Top pair meh kicker on monotone board on the bubble

Annulus · #1 02-05-2007, 06:09 PM

$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.

Fiksdal · #2 02-05-2007, 06:14 PM

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.

Annulus · #3 02-05-2007, 06:16 PM

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

geer2 · #4 02-05-2007, 07:11 PM

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...

Easy17 · #5 02-05-2007, 07:37 PM

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.

Bakes · #6 02-05-2007, 07:44 PM

i push pf

AragornX151 · #7 02-05-2007, 07:53 PM

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.

AragornX151 · #8 02-05-2007, 07:55 PM

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

Annulus · #9 02-05-2007, 08:04 PM

[ 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.

flyingmoose · #10 02-05-2007, 09:25 PM

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.