dear dad (at the final table of a $60 2-table tourney)

[dnord]

Dear Dad:

I'm not 100% sure you played your last hand in the casino tournament that well. Given some time to think about it, I feel even worse about what happened there.

Of course, I'd busted out of the tournament in 11th, 15 minutes beforehand, which is why you were at the final table anyway. You knew I was there, occasionally showing me what your cards were. (You even said "I have exactly 10 big blinds" a few minutes before this hand.)

So I was worried when, in the SB, you called a single EP limper with 9s7s. You only had 8.5 BBs left at that point, and with the BB yet to act, I play much more "push or fold" - no completing SBs, and absolutely no limping. But the BB checked, and we saw the flop.

I worried a little more at the J75 spadeless flop. Were you going to think your hand was hot, or do something first to act that you'd want to take back? No. You checked. Good. C/F is my preference here, too. The EP limper minbet into the 3BB pot. I wasn't happy when you called. (BB folds.)

What's she representing there? As last to act, she could just be putting out a feeler bet. They call them feeler bets because trash hands are supposed to fold, and good hands are supposed to call - you get a feel for where you are then. With 5 outs (don't start with your runner-runner straight draw - it's almost completely useless), you don't really have odds to call to catch up if she's got a jack. So you're supposed to fold.

The 7 on the turn changed my mind, I have to admit. Now heads-up, but still out of position against the opener, you had some choices. Slow play the trips? Put out a feeler bet of your own? With 5BB in the pot and 7 in your stack, you don't have a lot of room to maneuver.

So you checked. Not the worst thing, but when she put in another minbet, you just called it. That's passive - you've called three times in this hand and showed no aggression. If the river is the fourth 7, then you're a genius, but...

Well, the river is a 10. That makes a straight for 98, but doesn't obviously improve anything we think she might have limped early with. Here you took the lead, betting 2BB of your 6 remaining BB into a pot of 7BB - if she's not paying attention, she might think that's a "please call me" bet and fold her raggy jack, her busted draw, her ace-high "curious" hand.

But she pushes all-in.

You've got almost nothing you can do here: she's representing something quite better than your trips with a 9 kicker, but with the pot now 15BB and you're being asked to call with your last 4... you can't say no, can you? And you can't.

And she flips over TT, for a rivered full house, and you're out of the tournament in 9th.

Even though you didn't play the hand like I'd play it at all, I'd give you a C+ there. The mistakes, as I see them, are:

1.) completing (even though you're getting 5:1, have a drawy hand, and can get away from a missed flop easily) in the SB with only 8.5 BB
2.) check-calling two streets (generally, knowing that all your money is going in the pot, but not betting enough to get her to think about folding)
3.) calling on the end (when she's representing the straight, better trips, or some kind of slowplayed / miracle full house)

On the other hand, I can see arguments for each of those - you got in cheap with your hand, you called the flop (without odds to beat any made hand, but weren't sure it was made at that time), you slowplayed the turn, and you did the inevitable on the end. (Her mistakes are stunningly worse - limping in EP with TT, making two feeler / value bets, first with a jack on board, then with a pair on board - what was she trying to find out?)

But you have to stop saying how, even if you'd pushed the turn, she would have called and sucked out. You're not using your math brain. You want her to call, and you don't at all mind if she sucks out 4% of the time. It wasn't a bad beat: she called no bet to hit her two-outer. She controlled the hand the whole way and caught a card to catch up to you. When you play passively, you get drawn out on. (When you play aggressively, you still get drawn out on, but you at least are getting your opponents to pay too much to draw.) This was particularly cruel, but I think it could have been played better.

(Hey everyone - am I right or wrong here? Any other fundamental things I'm missing out on? Any neat math that shows exactly how lucky he was to catch his turn before she caught her river? Discuss.)

[BarryLyndon]

You're "Dear Dad" tagline is charming, but if you are going to post here, try condesning it just to the hand itself. Reading this makes me sleepy. It's nice that you got to play a tournament with your dad here. Did the two of you hit the strip club afterwards (don't lie)?

Barry

[dnord]

We met with some hookers later on. Your mother says hi.

I've redone the post: new post

Thanks for the input.