What would you do? Live tourney hand.

[Mortis]

Last night, I was playing at a live bar tourney, and was doing pretty well. Cept, I had this one hand that haunted me.

What I would like to know, is how everyone else would play this hand. What I did wrong, or what I did right. I won't show the outcome until there are a few responses. Alright here it is ---

40 player tournament, down to the last 10 players. 5 players per table. Blinds are at 1000/2000. I am at the BB with about 13,000 chips, and 2nd or 3rd largest stack at the table. Everybody folds, but the SB limps in, who is the chip leader with about 30,000 chips. I am dealt A/6 off suit, and I check the big blind.

Flop comes - 4 - 5 - 6 rainbow

SB checks. I bet 2,000. SB pauses, and calls.

Turn - another 4.

I make another bet of 2,000.

SB immediately re-raises all-in.

What would you do?

Now... the SB and I have been playing at the same bar tourneys for over a year now, as have a lot of the players at this tourney. But the SB is one of the few people who can read me pretty well.

So, what would you do? Do you put him on the 4? Did he slow play a straight? Did he limp in with a pocket pair? Or was he bluffing? With blinds being so high, would you call, or fold?

 

[pitter22]

This is a tough one... and a big reason why we dont play A rag but you were in the BB so you couldnt avoid it

I personally would have pushed on the turn here.. It is a good board for you but also a scary one vs SB. his range of hands can be large here. a 2,000 bet on the turn says i have an ok hand but im scared shitless. with an 8k pot and only 9k chips left. put it all in and villain will have to put 1/3 of his chips on the line to look you up.

As for your question with how you played it... im not sure. this is where you have to let your senses guide you. what are your reads on this guy? he snap raises after he pondered on the flop.. does that mean he wasnt sure of calling with the 4 and then hit it big and now is excited? or is he just trying to represent it? id honestly go into your pocket and flip a coin if you dont trust ur instincts or have any reads.

 

[vpb0i]

he could of limp in with anything at this point, with your info knowing that he is a strong player, id fold here. You still have about 9k left, 4.5bb? got enough chips to find a better hand to gamble with.

 

[iriechief]

I am thinking SB had straight or two pair and I would fold, but need more info about how many places get paid. If it is winner take all, I would then call

 

[kingsup23]

yikes!!!! thats a really tough callkl but think about it this way. you havent even commited 1/10 of your stack. Why call off the rest when you know your either DOMINATED or he has plenty of outs. I say you have to pick your poison and just fold even though you maybe folding the best hand. Hope ive been of help!

 

[Mortis]

I personally would have pushed on the turn here.. It is a good board for you but also a scary one vs SB. his range of hands can be large here. a 2,000 bet on the turn says i have an ok hand but im scared shitless. with an 8k pot and only 9k chips left. put it all in and villain will have to put 1/3 of his chips on the line to look you up.

You're right.. I should have pushed more after the flop. I had a good hand after the flop, and he probably would have folded.

he could of limp in with anything at this point, with your info knowing that he is a strong player, id fold here. You still have about 9k left, 4.5bb? got enough chips to find a better hand to gamble with.

That is what I did. I ended up folding. I figured I still had some chips left, and I could push all-in with a better hand.

CONCLUSION:

Villain showed his bluff after I folded. He limped with 9/5 off suit. I had him beat.. not just that, the dealer decided to flip out the last card out of his own curiousity. Another 6 came out on the river.

I ended up going all-in when my next BB came around. I had 6K chips left, with the blindes at 2K/4K then. and put in my final 2K without looking at the cards, with a chance to triple up. Flop comes 9-K-K. Both people check. Turn comes Q. The guy on the button bets. SB folds. He shows his Q/9, which gives him 2 pairs - K's and Q's. I flip over my cards to see that I have A/4. No Ace on the river, and I'm out at 9th place.

I am thinking SB had straight or two pair and I would fold, but need more info about how many places get paid. If it is winner take all, I would then call

Btw, it was winner take all. The bar puts in $2 per person that enters. There were 40 people there last night, so winner would take home $80. I've won that tourney twice before. Lots of very good players that I enjoy playing with.. and can learn a lot from.

Sometimes, the top 2 do split the pot. Which I have done both times that I won it.

Thanks for all those who commented!

 

[wislim]

I haven't looked at the results but with 6 1/2 big blinds I shove preflop. He is gonna need a big hand to call off just short of half his stack.

 

[wislim]

I just saw the results of the hand and even if he had a big hand shoving preflop seems the best line. Unless you've seem him limp big hands alot.

