Caesars (130.) KTs street by street.

[Cornell Fiji]

Caesars MTT.
$130 / 90 players. Top 9 pay.
4500 starting chips. 60 players remain so average stack is 6750.
Structure is pretty fast as blinds double whenever they increase. 40 minute levels.

My table was not squeezing or restealing at all preflop and overall it was very passive except for 2 maniacs and myself. I have a fairly aggro image but I can not remember showing a hand down for the first 2 hours of the tourney. For what its worth, the villains in this hand were probably not thinking about my image.

Level 4
200/400/25

SB - 8,000
BB - 12,000
UTG - 9,700
Hero has 11,000

UTG is 'the old guy' and he plays accordingly; my major read on him was that he played like an old live nit. He has seen 3 flops and he played good cards and played them very quickly, getting all in once preflop (he 3 bet with KK), and he smooth called a raise once with AK preflop and got all of the chips in by the turn which was A high.

The BB is from the Mid East and plays accordingly. He is very loose aggressive. He bluffs a lot and I would be happy to make a thin call down against him for my chips. I am certain that if I call preflop he will call the BB with virtually any two.

Hero has K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the CO.
'The Old Guy' raises to 1200 UTG, Hero Calls, BB calls.

I figured I would post this street immediately bc if i folded then there is no thread. If you want to say that this is a fold then feel free to do so but I felt that I had a good enough command of the table to be playing marginal hands here, eventhough I was only 30bbs deep

Flop (3800): K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
BB checks, 'The Old Guy' checks, Hero...?

[Patrio]

Hero bets 2750

[Airharley]

I don't know if I really like that call with a nit raising utg like that. Most of the time I think you're just wasting your chips. As played though, I think you could check this to see what UTG does after BB makes his aggressive play at this pot. Best case - UTG folds to BB bet and you raise all in/or call all in from BB if that's the case. If UTG just calls, I'd evaluate after. If UTG raises, easy fold. Just toying with this idea for multiway pots, something a little more creative then a simple probe bet. If he is aggressive and bluffs a lot, hopefully you can use his money to get a read on UTG. Just a thought.

[registrar]

I'd probably bet because woo tp, but I think checking is probably better on such a dry board. I can't think of worse hands paying off.

I'd also fold pre-flop but you were there so w/e.

[betgo]

When the nit raises UTG, I am not crazy about calling with position. He is telling you he has a a big hand, so let him have the blinds. The money is not deep enough to try to outdraw/outplay him. Plus KT is an awful hand to call a raise with and is easily dominated.

If he raised UTG with AA, KK, or AK, he might check this flop, particularly with KK.

[JARID]

Cornell,

I actually like this tourney. Sure the blinds double, but the 40 min levels and decent starting stacks allow for some pretty decent play compared to your standard $100 buy-in.

On to the hand...

Fold pf

On the flop I can see a lot of merit in checking to induce turn bluff from BB/seeing if old man is slow playing his KK.
Alternatively you can bet like t1500 and maybe induce a bluff from BB/test old man.
Potting it here and getting raised off/going to the felt pretty much sucks w/these stacks imo.

[Patrio]

Why aren't we betting here? I think "old man" has QQ/JJ most of the time, since the flop check. By betting here you might get bb to re-steal (because he might think you were stealing) and if bb folds we might get one call from "old man" and check/call to river. I dont see why we are calling preflop with KThh if we are not betting this flop.

[mlagoo]

pf call is gross

check flop imo, youre only getting two bets tops out of hands you beat so better to control potsize and underrepresent your hand now.

[Airharley]

I don't see a reason to give BB a chance to put more money in the pot on a "resteal". If the nit calls a big raise by bb are you going to call? I say let the BB do the work for you so you risk less with TP and not so good kicker.

[TCA]

I think you should bet, in a live tourney I think you get away with betting much less than pot alot. Bet about 1500-2000, fold to r/r. Shut down if old man calls until maybe river.