PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) converter

UTG+1 (t1500)
MP1 (t1440)
MP2 (t1520)
Hero (t1660)
CO (t1400)
Button (t1150)
SB (t1220)
BB (t2110)
UTG (t1500)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with , .
3 folds, MP2 calls t20, Hero raises to t60, CO calls t60, 3 folds, MP2 calls t40.

I was torn (with the limpers) on raise amount. I wanted callers, but I wanted folders also...After looking at it, I should have gone a little higher...maybe 120?


Flop: (t210) , , (3 players)
MP2 checks, Hero bets t220, CO calls t220, MP2 folds.

With the 2 spades I didn't want to give flush drawers odds to draw...Could I have gone a little higher given that the K was on the board so there is likely somebody hit TP but second best hand?

Turn: (t650) (2 players)
Hero bets t450, CO raises to t900, Hero raises to t1380, CO calls t220 (All-In).

Not sure exactly what happened here...but I feel I did what I could to show the guy I had him beaten...Small trips was about my only worry, but I figured if he had 88, he would have probably folded to the bet on the flop...99 was possible (as well as 22 I guess with the small PF raise). I just felt that I had to call the 900 raise...but that left me pot committed, so I might as well push...

River: (t3150) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: t3150

Results in white below:
Hero has Ah Ac (one pair, aces).
CO has Kh JavaScript (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins t3150.

All comments are welcome, but I'm specifically looking for answeres to the questions I asked.

you played it right. The only person calling your raise in the flop was TPTK....you priced out the flush draws. You had him nailed and then he got stupid and reraised you on the turn.


Nice hand.

He would have bet me off that pot.

I HATE calling bets in NL tourneys. I hardly ever do it after the flop. As you said, you were saying "Strong hand here!" and he played back at you on the turn when it was expensive. Especially with his leaving those chips behind instead of pushing, I'm thinking set.

Because of the way the hand worked out, I may have called all-in anyway getting what, 3-1 on your money with an overpair on a suited board. The chance that he's semi-bluffing or an idiot would provide the odds to call there... but I would call expecting to be beat.

Originally Posted by Trons

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed)
Preflop: Hero is MP3 with , .
3 folds, MP2 calls t20, Hero raises to t60, CO calls t60, 3 folds, MP2 calls t40.

I was torn (with the limpers) on raise amount. I wanted callers, but I wanted folders also...After looking at it, I should have gone a little higher...maybe 120?

So early into the tourney, you haven't as yet established a table image to be feared or respected so 3x BB would only be regarded as a standard raise by most. A 6x BB raise may have gotten the attention of the more aware/savvy players but at this time the less aware, loose and more aggressive would only see this as a pot builder and still cheap enough to call with just about anything. So while 120 may have worried a better player (I would be thinking 99-QQ or A-Ko), the less aware and aggressive players would still have called with small pairs and suited connectors (some wouldn't even need the connectors to be suited).

Actually I think you played it very well especially the pot size bet on the flop. My thoughts are simualar to your's although I am amazed how often a loose-aggressive will still chase runner-runner after I bet the pot on the flop.
But as I've said before, "I don't mind a fish playing stupid - I just hate it when they get rewared for it at my expense!"

sounds good to me, but I always go all in preflop with AA early in a SNG.

But you definately played it right...

KJ

raise this to a 100 preflop.

Raise preflop!