The finishing positions were vital and Gus knew it.  Antonio and Phil are already through but the higher they finish the more chips they get but Deeb needs to finish 4th or better to qualify, Ivey needs to finish 3rd or better and Moneymaker needs to get heads up.  The chances of any of them playing a hand are slim to non anyway.  Gus needs to win and he cans it and play no hands and let Phil and Antonio steal all the blinds or do what he doe and push push push.  It works out great as he outdraws Moneymaker and as Ivey and Deeb make it through they call with weaker hands knowing they are through and donate their chips to Gus allowing him the heads up advantage.

If he is raising with JT on the straight draw I think he would have went all in in the hope of forcing a fold.  If he has JT he doesnt want a call so why only min raise?

He could be raising thinking you're trying to steal but imo its not the kind of board where nobody has hit and the pot can be stolen 3 way.  He probs wouldnt have limped (with the speech) with a big hand so Id rule out big aces and big pairs.

He's also not making a big reraise to try to take you off, he either wants you in or thinks you're weak and is testing the waters with a small raise but imo his stack size suggests he has a something.  I think he has KQ or KJ but with the stack sizes its very hard to fold now, you've committed so much of your stack.

Yeah, it as prety sick actually, could be the most money on a table ever for a 25p/50p PL cash game

lol, he told me he had the overpair on a 9 high board against the set, lol

If you think he's an idiot he might have A7 and you can push but I think he's betting too strongly to suggest he has anything other than a set. Preflop he has limp/called your raise, you are representing the overpair and he is still raising.  Hard one to get away from, Bandit got hammered in a and exactly like this about 5 hands into a freezeout at the stanley not so long ago.

actually..Bandit got done with pocket queens when there was an Ace on the flop

I didnt see the flop but I thought he had QQ on a nonsene board and was up against a set of ?

If you think he's an idiot he might have A7 and you can push but I think he's betting too strongly to suggest he has anything other than a set. Preflop he has limp/called your raise, you are representing the overpair and he is still raising.  Hard one to get away from, Bandit got hammered in a and exactly like this about 5 hands into a freezeout at the stanley not so long ago.

Thats the one!  Thanks for the link! 

Had only seen a small highlight package on the episode of the next round with Hansen recapping how he got there and showing him go in everyhand.  Entertaining even if its just for the Helmuth blowup.

Hey
Does anyone have a link to download the episode of Poker Superstars that Gus pushes all in every hand blind?

Thanks

This situation came up a few weeks ago in a tourney, looking for thoughts on how this could have been played differently.

£10 rebuy, freezeout stages down to 3 tables, blinds are 300/600. Overall standard tends to be pretty bad and with the blinds going up quickly its getting to the stage where a lot of players start to get short stacked and fire their chips in to either double up or go home.

Im on the SB with 92 offsuit and have around 9k in chips which seems to be above average.  Action gets to me with 1 player flat calling and everyone else folding.  Flat caller is in late position,is a very solid player and has around 5k in chips.  I want to call and look over at the BB who had 1500 left after puttig in the BB and looks like he could fire the rest of the 1500 in with any half decent hand.

I dont mind making up the SB to see a flop but obviously dont want to put the extra 1500 in pre flop if he pushes.  I look over and he has seen his cards and doesnt look like he's going to raise so I call and he checks.

Pot is 1800

Flop comes 9 7 3 with 2 spades.  Im hoping the BB has some part of it and will go all in and I want rid of the other guy to get it heads up with me and the BB.  I bet 1000 giving the BB an all in or fold decision, he checks his cards, looks reluctant but pushes all in for 1500 total.  The other player looks at his cards for a while and eventually calls, I put in the extra 500.  Im pretty sure Im ahead of the BB all in man and although Im no sure what the other guy has that had him limp pre flop then flat call after a bet/raise all in but Im sure that if he had a hand he would have raised already so I think Im ahead.  Such is the nature of the players in the tourney Im thinking at least 1 has a flush draw.

Pot is now 6200

Turn is an offsuit King, Im not overly happy with my 2nd pair no kicker and know the other guy wont bet unless he has something now, especially since there's an all in guy.  I check, he checks. 

River is a ten so any flushes have missed.  I check and the other guy pushes all in for about 3k, I have 7k left and the pot is now almost 10k.  I fold because Im pretty sure Im beat. He's not the type of player to push with anything less than a big hand in this situation so I dont think he's bluffing me out of it with a busted flush draw.  Im thinking he either had a flush draw with KT and hit runner runner 2 pair or he has a straight with QJ (probably suited to the flush draw which would explain the call on the flop), J8 (again probably suited to the flush draw to explain the call on the flop) or 86 with the open ended straight on the flop.

As it turned out, I folded and he had 86 for the straight, the BB had 74 for middle pair when putting his money in.  The guy who won the pot then said he called the 1500 on the flop because he was open ended, knew I couldnt reraise the flop after he called and thought I would probably check it down so he would get the chance to draw at it without putting any more in.

I was kinda annoyed with myself for letting him draw for free so was thinking how could I play it differently so my questions are-

- Should I be making up the SB with this junk in this situation?
- Should I have bet the flop at all?  If so how much?
- I bet the flop willing to call if the BB goes all in, if we're deciding that Im definately betting then should I bet 750 or less so that if he does go all in Ill have the option of reraising?  I think if I had bet less and the BB pushed then the mid position limper might have to reraise to get rid of me or fold thinking I may reraise and I get heads up with the BB.
-Should I have bet/shoved the turn when the flush card didnt hit?
- If I put the limper all in on the flop or turn should he call?

All help/suggestions appreciated.

I think is polite to announce in some way hat you are dding money to your stack. In most places this is done automatcally if you pull out money ad ask for cash chips but if you pull cash chips or cash out of the pocket and put it directly onto your stack then its hard for anyone to notice this.

Despite that, it sounds lke the othe guy s just complaining because he knows he has the worst hand.

Didnt Helmuth bet someone they couldnt stand in the ocean soulder deep for 11 hours?

I agree, with an all in (albeit from a short stack), a reraise all in from a biggish stack and a call from another short stack its very unlikely your TT is ahead, at best they may all have big Aces.  Fold and stick your money in in a better situation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBrgISZijI

Looks like Jamie Gold is in for series 3, could be interesting.......

When he check-raises you on the flop, why do you only call?

I think you either need to jam it here or call and then push the turn