 

[Mortis]

I don't think I could have raised pre-flop with that hand.. though, after the flop.. I probably should have pushed more.. that's what I think after anyways.. but I'm sure if I would have raised pre-flop.. maybe 3x more, then he probably would have folded, and I would have taken his blind.

 

[pitter22]

whats wrong with that hand pre-flop?? your basically saying you dont like raising A high HU? that hand is ahead of way more hands than it isnt.. only A7+ and PP are ahead.. A high is HUGE blind vs blind

 

[Mortis]

whats wrong with that hand pre-flop?? your basically saying you dont like raising A high HU? that hand is ahead of way more hands than it isnt.. only A7+ and PP are ahead.. A high is HUGE blind vs blind

You just contradicted your original post.

This is a tough one... and a big reason why we dont play A rag but you were in the BB so you couldnt avoid it

 

[mrjohnson911]

i think u made the right play even though u folded the best hand, you had a read and made a choice... easy claiming now that u should ve calledl....

good thing he showed the bluff, next time u ll get him.. good luck

 

[Makwa]

I woulda folded, with lots o chips left to continue. He played you. Good future info (but he will have something next time watch out).
A raise from BB w A6 might also have been good.
Its too personal between you and him for us to know what to do... I think you showed fear and he took yr chips.

 

[dj11]

You've been playing against this person for over a year, and you are asking for our advice about him reading you? We can't even guess his hair color, how can you possibly expect us to read him?

Reads are the key here, what was your read on him, and did you overthink the situation?

 

[the_urge27]

this is a fold right away-theres all kind of possibilities on this board no way A6 is ahead here-however if you have history with this player and he knows what youre capable of maybe a shove could work here-but that board hits alot of hands...the_urge27

 

[POKERLOVE81]

Maybe he had A4 off suit and was fishing for the other 4 or an A..that is my guess.. not sure though...

 

[Jayson745]

I would have assumed he was limping with a less than good hand and just shoved in preflop. If not, definentily on the flop once I hit. The blinds are getting sick and there is 4k in the pot before your turn to act. It would have been a situation where if he wants to gamble he can, if not, 4k to me preflop.

you know he isn't limping at the pot with an ace or better. Blinds get that big, its time to play pots hard and take a chance.

 

[ph_il]

1. Shove preflop-the pot is already 4K and you're sitting on 6.5 BBs on a 5 player table (M of ~4.3). You're holding A-high vs a small blind who limped in, what more are you waiting for? Unless you get unlucky preflop, you're most likely beating him at this point. The fact that the table is short handed and you're going to have to play blinds more, 3K each time and you only have 13K is another reason why you should shove here and not let him see a free/cheap flop. I wouldn't advice just raising here either since a standard 3-4x BB raise commits you to the pot already, its just better to shove it.

2. Shove the flop. Seriously, unless he is holding 77+ or 44, 55, 66 (unlikely), you probably have him beat. The board is too drawy and any overcard on the turn is something you don't want to see. I say try to take this hand down now. Hopefully he folds and you pick up the pot or he calls with an inferior hand and you double up. I think betting min betting here is the worse thing you could do. It gives you know information on his hand, if he has any part of the flop or any draw, he is calling, and you're just sweetening the pot. You don't have a stack that you can afford to probe bet with. Your min bet cost you 18% of your remaining stack.

3. Don't min-bet this turn. Whats the point here? You didn't get him to fold to your min-bet on the flop, its very unlikely he is folding here to a min-bet. Not only that but a call from here is a good play with his stack and the pot size. Not only that but its costing you another 22% of your stack and you've done nothing but put yourself into a very bad situation. Either check here and give up the hand if you think he has you beat or shove it. Personally, I'm shoving this turn.

4. As much as I hate the shove, I hate the fold as well. You've already committed nearly 50% of your stack at this point. You're getting over 2.5:1 odds at this point and you beat a few possible hands he is holding. Weak 5, weak 6, straight draw, 5 or 6 and a draw, overcard(s) bluff, straight bluff. Of course, quite a few hands beat you as well: over pair, sets, 2 pair, straight. At this point, I would think it would be incorrect for you to fold after putting that much money in. I'd call here and hope for the best. Not only that but folding leaves you with a 7K stack and 5 handed, not much manueverability and this is likely your best spot to double up.

My advice is to try to avoid this situation next time.

 

[i desire love]

Um since youve mentionned that i was winner take all, bad fold. You have to take chances in this spot...u cant just grind to get more money... Top pair heads up....Id say its a bad fold here CONSIDERING it was a winenr takes all tourny