Hand of the Week - 7th May

[NoflopsHomer]

Part 1:

Katja Thater vs Stuart Fox:

Welcome to the latest HotW, this week, taken from the EPT event in Dublin in 2006. You'll be playing the part of Katja Thater in the small blind holding , you've got around 15.5k in chips and the blinds are 150/300 with a 25 ante. The table is 9-handed. Stuart Fox is in the cut-off with about 14.5k.

Folded round to Stuart who raises from the cut-off to 900. Katja calls from the small blind. The big blind folds.

Flop:



You're first to act.


1. First of all, is this a worthwhile call preflop with this hand, given the stack sizes and blinds?

2. Having flopped a monster draw, what do you think is the best way to proceed?

3. If you do not wish to play the draw aggressively, is there a good arguement for just check-calling?

[TightEnd]

1. I think its a marginal call, OOP to Fox...I am looking to flop a monster of proceed cautiously...flopping top pair could get me into a world of pain

2. I flop a monster draw, with as many as 15 outs, the nine clubs and the up and down straight draw. I think an aggressive player like Fox will C-bet...I'm check raising here.

3. I much prefer the lead out, and if necessary the 3 bet if he raises, to a check call...I want to see all five cards not be in a fix if the turn blanks me and I am OOP.

[Rookie (Rodney)]

lead for about 1200 and 3 bet all in to a raise, take the pot there and then and if not you are slight favourite over most hands anyway.

[Rookie (Rodney)]

btw, i pass preflop

[Foxy]

can I play Homer ?

[rudders]

1. First of all, is this a worthwhile call preflop with this hand, given the stack sizes and blinds?

you are calling 600 into a 1600 pot- 2.66-1 not horrendous odds- has mr fox been raising a lot from the cut off? there are worse hands to defend with- if its been happeneing a lot- reraise not a bad option- esp if you have been having a fold fest from your BB. not overly intrested in folding with these stack sizes

2. Having flopped a monster draw, what do you think is the best way to proceed?

check raise, am fairly certain he will bet this flop

3. If you do not wish to play the draw aggressively, is there a good arguement for just check-calling?

I do want to play it aggressively!- ok check if you want and then bet the turn i spose..... but that would probably be too aggressive?1

[Rookie (Rodney)]

You are calling 750 into a 1575 pot.

[rudders]

my bad- i will take the 2-1 esp if he has button raising my bb- makes my call more marginal though. just blame the (presciption) drugs i am on at the mo.

(Note to self..... always read the question properly before answering)

[TightEnd]

can I play Homer ?

barely, but you are lucky so that compensates

[NoflopsHomer]

can I play Homer ?

Even though you know the outcome, I'm sure people would've love to know how you'd play your opponents hand here. Just don't give away the ending.

[Foxy]

can I play Homer ?

barely, but you are lucky so that compensates

Harsh but true Tighty. She should fold or reraise pre flop, calling is out of the question but having done so its a nice flop for her.

[totalise]

1. Conceding position against a good player is pretty tough... I'd rather see a re-rai pre then a call.. but I guess calling is ok.

2. I'd bet 3/bet all in.. if he folds then you wouldn't have won much even if you hit. You miss out on a cbet, but you win more if he bluff raises, and you want to be getting your stack in the middle here by betting it, not calling it, and given stack sizes, leading lets you do it.

3. if you dont want to play it agressively, then you check call.. so what is the question?

[Harry Demetriou]

Part 1:

You'll be playing the part of Katja Thater in the small blind holding , you've got around 15.5k in chips and the blinds are 150/300 with a 25 ante. The table is 9-handed. Stuart Fox is in the cut-off with about 14.5k.

Folded round to Stuart who raises from the cut-off to 900. Katja calls from the small blind. The big blind folds.

Flop:



You're first to act.


1. First of all, is this a worthwhile call preflop with this hand, given the stack sizes and blinds?

If you think Stuart Fox has been raising a lot of the times from the cut off or late position I would favour reraising pre flop from the small blind rather than just calling as it is extremely difficult to play from out of position with a mediocre hand like Q9 suited. However if you do this and get a reraise from the big blind or Staurt you must be prepared to then fold.

It is extremely difficult to play from the small blind and to be honest my favoured play pre flop would be to fold here as i still have to worry about the Big Blind finding a hand. Although you are getting immediate pot odds of 2/1 to call pre flop and implied odds of around 14/1 these implied odds only count if you flop a monster and get a call from Stuart once a board appears. However there is also such a thing as reversed implied odds where Staurt may be holding something like AQ or A9 and a Q or 9 flops. When this happens you are likely to lose all or at best a very large chunck of your stack so those implied odds of 14/1 suddenly shrink to a much smaller amount.

