$5 5-Table Stars KK in the BB, A on flop

PowerBauer · #1 04-18-2006, 05:58 AM

We were on the last 2 tables, Top 7 get paid so the money is still far away. My stack was just below average.

Poker Stars
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t100/t200
8 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: t4665
UTG+1: t3390
MP1: t2665
MP2: t4910
CO: t5490
Button: t4875
SB: t3060
Hero: t3585

Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is BB with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls t200 (pot was t300), 2 folds, CO calls t200 (pot was t500), Button folds, SB calls t100 (pot was t700), Hero raises to t600, UTG+1 calls t600 (pot was t1200), 2 folds.

Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (t1600, 2 players)

I think my raise PF was to small (still get confused by raise to X and raise X to BB+X), I think now 1000 would have been better. Anyway what is my best plan on this stupid A-flop?

McMelchior · #2 04-18-2006, 11:27 AM

This is an insta-push preflop.

The play in these tournaments is below inane, and like 65% of the time you'll be called by someone (like UTG) who was slowplaying the self-conceived monster QJs or the like. I kid you not.

After the flop you'd better have a decent read on UTG+1 - is he an Ace-baby limper or not? With t1,600 in the pot and slightly shy of t3,000 in your stack there's not a lot of leeway, but pushing, check-folding or throwing out a t1,000 bet are all options.

If I haven't seen seen UTG+1 limp Ace-baby before (which is highly unlikely at this level) I'd definitively go with option 3, probably shutting down should I be called or raised. If I have ... well, pushing or check-folding leaving myself with an M slightly shy of 10 are both viable options - this is a situation where I'd go with my gut-feeling, since there's really no clever way of finding out where I am.

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)