Table was unusually tight (otherwise I play AT UTG very different than this). SB was solid player. Only showed down one pot with AQ, flopped 2 pair and doubled up. I had been playing tight and hadn't shown a hand yet.

I think I made some mistakes, but I may be biased by the results.

How do you play this hand?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (7 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: ITH Forums)

Button (t2125)
SB (t2825)
BB (t2395)
Hero (t2405)
MP1 (t750)
MP2 (t2020)
CO (t2480)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with , .
Hero raises to t400, 4 folds, SB calls t300, 1 fold.

Flop: (t1000) , , (2 players)
SB bets t200, Hero calls t200.

Turn: (t1400) (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

River: (t1400) (2 players)
SB bets t200, Hero raises to t500, SB calls t300.

Final Pot: t2400

Any thoughts....?

PF: I don't like the min raise from UTG. Though many players will see it as a slow play of a monster (AA, KK), the blinds often can't resist the odds and call. We're at that stage of the SNG (I'm assuming it's a SNG) where everyone is becoming severly short stacked, and stealing blinds makes a huge difference. I'm not really looking for a call with AT here, though I don't necessarily mind it, but lets make them pay to draw out on us with a hand like KQ, A8, etc . . .

I usually raise between 2.5-3 bb in EP at a 10 handed table, and increase the amount by position. Here we're 7 handed, so you're essentially UTG but in MP. That makes your hand much stronger . . . I'd raise to about 600-800 total . . . more often 600 than 800 (because we're in early middle and my chips are running low).

The Flop: We got a call from the SB, not bad. We have position. The flop is actually a mess . . . we're only ahead of smaller pocket pairs, and a lot of tight calling hands are way ahead of us (AQ, AK, AJ, KQ, TT) . . . . but we have position, and the SB makes a probe bet at us.

You have to make a decision right now if you want to make a stand here. You've got 2000 in chips . . . an M of 6.7. You could fold now and still have enough to keep playing (the entire table is short stacked), or you could decide to contest this pot. I think if you're going to contest it, you need to raise it. If you're thinking "I can't raise, what if I'm beat", then you're in no position to contest this pot, and should fold.

But you call a very small bet . . . and try and put this off to the turn.

Turn: Turn gets uglier. Any J now has a straight, and if he had a hand like JT, QJ, KJ . . . he's gotten there. But he checks with 2 hearts on the board, so I really don't think he likes the 9 either. This is your chance to represent the straight that's afraid of a backdoor flush or bare A draw . . . fire a big bet at this pot or go home . . . .

But we check. Not horrendous, but I'm beginning to wonder why we're playing this pot and didn't fold on the flop if this is how we're going to play it. None-the-less, our decision is made, let's see the river. . . .

River: Ok, anyone with an A now has the nut straight, but the backdoor flush got there. And our friend bets the minimum again. Either we're trapped or we have the best hand, and I think we have the best hand here . . . . I'm putting villian on TP or some 2 pair, maybe the K-high straight (prior to the river . . . I know it's on the board now). I actually like the payoff raise, maybe even raise a bit more.

I wouldn't have played so passively, but you did suck out into a nice sized pot.

Well... what can we say after Jason's post.

Raise more PF if you play it.
If you want to contest the pot and dont raise the flop, your plan has to be to take the pot on turn... a J wont fall often enough to justify that call on flop. After all you are probably behind.

KJ

Interesting hand because this pot could possibly be taken with a little aggression at any point: pf, flop, turn or river.
In retrospect, I think the turn was the best spot.

At which point would you all make your move?

FYI, he had: [Tc Ah]

Originally Posted by ypsieast

Interesting hand because this pot could possibly be taken with a little aggression at any point: pf, flop, turn or river.
In retrospect, I think the turn was the best spot.

At which point would you all make your move?

FYI, he had: [Tc Ah]

As I said, your plan should have been to take the pot on turn IMO.

KJ