How would you play this....

[Rod Paradise]

You've just made Heads Up in a 42 player tourney, but it's late, chip count 50/50, so you've split the first & 2nd prizes, but are playing for the trophy....


Blinds 2000/4000, Small blind raises 10K, you call.....

You have

Flop

[mikkyT]

There wasn't a limp in, there was a 10k raise pre-flop which was called.

[Rod Paradise]

There wasn't a limp in, there was a 10k raise pre-flop which was called.

Editted - but how would you play it? 

[mikkyT]

Also the flop was not Q3... it was something like

Can I have a pop at this one?

If you are playing the cards in front of you, you pretty much have to check or fire off a small continuation bet to find out where you are, with the intention of folding to a raise.

[Rod Paradise]

mikky, you do remember how drunk I was... I remembered the gist of the hand.

[mikkyT]

I wasn't far behind you

[Scottish Dave]

nothing to do with the hand here mate, just to ask, did you get 42 runners last night??

thats great, sounds like things are on up and up.

How did you fair? Mikky did you deal again 

[mikkyT]

Rod dealt, I was heads up against George the Greek. There was enough money in the pot for me to bring my A game along with me. Made two mistakes all night, the first of which probably wasn't a mistake. The second was just an unlucky over-analysis.

[Scottish Dave]

Rod dealt, I was heads up against George the Greek. There was enough money in the pot for me to bring my A game along with me. Made two mistakes all night, the first of which probably wasn't a mistake. The second was just an unlucky over-analysis.

sorry mate, after posting above, i read all the other ones in live tourney section, very well played mate, as i said before george is as good player, he won another tourney 6 weeks ago. Did you get the trophy?

[Rod Paradise]

Yep 42 runners (well 41 & me - pished out of my tiny mind, with a bounty on me - dead amn walking last night). 5th got £85 and first got £427.

The hand above was Mikky's, he went all-in trying to represent the flush - into George who had the flush , first thing Mikky said was "oyu're not gonna put that crappy play on Blonde are you?"... as if I would.

I dealt the final table (don't think I made any MAJOR mistakes) - was in no fit state though .

Saw the DAFTEST deal ever last night - guy sitting 3rd in chips - 6 players in, offers to take a tenner off each player & he'd leave because he was tired & working the next day.... so he took £50, his chips left play, and the minimum for the next player out was £85. No brainer for the rest - £10 paid out for a minimum £85 - they nearly bit his hand off!!!

[DJKebab]

I almost pished myself when he came out with that, as I was the short stack, I was laughing!! Good job on the dealing, and keep those 'special' third hole cards coming my way, they help a lot!! Cheers.

[mikkyT]

Repost from the pictures thread on the live poker forum.... its time I came clean

Deal had to be done. I had 105k, he had 90k. We played on for the trophy.

George is a good player, and a regular at the Wabash and I've played with him on many times. But he knows how much my game has changed in the last few months. The heads up battle of mind games actually started when we where down to two tables. I was above average, as was George. I know how George likes to bully even when hes not a big stack. The verbals started to to and fro.

George was on the other table, but that didn't stop me from shouting accross on occasion. There was one person I was wary of, and that is George. I believe I can outplay everyone else and the fact that I was fuelling myself with some alcohol (a first for me in a live game) meant I had an extra air of confidence about me which gave me a lot of respect at my table.

Anyway, final table comes and I know that if I get to heads up, it will be myself and George. Don't ask me how, I just had a feeling. So I went into the table with the intention of bossing it about, talking the talk, and avoid clashing with George. Although he let me steal his blind more than once. Which is suprising!

So the scene was set, I had started the psycology earlier on and now it is heads up. My first ever live heads up match and I'm looking forward to it, but at the same time I would rather have had anyone else opposite me from the tournament that night.

After many uncontested hands/flops, I raise 10k pre-flop, and George calls. The flop is three clubs. I bet another 10k, and George raises another 10k. At this point, it is an easy fold. But I'm not playing my cards, I'm playing Georges mind. Why has he min raised, instead of just calling? Hmm, he has not got the ace of clubs, thats why. My thoughts get a little deeper, and I think hes min-raised with the intention of telling me he has the flush, a show of strength. But I know George, and I think thats what he WANTS me to think! He's got nothing! If I go all-in, there is no way he can call unless he is infact holding two clubs, which I don't beleive he has. So I pushed. He called with three clubs.

[WellChief]

Raising out of position with weak holdings is ok occasionally when heads up, but when you get caught out as you did here then you have to let it go.   His minimum raise is quite good as you are unlikely to let go of top pair in that spot, but he is unlikely to min raise you as a bluff as you have shown so much strength up to that point.   Even if you did have the flush, would you have gone all in there?  If I had the flush in your spot I'd have called his min raise and check raised the turn. 

[mikkyT]

Raising out of position with weak holdings is ok occasionally when heads up, but when you get caught out as you did here then you have to let it go.   His minimum raise is quite good as you are unlikely to let go of top pair in that spot, but he is unlikely to min raise you as a bluff as you have shown so much strength up to that point.   Even if you did have the flush, would you have gone all in there?  If I had the flush in your spot I'd have called his min raise and check raised the turn. 

I play a football game online, with a few friends. We where discussing tactics yesterday, before the submissions where closd for the evenings matches. I sat and sat, trying to decide my teams tactics, debating what the other guy was going to do. I changed my mind a few times, eventually changing them completely to somehting totally different on the recommendation of said friend.

Another friend commented as I listed the choices available to me. He said "4) OVER ANALYSING"..... His sarcastic comment should have been heeded, as the same mistake was made in this heads up battle.

But, you win some you lose some.