blonde poker forum

Playing a live 30 pound re-buy the other day, still blinds 200 400 on a full table of 9, I'm second in chips with about 7500 in chips (starting chips 1000) chip leader also on the table with around 8500 in chips.

I'm in last position with  Ac 9c
Chip leader in 4th position raises to 800 everyone folds around to me, I call. BB also calls with only 2300.
Flop Jh 9s 9d.
BB checks, chip leader checks, I raise to 800. BB folds, chip leader pushes all in.
I call, he shows Js 9h and knocks me out.

After this hand someone said I shouldn't of made the call, but at the time I thought I had the hand won. After some thought maybe I shouldn't have played this hand, and waited for a better spot, or not gone up against the chip leader that early? You know I don't know what to think, but its sitting on my mind.

Any advice guys, or how would you have played that hand?

EDIT The guy with the chip leader has been raising every pot in every position normaly 2 / 3 x bb and taking most pots there and then. Playing very loose, raising 800, 1200 nearly every hand when being called having poor cards, but winning with them. I can remember he rasied 800 with 4c Td and was called, and won. And had  Js 3d raise of 1200, won the pot.

Once you've seen the flop you go broke every time, to avoid going broke you have to ask should i have called preflop with A9?

Without knowing how the chip leader plays its difficult to say whether calling with a marginal hand is a good move - if he is loose and aggressive then maybe a reraise is in order but if he's a rock then there will be better opportunities to take him on.

Very difficult not to go broke there, however I don't like the preflop call.

You are on the button with A9s which is ok as you have position, but you are not sure if an ace is good for you when it flops. Serial minimum raisers in early position without a big hand are horrible opponents to play, but if you know he is likely at it, then reraise preflop. He is out of position and a bet of between 2000-2400 should let him know that you have a hand. If he finds the balls to push it then, you can still let it go and if that is his style with weak holdings, there will be other opportunities.

I re-raise pre flop here about 98-99% of the time.


On the flop its going in.

I'd be leaving the tourney at this point

Not much you can do on the flop, but I wouldn't call pre-flop with A-9, especially against an opponent who can eliminate you.

I'm no tourney expert, but do you really want to be sticking in 30% of your stack with A-9?

It's better than waiting 2 hrs and getting my 6k in with AK vs JJ!