Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

Imagine how much easier this hand would have been to play had your postflop bet had been a preflop reraise...

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

I like a reraise to about 125k preflop, if you think you can take it down.
I even like a check behind on the flop, for this exact situation. Sure you're not happy if an overcard comes on the turn but it's better than being faced with a tough decision for so much of your stack when you're in good shape.
I tend to play much more passively when I'm against another big stack late. I'd rather keep the pot small.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I would, too. This isn't JJ or 99, so he's got one of three big pairs, AK/AQs, or not much at all. He can also definitely have a 9 which gives him < 6 outs. I think this is a call.

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Why isn't this JJ who wants to increase his stack by 25% without letting the Hero see a turn?

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I like a reraise to about 125k preflop, if you think you can take it down.
I even like a check behind on the flop, for this exact situation. Sure you're not happy if an overcard comes on the turn but it's better than being faced with a tough decision for so much of your stack when you're in good shape.
I tend to play much more passively when I'm against another big stack late. I'd rather keep the pot small.

[/ QUOTE ]

In this situation, I would not want a big pot with the other big stack, since I think doubling up less than doubles $EV.

If there were 40 players left, I would welcome that kind of confrontation, as I would be looking to double up and make a huge stack to win the tournament.

Playing passively does not necessarily keep the pot small, particularly when the blinds are as large as they are at this point.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

if he didnt want hero to see the turn, he wouldn't have checked the flop.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

Tough spot to be in. But I never presume anybody at a final table knows what the hell they are doing until I have played no less than 30 hands with them. Here's why:

Notice I am in the BB. This FT was wacko from the onset. I ended up 2nd.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t40000 (7 handed) converter

Hero (t1361262)
UTG (t1449182)
MP1 (t845918)
MP2 (t945930)
CO (t569804)
Button (t1298096)
SB (t1711308)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to t143918</font>, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t450000</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to t843918</font>, Hero calls t393918.

Flop: (t1697836) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Turn: (t1697836) Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

River: (t1697836) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: t1697836

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
Hero has Qd Qs (three of a kind, queens).
MP1 has Jh 4h (straight, ace high).
Outcome: MP1 wins t1697836. </font>

And this donkey went on to win the tournament and 5k+
I may have nightmares about this hand for ages.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd call this pretty quickly. If he has JJ+ he wants to get paid off right? Leading out will get him more money against pocket pairs. This line for him indicates that he is maximizing folding equity. I don't beleive him, and I'd definitely look him up here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everyone in this thread thinks this is an easy call with TT, and I think most people would agree that it is still a call with a medium pair below 99. So it seems like this line is getting money in against pocket pairs. At a final table of a large field tourney, even without knowing who hero is, he may assume that hero's coldcalling range is fairly narrow and consists mainly of pocket pairs and biggish aces. 30xBB is not huge, so there's not a lot of room to be making more marginal calls, even with position.

If DE was playing under his normal Stars screen name, I would think it's possible that GB2005 knew he was decent (a lot of times recognizing a name from looking at tourney results is enough).

Shaniac said in some post that strange plays usually inspire people to make marginal calls more than heroic folds. Judging by the responses in this thread, we should probably be making plays like this with huge hands more often than we normally would against the better players.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
Playing passively does not necessarily keep the pot small, particularly when the blinds are as large as they are at this point.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps not, but checking behind will get you that much closer to the end of the hand, it does help control pot size, and it also ensures you can't be check-raised all in and put to the decision that hero now finds himself having to make.

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

Is folding BTF too weak tight?

Hero gets a "dream" flop and still can't confidently play
from the flop.

Bruce

Re: First hand at the Final Table - Clash of the Big Stacks
 

[ QUOTE ]
Is folding BTF too weak tight?

Hero gets a "dream" flop and still can't confidently play
from the flop.

Bruce

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, it is too weak/tight.

This is not a dream flop. A dream flop would be AT4 or KQT.

Just reraise preflop. It is liekely villain was stealing preflop and doesn't want a confrontation with a big stack and will fold to the reraise.

If you really want to simplify things, push preflop. It is unlikely the CO raise from the chip leader is JJ-AA. A reasonable size reraise pretty much pot commits you. The push might be misread as AK/AQ. You have position and a push is an overbet, but it is better than folding.