Interesting multi-way pot against two top players

[Foucault]

This is early in Saturday's $300, 20-minute level tournament on Stars. Gank and Gboro are two of the best tournament players on the internet. Gank works for (possibly even owns, I'm not sure) an instructional website and, I believe, has a WSOP bracelet in PLO or something like that. In my limited experience with him, he's been kind of TAGgish, but obviously as a good player he's capable of quite a bit.

Gboro shows up consistently on the Stars TLB and on pocket fives. He posts on here occasionally, and in my limited experience with him, is a very strong player, probably tends towards being a bit more active pre-flop than Gank.

I don't know how much experience either of them has with deep stack play, ie what limits they beat at NL cash or anything like that.

I also don't know what, if anything, they know or think of me. I imagine Gboro would at least recognize my name from 2p2, don't know about Gank, although he's probably seen me playing often enough to know I'm a regular.

The most important 'read' on me comes from this hand, which occured immediately before the one in question:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

CO (t2430)
Hero (t2450)
SB (t2390)
BB (t1800)
UTG (Gboro)/ (t2640)
UTG+1 (t2780)
MP1 (t2390)
MP2 (t2980)
MP3 (Gank)/ (t2620)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, MP2 calls t20, MP3 (Gank)/ calls t20, CO calls t20, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t140</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP2 folds, MP3 (Gank)/ calls t120, CO folds.

Flop: (t350) 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Gank checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t250</font>, Gank folds.

Final Pot: t600

Now, on the very next hand:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

MP3 (t2410)
Hero (t2660)
Button (t2380)
SB (t1780)
BB (Gboro)/ (t2640)
UTG (t2780)
UTG+1 (t2390)
MP1 (t2960)
MP2 (Gank)/ (t2480)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP1 calls t20, MP2 (Gank)/ calls t20, MP3 calls t20, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t140</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, BB (Gboro)/ calls t120, MP1 folds, MP2 (Gank)/ calls t120, MP3 folds.

Flop: (t470) 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Gboro checks, Gank checks, Hero?

[mlagoo]

check through

edit: because you cant really call a raise, and if a club comes you might want to have a smaller pot to work with because who nuts if one of them is drawing to the nuts... and i think you very rarely take down the pot here.

[0evg0]

you're way overthinking this because of who you're playing or whatever. pretty easy check through. i think preflop is way more interesting.

[Cornell Fiji]

Yea, I free card this

[Trident]

Is just limping behind with the AQ offsuit a terrible play here? In the first level of an MTT I think I would play my decent preflop hand here a little slower, but you are in position so a raise is absolutely justifiable. In this case, I think a check behind is in order... but does anyone smooth call here to take a flop?

[woodguy]

With both calling a PF 3bet OOP, they are both looking for a strong hand on the flop since they are not dumb and know they are OOP for the hand.

Bet 3/4 pot or whatever is your usual, probably fold to a c/r.

If called do not put more $$$ into pot unless you improve and definetly call a river bet if you flush, and value bet it if checked to on river with flush, maybe bluff river if checked to on both streets and you don't improve, but probably not.

They fold here often on the flop because good players usually dont [censored] around of single flush flops with weird bluffs OOP, if you are played with you are usually beat, but often they want no part of this flop either.

Regards,
Woodguy

[mlagoo]

its not a 3bet pot woodguy

[woodguy]

[ QUOTE ]
its not a 3bet pot woodguy

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, a little high.

I meant he raised limpers in an early level, so he's showing strength and both of these players can easily call with something they can easily release.

They can actually release marginal hands easier here than on rainbow flops.

Betting the flop is a must.

Regards,
Woodguy

edit: added qualifier "easier"

[NoahSD]

I'm with woodguy. This is a bet because these players are presumably aware enough to know that you're checking back total whiffs here and because their limp/calling ranges didn't hit this flop hard.

Edit: Left out the key point that we're still just deep enough for a c/r to be pretty expensive, so you're not getting played back at too much.

[Blindcurve]

Hero checks.

There's almost no way you're not getting played back at, and you don't know where you are when they do. You also have a draw to a mid-sized flush and should take the free card.

Hero bets/raises any club turn, and calls a pot sized bet on any ace turn, folds to bets bigger than 1/3 pot on any other turn.