Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

First post in a while, I have been out in the desert playing soldier, and not playing much poker.

Local tourney. $50 buy in, 30min blind levels. 3000t starting stack, first level (25/50)

Realative stacks

Hero SB ~2950
BB ~2800
MP ~3000
Button ~6500

MP limps for 50, Button Calls, Hero looks down at 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and raises to 250, BB, MP and Button all call. Pot 1000

Flop 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Hero bets 500, BB folds, MP raises to 1000, Button Folds

Hero???? Call or push?

This is the 5th or 6th hand in the tourney, so not many reads. From earlier conversation with Villain, he seems LAGish. I put him on Ax [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (maybe AQ), 2pair, or maybe just a Queen. I've got 2200 behind and the pot is 2500.

Comments pre and postflop appreciated.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

Raise is fine. Push to charge draws maximum amount, while disguising set as a draw (essentially luring in top pair and 2 pair).

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

Raise or push, he would probably call w/KQ or AQ...

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

A lot of money in there, get it in now.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

Bigger fan of calling and leading any turn.

A nit player instantly sees monsters under the bed with a big jam here. If you call, lead and he reraises, he's pot committed to a jam - furthermore, if he flat calls, he's pot committed on the river.


Control your pot and massage it; you'll get it all in, no reason to scare him off.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

call cr all in on turn

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

My concern here was the stack sizes, if I push now, (2200 into a pot of 2500) the flush draw has the odds to call. If I call, is it good to fold when the 3rd club falls? That would give me 1700 behind to work with.

Hind sight being 20/20, I think the villain accidentally (if he was committed to his flush draw), played this hand well. given the stack sizes. What do you guys think?

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

[ QUOTE ]
My concern here was the stack sizes, if I push now, (2200 into a pot of 2500) the flush draw has the odds to call. If I call, is it good to fold when the 3rd club falls? That would give me 1700 behind to work with.

Hind sight being 20/20, I think the villain accidentally (if he was committed to his flush draw), played this hand well. given the stack sizes. What do you guys think?

[/ QUOTE ]

Im not scared of a club in this spot, ive seen people min raise with flush draws sure, but I also see them minraise with air or top pair to see where there at in the hand. I dont mind the call and lead out on the turn. I think trying to check raise the turn is a bad play though because you dont wanna give him a free river if the raise was for information. I wouldnt fold to a third club and if hes got AQc then all of his chips r getting in anywayz tough break.

Also you cant be afraid to push because flush draw has odds, because his range is so much bigger then just a flush draw.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

After "your call" the pot is 3000 and you have 1700 left....SHOVE IT IN. Calling intending to c/f a club turn is just awful because his range is a lot wider than just a flush draw. There's also no need to massage the pot when you have 1700 left and it is 3000...SHOVE!

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

I'm pushing. I hate to call and have a third club fall on the turn and scare him off of KQ/AQ.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

WTF are you afraid of getting it in against a draw? You are 70% to win on the flop against AcQc.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

You are going to be all-in this hand so the question is when?

The answer is now.

The reason is: why wait?

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

[ QUOTE ]
You are going to be all-in this hand so the question is when?

The answer is now.

The reason is: why wait?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Shove now. There is absolutely no sense in waiting for the turn on this hand. He is going to be getting better than 2:1 to call your shove now. If he has a reasonable hand he won't be able to let it go on this flop. Don't let a scare card come off on the turn (hey, a club could scare him more than you!) that costs you action.

More generally, this -----> when the pot gets big you should try to win it now. No need for fancy plays in a pot this big, get it in there and hope your hand holds. If he folds, that's good too because you win a big pot despite laying good odds.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

In these local bar tournies, the blinds go up real fast. Since you're facing a guy who has 20% of his stack in on the flop, he's probably set on committing the rest. You'll likely see an overplayed AQ when you shove.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

[ QUOTE ]


Yes. Shove now. There is absolutely no sense in waiting for the turn on this hand. He is going to be getting better than 2:1 to call your shove now. If he has a reasonable hand he won't be able to let it go on this flop. Don't let a scare card come off on the turn (hey, a club could scare him more than you!) that costs you action.



[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed, at the time it seemed like a standard push and hope he doesn't hit. But sometimes I second guess my decisions when results don't go as I'd like. It had just been a while since I played, thought I might have made a bad decision. I did push, and he called with his Ac7c to hit a club on turn. That's poker, no big deal.

Re: Pocket 9s in local tourney
 

[ QUOTE ]
...he called with his Ac7c to hit a club on turn. That's poker, no big deal.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep, and the poker gods say next time it will be the Qc. And I'll probably be the one with the flush. Friggin poker gods.