To simplify things I prefer to think of a hand like Qc9c from the small blind (out of position) with the threat of the Big Blind having a hand and Stuart having a possible better hand as a junk hand that will most likely make second best and as such should be folded.

If the stack sizes were double what they are then I would certainly be "thinking" about calling but it would still be no bargain.

In no limit position is everything and playing hands that are likely to make second best hands should not be played and this s why you should always try and avoid playing things like KJ, Aj, AT etc etc and remember this is just a Q9 with the suited bit just confusing the issue as in short handed pots suitedness counts for very little (has greater value when you get in cheaply and there are several opponnts which defintiely doesn't apply here).

If Stuart is at it and stealing blinds and antes then let him have it asyou will invariably find a better spot to get your money in at a later stage.


2. Having flopped a monster draw, what do you think is the best way to proceed?

I have little doubt that the best way to proceed once the flop has come is to lead out. You are most likely a favourite at this point with little to fear and favour a bet of around 2/3 the pot or 1600. If Stuart hasn't got a hand you pick the pot up there and then as you have fold equity and if he has top pair or an overpair and reraises you then you would be happy to ship all your chips in with this board asd you have many outs. Staurt can hold very few hands here that frighten you but you have to be prepared to get all your chips in when you have flopped so well.

The idea behind leading out is two fold...firstly as stated above you can win the pot there and then without improving and secondly you actually want Stuart to have some kind of hand in this spot like AJ or even an overpair as then you are a favourite and can win a big pot as he will invariably reraise you and have to call a rereraise all in from you or make a crying fold. Without leading out you can't win a big pot as you would have to rely on him betting if you check. Think of the lead out as a bet that represents the start of an exponentially increasing curve. You bet he raises to 3x that bet and then you go all in. By betting you build a big pot if he re raises and if he folds you have won the pot without sweaing it and increased your stack by 10% in the process. (BTW If he has two red aces you are still a decent  55%favourite and a marginal one if he holds the but you are still a favourite).

An alternate play would be to check raise but to do this you have to very confident that Stuart will bet if you check and he may not do that so on weighing things up it is better to lead out.


3. If you do not wish to play the draw aggressively, is there a good arguement for just check-calling?

The only argument I can see for check calling is if you were close or in to the money and needed the cash but this is not the case at this stage of the tournament. This flop is great for you and represents a situation where you can acquire a lot of chips by building and winning a big pot. I look at this as an opportunity to get lots of chips to use to catapult me to the upper payout spots as this is probably very early in the tournament still as it is probably around level 5 so theres a long way to go and I cannot see how you can pass situations like this to get loads of chip.

Another consideration for playing so whimpishly would be if you considered your table to be very soft and easy and that you were a significantly better player than the others but even then to seriously hurt one of the better players at your table like Stuart should be seized upon as opportunities like this are rare.

Even balancing up these criteria I think you have to be prepared to go broke in this spot as it's going to be really hard for you to continue from the turn if you haven't made your hand at that point. The value of your hand is getting all the chips into the pot on the flop as you need to see both turn and river to be a favourite.


Just my tuppence worth (allowing for inflation so no longer halpenny worth).

[snoopy1239]

1. First of all, is this a worthwhile call preflop with this hand, given the stack sizes and blinds?

I don't like the pre-flop call (A) because she's playing the hand out of position (B) she's unlikley to hit a nut flush (C) if she hits a queen she'll have no idea where she stands and it'll cost her a large percentage of her stack to find out and (D) I don't think she quite has enough chips to warrant a pre-flop out-of-position call with Queen high.

2. Having flopped a monster draw, what do you think is the best way to proceed?

Considering your destined to be the fave, I'd be happy to see all my chips go in here, so I'd bet out hoping he either has top pair and re-raises. Then you can push. If he calls, you're still in very good shape, and if he folds, then that's pretty satisfactory too.

3. If you do not wish to play the draw aggressively, is there a good arguement for just check-calling?

I don't like check-calling. I think you're wasting too much of your stack. Plus, he might slow down if you hit.

[The Camel]

1. I would call or pass preflop. I would almost never reraise at this blind level. What's the point? I have a hand which could bust Stuart... why put in 3k just to pass when he reads me for weakness and pushes? I think calling approx 5% of my chips is fine with this sort of hand against an aggressive opponent.

2. I like leading at the pot for 800-1000. It looks a bet which suggests I am looking to draw cheaply at the pot and might induce Stuart to raise. If he raises I'm insta-allin.

3. Sorry, but if you aren't going to play this pot aggressively after that flop, you have no business playing a 5k buyin tournament.