PStars 4.40 180 man, HU final table.

**Kataklysmos** · 02-08-2009

So this is my 3rd or 4th final table since I started playing $4.40, 180 player games on Pstars. I like these games as I tend to place pretty well and almost always make money.

Started off kind of card dead and then picked up quite a bit more chips. Made a bad beat to stay alive QQ vs KK and I hit a river straight and it just took off from there. I was able to get a read on my final table opponents and used it against them. Raises with nothing but A or sometimes 9 high, just because I knew they were weak.

Here was the last hand HU for $216.

PokerStars No Limit Hold-em Tourney ($4.00+$0.40), Big Blind is t2000 (2 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from triple-t
(Format: PokerForums.org)

saw flop|saw showdown

Button (t65902)
Kataklysmos (t204098)
Kataklysmos is BB with

.
Pre-Flop: (Pot=t400)
Button raises to t6000, Kataklysmos calls.

I had been trying to employ a new strategy for heads up when this happened. I read Xopods big post in another thread that mentioned some HU strat. and I decided to play with it. I had been toying with him and would raise when I was the small blind with practically anything and would usually raise when he limped and I was big blind. He happened to raise so I just called.

Flop: (Pot=t12400)

(2 players)
Kataklysmos bets t8000, Button raises to t59702 All-In, Kataklysmos calls.

The flop scared me. I figured with his raise he was playing Ax and maybe he had a pair. I decided to bet at it because I had so many outs. any spade or 5 would probably give me the nuts. He raised all-in. I decided I had enough outs to go with it and that he may also be trying to push me to take the pot.

Turn: (Pot=t131804)

(2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (Pot=t131804)

(2 players, 1 all-in)

Spoiler

**Xopods** · 02-09-2009

That flop is a check-push against his range. Leading out makes it look like "I think we both missed this," so of course he's going to push with A high, and that's an awfully big push for you to call. If you were absolutely sure he had A high and no pair, you're a favourite to win the hand (61.31% against what he has, ~56% if he has two overcards and one of them is a spade). However, he could have hit this in some way, so it's a marginal call.

I prefer check-push, as it's probably going to get him off the A high, and maybe even off something like A6 or 88-77 if he's weak... you certainly don't mind taking the free card if he checks behind. And if you do get called, you have 13 outs at least.

If you do check, and he leads out for 8000, and you push and get a fold, you improve your chip lead from about 3.25-1 to 4.5-1, which I think is quite significant... I'd rather do that a high % of the time than get all the money in on what's probably about a coin-flip against his range (60/40 for you when he has A high, 60/40 for him when he has a pair, so close to 50-50 overall).

**Kataklysmos** · 02-09-2009

I appreciate the advice.

The only reason I had led out is because 90% of the time when I had lead out, he was folding. I was trying to be aggressive because he was very TASS at this point. Most the hands he played were Ax or K7 and better. If I wasn't being aggressive he was hitting off hands like J4 and I decided to turn the heat up on him since I had about 3.5-1 on him for chips.

I agree that the call I made wasn't the best but I felt like gambling at this point because I knew if I had to that I could get the chip lead back. We started this with him having the chip lead and once I got it, I never lost it and never fell below 2:1. The amount of outs I had on this hand gave me enough odds to call I felt.

I was getting about 3:1 odds to call 51k more into a pot that would be 131k and my hand at this time was roughly a 2:1 or 2.5:1 favorite on the flop. Roughly 61% to his 38%. I still would make this call with the type of player he was.

**Xopods** · 02-09-2009

Don't get me wrong... I think you have to call the push... you're close to 50/50 against almost anything he has, so as long as there's any dead money in the pot, you're getting odds to call for sure.

However, look at the properties of the hand you have:

1) Whether or not he has a made hand doesn't matter to you. If you hit your draw, you win against even a set. If you miss, you lose to 7 high. You're close to 50/50 against almost any two cards.

2) Your hand is concealed. He doesn't know that's what you have... if he has a made hand, he probably thinks he's further ahead than he really is, and if he has no pair, he probably thinks he's further behind than he really is.

Given that situation, you're +EV no matter what happens, but, in descending order of profitability, you would like to:

#1: Get him to put more money in the pot and THEN fold.
#2: Get him to put all the money in when he's a 60/40 dog.
#3: Get him to fold right away.
#4: Get him to put all the money in when he's a 60/40 favourite.

What leading out does is make #1 impossible (unless he flats and then you hit the turn), while what check-raising does is maximize the odds of #1 and that's why I think it's significantly more +EV than leading out.

Also, the worst situation for you is if you bet, he flats, and then the turn is a blank, or worse, an off-suit A.

**Kataklysmos** · 02-09-2009

Agreed. In a different situation completely. If the cards or the play had played out different I would of had to adjust or even possibly fold.

**squeezyplayer** · 02-09-2009

pf is bad
flop ABSOLUTELY should be a check/shove. you want to get the last bet in to take advantage of fold equity. when you check/shove, you give yourself two chances to win the pot: by getting villain to fold and by hitting your draw. when you bet/call, you are relying solely on the cards. it's not a bad draw, and b/c is a +EV play, but it's not the best play.

congrats on the win though!

**squeezyplayer** · 02-09-2009

also, to clarify a point: folding to his flop shove after you lead for 8000 would be ungodly bad

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