Just busted out of the WBCOP in 250th place out of 1337 total players. Not a bad showing, but certainly not as good as I hoped for. Anyway… I saved some of the more interesting hands from that tournament and I have quiz of one of them. This quiz is about getting maximum value out of a premium hand.
This fairly early in the tournament. You’ve been doing well and been able to get some good cards early on to increase you’re original chip stack from 10k to 14.5k. The table is tight and aggressive and the most of the players seem to be of high quality.
Other than what you’ve observed, Poker-Edge says that the Button is a calling station. You don’t have any information to the contrary.
Seat 1: 8100 in chips
Seat 2: 19225 in chips
Button: 4406 in chips
SB: 14475 in chips (YOU)
BB: 10950 in chips
Seat 6: 10675 in chips
Seat 7: 13225 in chips
Seat 8: 19850 in chips
Seat 9: 8750 in chips
YOU : posts small blind 100
BB: posts big blind 200
You’re hole cards are Q
8
Everyone folds to the button, who limps.
Loading …You actually call. The BB checks. 3 players. The pot is at $600.
The flop comes 8
A Q
Loading …You actually check. The BB bets $200. The button calls. The pot is at $1000 and the action is back on you.
Loading …You actually smooth call. The pot is now $1200
The turn produces a 6
Loading …You actually bet $600. The BB folds. The button calls. The pot is now $2400.
The river is a 8
Loading …You actually bet $1000. The button pushes all-in for his remaining chips, raising $2406. The pot is now at $6806.
Loading …You actually call. The button shows trip 8s and you take down the pot with your full house.
My answers and thoughts in comments… I’d love to hear some thoughts from some of you readers. Let me know why you voted the way you did!!
2 responses so far ↓
David // Oct 14, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Okay… so here are my thoughts about this hand and why I played it the way I did. If you disagree, please say so!
Anyway… Q8 in the SB with a button limper is a reasonable play… if the BB doesn’t raise I’m getting 5 to 1 on my money and even if I don’t hit it, I think I’ll be able to out play them after the flop.
Folding is also reasonable… I guess… but I don’t like when you have a big chip stack and you’re getting such good odds on your money.
Raising MIGHT win this pot right here, but you could easily be caught in a squeeze in 1st position after… for that I like calling.
After the flop: This is a HUGE flop for you… since no one raised pre-flop, it’s reasonable to assume no one has an Ace… maybe Ace and a low rag. As an added bonus there’s no real straight or flush potential on this board… nothing to get worked up about anyway. Let’s give these two players some rope and see what they do with it.
After a bet and a call: Brilliant! That’s what you wanted… don’t over play here… just smooth call… no sense giving away your hand right now.
Folding is WRONG! I don’t care who you are.
Raising might scare the other two players out… let’s let them catch up a little… neither one of them has shown any real strength.
After the turn: 6s is a good card for you… unlikely to offer an real help to either player and lower than your lowest pair.
Still… let’s try to get some money. I can’t necessarily expect a bet after that weak raise, which was probably just a probe bet… I bet half the pot here… Checking is okay… and it was a tough call between checking and betting here… I don’t want the fish to get away, but I want as much of their chips as I can get… it’s likely that they both or one of them hit something… if I represent that I hit the 6, I thought it would be unlikely that they’d both fold, since they showed a willingness to put money into the pot earlier.
After the river: Damn… one fish got away (you might not have put any more money into the pot regardless), but I still have my other one.
Right now, I’m thinking that this guy hit a queen or A rag. I’m leaning more toward queen though.
Pockets 8, Q or A probably would have raised before the flop or re-raised me on the turn at least… so, that’s unlikely… An 8…. that could be likely… but that doesn’t make as much sense to me the call on the flop…
So, if I’m right… this guy has Qs. He’s not going to fold to a weak $1000 bet…. I’d be offering him 3.4 to 1 on his money, when I haven’t given him any indication that I can beat a pair of Qs.
I think betting anything more is a mistake though… A $1000 is just about right for a pair of Queens to call… anything more and he’ll probably fold with the Ace on the board.
After he goes all-in: Dream scenario for me really. Could I be beat? Yes… I don’t have the nuts are anything… but, he’s plays don’t make sense with any hand that can beat me. I haven’t seen trappy play with him yet, so no reason to think that’s he’s suddenly turned pro.
I’m probably wrong about the pair of Qs though. He’s likely got trips. 8s or he hit a 6 on the turn and was slow playing a little.
Still… I’ve got him beat.
Easy call.
Themofro // Mar 27, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Part 1: Since your opponents seem to be high quality players, don’t think of trying to steal here, just call and see a flop.
Part 2: Wow, great flop for you! Here’s a great position to bring out the rope-a-dope strategy, since no one’s shown any strength you can be pretty sure someone will bet. Since you have two pair, I think smooth calling is best here to continue your weakness facade and try to get more bets in the future (if they don’t have anything they’ll probably fold to a pot size raise possibly eliminating some money you could have won later).
Part 3: Good card for you as it probably didn’t help anyone. Continue you’re rope-a-dope and check again. Either calling or raising are okay here I think, although I think now’s the time to come out with a raise and see what happens, I’d raise about the pot.
part 4: Dream card for us as we now have a full boat (and considering the way our opponents have been playing almost definitely the best hand). Our opponent has led twice so he probably has something (probably a Q or A, although since no preflop raise I’d put it more on a Q than a A), here’s where I think we should lead out, I’d bet about half the pot here as that’s giving our opponent good odds here to call and from our passive play this hand it’s doubtful he’ll turn that down. Alternatively we could check in feigned fear at the 8 (make it look like we only have a Q) and give our opponent the opportunity to bluff at it one more time (although against a good player this probably won’t work so I like the lead out bet more).
Once he goes all-in of course we have to call.
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