Early tournament play

[Pilf]

Early hand from FT $300k last night, I'm not sure if I played this horribly or not yet? I don't think so but would like your opinions please?


Full Tilt Poker Game #1734039630: $300,000 Guarantee (12393947), Table 138 - 10/20 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:10:11 ET - 2007/02/04
Seat 1: cardplayingkirk (5,140)
Seat 2: OrigSwampRat (2,080)
Seat 3: macdaddy638 (2,970), is sitting out
Seat 4: bogginho (3,210)
Seat 5: epipolar (2,910)
Seat 6: Pilf (2,900)
Seat 7: steelfishing (1,740)
Seat 8: TPickles (2,960)
Seat 9: Sir Bartholomew (3,090)
cardplayingkirk posts the small blind of 10
OrigSwampRat posts the big blind of 20
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Pilf [ ]
macdaddy638 folds
bogginho calls 20
epipolar folds
Pilf raises to 80
steelfishing calls 80
TPickles folds
Sir Bartholomew folds
cardplayingkirk calls 70
OrigSwampRat calls 60
bogginho calls 60
*** FLOP *** [   ]
cardplayingkirk bets 220
OrigSwampRat folds
bogginho folds
Pilf raises to 540
steelfishing folds
cardplayingkirk calls 320
*** TURN *** [   ] []
cardplayingkirk checks

What do I do here?  Was my flop raise the correct play/amount to find out where I am? Obviously I have little information on my oppo as tourny is only 10 mins old. He has however accrued a few chips.

[boldie]

I raise here. about 1k (slightly less then the pot but pretty expensive nonetheless)
If he sticks me all in...I have 1400 back if I want to fold (blinds are low enough to do so) but could be tempted to call an all-in here with the nutflush draw. (and ussually get knocked out missing it)

[doubleup]

He either has an ace or a set as there is no obvious draw on the flop.  So on the turn you are either behind or he has very few outs.  I would check and see what he does on the river.

[NoflopsHomer]

I limp preflop, AJ is more likely to cost you a big pot than win you one.

[dime]

I think he's either got a big hand (such as a full house) and is hoping the river helps or you bet into him here, or he's made a mistake in giving you a free card. I think you should check here and hope that if a club hits you got it for free and the flush will beats him, if no club comes down I would probly play it safe and fold to any bet he makes on the river.Personaly I think it was a mistake playing AJ from that postion at the table.

[AlexMartin]

He either has an ace or a set as there is no obvious draw on the flop.  So on the turn you are either behind or he has very few outs.  I would check and see what he does on the river.

Take a free card and punish him.

[AlexMartin]

I think he's either got a big hand (such as a full house) and is hoping the river helps or you bet into him here, or he's made a mistake in giving you a free card. I think you should check here and hope that if a club hits you got it for free and the flush will beats him, if no club comes down I would probly play it safe and fold to any bet he makes on the river.Personaly I think it was a mistake playing AJ from that postion at the table.

  pretty impressive is he has a full house on that board.

[Royal Flush]

I think he's either got a big hand (such as a full house) and is hoping the river helps or you bet into him here, or he's made a mistake in giving you a free card. I think you should check here and hope that if a club hits you got it for free and the flush will beats him, if no club comes down I would probly play it safe and fold to any bet he makes on the river.Personaly I think it was a mistake playing AJ from that postion at the table.

How can you check the turn and pass the river, the whole point of checking the turn is to get him to bet with worse hands!!!!!!


I think doubleup has the perfect line here.

Was my flop raise the correct play/amount to find out where I am?

It's a good raise if you follow Doubleup's line.

You already know where you are, Seat 6, Table 138, $300k g'td. Betting 540 doesn't make that any clearer.

[Pilf]

It's a good raise if you follow Doubleup's line.

Thanks for all the replies guys.
I think this is the right play then, checking the turn and re-evaluate the river. Or at least this fits in with my normal play more than some of the other suggestions.
I'm happy with my play apart from this street.
As it happens I bet the turn for (a hopeful)875 which the opponent flat called again. I don't know what I was expecting him to fold tho'. I think I saw the 4 clubs and had a bit of a headrush.
I guessed now I needed to get a lucky river but a blank came and we checked it.
Opponent showed AQ to take the pot.

[dime]

I think he's either got a big hand (such as a full house) and is hoping the river helps or you bet into him here, or he's made a mistake in giving you a free card. I think you should check here and hope that if a club hits you got it for free and the flush will beats him, if no club comes down I would probly play it safe and fold to any bet he makes on the river.Personaly I think it was a mistake playing AJ from that postion at the table.

  pretty impressive is he has a full house on that board.

Good point, I think I'll have to start again on that one. not quite sure what I was thinking there, I shall have to rethink that one oin the cold light of day.

[Nem]

He either has an ace or a set as there is no obvious draw on the flop.  So on the turn you are either behind or he has very few outs.  I would check and see what he does on the river.

 

[dime]

I think he's either got a big hand (such as a full house) and is hoping the river helps or you bet into him here, or he's made a mistake in giving you a free card. I think you should check here and hope that if a club hits you got it for free and the flush will beats him, if no club comes down I would probly play it safe and fold to any bet he makes on the river.Personaly I think it was a mistake playing AJ from that postion at the table.

How can you check the turn and pass the river, the whole point of checking the turn is to get him to bet with worse hands!!!!!!

If he has a worse hand your right, but first of all he must have preflop rasie with something, then he likes the flop and bets and then calls a reraise and as people have pointed out there is no obvious draw on the board so he's likely to have something. Whilst its possible that he bet 200 with middle pair, is he likely to call a reraise if he has anything less than top pair? If he has top pair is he going to call with a 10 kicker or lower against a player how bet preflop?

I think the whole point of checking the turn is becasue he has just offered a free card, not becasue you want he to make an incorrect raise on the river. The last post he says the villian checks the the river, is the villain doing this to trap you or is it a sign of weekness? Now that we know that he was playing with AQ its hard to say if he would have called a substansal river bet.