FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t100/t200
9 players
Converter

SB (t8590)
Hero (t3420)

Pre-flop: (9 players) Hero is BB with T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
7 folds, SB calls, Hero checks.

Flop: J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (t400, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets t200</font>, Hero calls.

Turn: 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (t800, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">SB bets t400</font>

I expect villain to complete with basically any hand, and once I check in the BB, I expect him to bet this flop most of the time.

a) On the flop, is just calling preferred, or should we raise?
b) Raise the turn?
c) If we raise to 1200 and he shoves, do we call?

tytyty, input appreciated

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

you're essentially playing heads up and TKo is a raisable hand PF. Also, you're going to be out of position the rest of the hand. You want to find out if he was trying to slow-play something big, or did he just call with a speculative hand.

On the flop, TP is a pretty big hand heads-up. i think you want to raise on the flop to get info- did he really hit his hand?- and because you probably have the best hand.

as played, on the turn you're not at all sure where you're at. that's why it was a good idea to raise on at least one of the earlier streets. We have no idea if the six helped him. You still probably have the best hand, but since you're not going to be comfortable calling a raise, I would just call and hope to get to showdown.

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

[ QUOTE ]
you're essentially playing heads up and TKo is a raisable hand PF. Also, you're going to be out of position the rest of the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

? I'm in position.

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

Raise pre-flop, don't just let him complete. Since you didn't, raise flop to 700-800. To avoid being faced with a tough decision if he re-raises, I'd just push the turn and expect to get called by weaker K's and flush draws. The pot represents more than 1/3rd of your original stack, that's not bad to pick up.

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
you're essentially playing heads up and TKo is a raisable hand PF. Also, you're going to be out of position the rest of the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

? I'm in position.

[/ QUOTE ]

oops. anyway, still good to raise PF.

I don't like the advice to push b/c by the time you get there, you don't know enough about where you're at.

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

Yeah, I don't like the push-the-turn idea either. Definitely reraise the flop just so you have an idea of what kind of hand he has if/when he calls. By not raising, you have to put him on anything; when you raise, at least you can rule out the very worst hands. On the flop, I definitely raise here; you have top pair, decent kicker and you may very well have the best hand. So to verify this, raise to about 700-800 as suggested to find out if he has a hand or not. As played, though, I'm gonna agree with beenben and just call and see what happens on the river and pray that you can check it down.

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

The hand plays out sooooo much easier when you raise it.

Sb completes, bb raises to 600. If villain folds, great.

If he calls, pot is 1200. We have 2600 behind

If he bets, we raise pot on the flop, or prolly just shove it in.

It takes away the thought process, and puts the pressure where we want it, right on our opponents.

The way you played it, you put exactly zero pressure on him preflop, and on the flop (and im guessing on the turn as well!). If he has hit a decent hand by the turn, if you raise, you are toast.

By raising pf, you cut down on his odds, and basically make him play his hand with three board cards.

If he can beat tp10k on this board when so short stacked, and you get it all in on the flop, then so be it!

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

[ QUOTE ]

Sb completes, bb raises to 600. If villain folds, great.

If he calls, pot is 1200. We have 2600 behind

If he bets, we raise pot on the flop, or prolly just shove it in.


[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't this be scary though if he limps/calls raise preflop then takes aggression postflop oop? What cards would you put him on here?

Re: FTP $26K Guar. BB vs. SB with top pair
 

I see now why I should have raised pre-flop. If I raise pre-flop it's an easy flop-raise because there's so much in there. I guess I just got greedy on the flop and thought he was making this bet with a lot of nothing hands, and raising would scare him away, so I wanted to get one more bet out of him.

I ended up just shoving the turn, because a standard raise pretty much commits me and I'm calling if he shoves over anyway, as he likely does this with any outkicked K, especially since it looks like I may be on a spade draw semi-bluff.