folds

My thinking was that I didn't want to let him draw for free, and I wanted to price out the draws. In the end, I think he probably just missed the flop entirely and was going to fold to any bet at any time. I probably could have maximized my earnings by betting a more preflop, although 5xBB would have been bigger than our table was used to, and may have scared him off preflop.

Thanks again.

 

[baudib1]

Scaring him off isn't a bad thing when you're OOP; also means you can do this with air.

IMO, checking the flop and firing the turn looks a lot scarier than simply cbetting the flop. He could float wide or even reraise you if you make a half-pot bet on the flop.

 

[Cobryn]

Scaring him off isn't a bad thing when you're OOP; also means you can do this with air.

Bingo.