Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

$100 buy-in tourney with ~90 entrants down to 21. Top 20 pay and get their buy-in back. AKA the bubble.

My stack is ~11,000 and the button has ~16,000. Blinds are 300/600 with a small ante. I have not paid close attention to the table, but play overall has been bad. I have played very straight forward.

Ok, I get dealt A9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in the BB. It was folded to the button who raises to 1500. SB folds and I call the 900. Flop is A75 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]s.

I check and he bets 500, I call. Turn is 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I check again and he bets 500, I call. River is a 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. so final board is (A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img])(9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img])(2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]). I check again on the river hoping to induce a bluff. He quickly fires 5,000. WTF??? All comments welcome and appreciated.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

No way you can fold this river. The only hands that beat you are flopped flushes (pretty unlikely), and sets.

I think he is bluffing here a fair portion of the time. Or he might have stuff like Ax K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], AxJ[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] etc.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

Does anyone raise his 500 flop bet? 500 turn bet?

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

I would insta-call the river! There isn't much you were asking for except to hit a flush or the next best thing to that is trips or two pair (which you have)...and I would bet or raise the turn which you would take it down or really find where he is @ in the hand and maybe rid him of a draw. Flopping the flush is unlikely (I think like 3-5%, not sure though). You need to take control of the hand at some point or you are giving your chips away. And I live by the old motto of "In it to win it" so I tend to forget about the bubble position...

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

one of the problems with playing weakly by checking, calling, checking, calling is you have to ask yourself, is he just betting strong thinking im weak since i have acted weak?

or is he betting for value.

Prefer betting flop, turn and river but as played, I call river of course.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

i push pf

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

I check-raise huge on that turn. Unless he flopped a flush or a set, you've got him. As played, instacall river. Smells like AK with K of diamonds to me, and the river is a huge bet to try to knock off stronger hands than one pair, or something like that.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

BTW, I only check-raise as played...I bet out 3/4 pot on that turn.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

[ QUOTE ]
i push pf

[/ QUOTE ]

i agree that this is the best play. obviously looks like button is bullying the blinds on the bubble. but i have turned into a weak tight nit because i have been running so bad for the last 3 months. i have the 'phil helmuth' syndrome and feel like i can outplay my opponents and just wait it out. this is a serious leak. but, try running bad it can really eff up your game and thinking. i really did not want to go broke here because i have bubbled like the last 19090837 million tourneys i have played. again, that is a wrong way to play poker, but it is what it is. players just never fold against me and i never win races, hence i just smooth call preflop.

of course the all diamond flop was bad. his weird bet made things even more weird. i thought about checkraise-push the turn, but again i've turned into a nit. and im thinking maybe we can have a cheap showdown.

I insta called his 5K river bet and he tables K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I dunno, im not proud of the way i played it. I did kind of smell trouble but 2 pair is a tough hand to lay here.

Re: Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble
 

I'd push preflop. I'd bet, 3-bet the flop. If he just floated me on the flop I'd check/push any non diamond turn and check/fold any diamond. If i did check/call, check/call to get to that river then I'd go ahead and check/call the river too. That huge river bet after 2 really small bets looks very fishy, but unless I've seen him do something like that before I'm just going to pay it off here.