LIVE HAND £50 FREEZEOUT

[MANTIS01]

This hand has been playing on my mind since Tuesday so opinions welcome...

£50 DEEPSTACK FREEZEOUT with 15,000 starting chips. My table has just been broken and we are now down to 2 tables from an initial 55 runners. I arrive at my new table and am happy to find myself straight in on the button with 50k and one of the bigger stacks in play. Blinds are 400/800.

UTG has me well covered with about 80k. Never played with him before but my fist impression was he looked like a solid player. Folded around to me on the button and I look down to see A-Jos. What's your line here?

Personally I limped behind because I wanted to feel my way onto the table by playing a controlled pot vs unknown big stack villain. Do people raise here anyway regardless of these factors?

sb mucks, bb raps the table and we're off to the flop.

 

bb checks. UTG very methodically bets 2k. I dwell up considering whether I want to call or raise this dude. I decide to call to see what he does on the turn, mainly because I've chosen to play this hand smallball and those pre-flop factors were still valid. I'm thinking...if he checks the turn I'll take it off him...and if he bets worse again then I'll just call better again...and if I'm beat then smoothing his bets is saving me money. So all sorted then. Again, does anyone want to raise here and now? If so pls give reasons.

However, before we can get to the turn the bb pushes all-in for about 8k. UTG once again very methodically considers his options. At the same time I'm considering mine. Obv if UTG folds I snap the bb for 6k more. I have also decided that if UTG calls the jam I'm gonna jam myself over the top. Any thoughts about that strat?

As it is UTG raises another 10k on top. How much do you like your hand now? What should you do and why?

[George2Loose]

1. I deffo raise pre. You have a good hand on the button with a sizeable stack. I'd also wanna play this hand heads up with position. If he re pops you, you can easily fold and give up the 3k or so you've raised to

As played I like the smooth call on the flop. I don't think there's much point in raising for value without any info on UTG and his range here- you're spewing more chips here then you would have pre flop.

The problem you have now is that your hand is under repped. Villian in the BB could easily have a draw here and utg could have top pair shit kicker and think he's good. QJ, KJ etc etc. You have shown absoloutely no strength so far so why would u call 10k?

I think if you wanna continue with your strat you should fold but raise pre next time imo.

[TightEnd]

UTG has limped for 800 right, assumed from the post though you don't say

I make it 3,200 on the button. The factors that you don't know the oppo hold less relvance to me that you've got good position and a chance to take control of the pot. If he then limp re-raises well then fine give up, at least its saved you awkward decisions down the line by merely calling, and you also get rid of the blinds most of the time who by calling you let in with any two

as played I don't mind your thinking in response to the 2k bet, its consistent with your pre-flop strategy and you don't want to inflate the pot

Once the bb c/r's to 8k and UTG makes it 18k I'm out of there fast

I'd call the bb 8k if it was heads up by the time it got back to you but its not. UTG I am thinking overpair by now

With regard to your "jam over an UTG call of the 8k" strat, i'd want more info on UTG to be considering that.

[daviebhoy]

I think you should be raising pre to gain info and to avoid incredibly difficult spots like the one you found yourself in. You may have the best hand here but you haven't got any information to confirm this so you should fold. You would think one of them has at least a flush draw or 2 pair and so you are either a small favourite or way behind. Dream scenario is you have them both dominated but that won't happen enough to justify a call imo.

[MC]

You have to pass now, you could've raised pre but tbh I don't mind how you've played the hand...

[daviebhoy]

As it is UTG raises another 10k on top. How much do you like your hand now? What should you do and why?

I have to say, this bit is a little wierd and has me thinking now. If he wanted you in surely he just flats and if he wants to keep you out surely he shoves ?

But a 10k raise ? Can we force him to fold here by shoving ? I think we might and a shove here could be an excellent play. Very tricky. I still think the fold is standard but I wouldn't blame you for pushing here believing we can make UTG fold.

[keilan303]

If all of this had happened preflop after a raise from the button, you would have had an easy choice, and it would have cost the same. Not everyone plays UTG "correctly", he may be limping because he has a "weak" hand like pocket 3,     etc. and wants to see the cheap flop you've allowed him. BB prob has 2 pair, or top pair weak kicker. maybe even Flush draw (but not nut flush draw) and if UTG has nut flush draw he will reraise to get heads up with BB if he thinks theres any chance in hell he's ahead....

No shame in folding AJo pre in my books aswell if you want to get a feel for the table....

[TheChipPrince]

I think pre-flop your play is a 'little bit weak', post flop its a 'little bit weak', but the irony is its probably actually saved you money!

Fold now... 

[daviebhoy]

If you push here UTG has to call 29k to win 53k. He has 60k at this point so would have 30k left if he loses. I think he calls here with quite a lot so not sure this play would work and he may have you crushed so think you can find better spots and should fold.

[paulhouk03]

I think you should be raising pre to gain info and to avoid incredibly difficult spots like the one you found yourself in. You may have the best hand here but you haven't got any information to confirm this so you should fold. You would think one of them has at least a flush draw or 2 pair and so you are either a small favourite or way behind. Dream scenario is you have them both dominated but that won't happen enough to justify a call imo.

on a j73 board
the guy limped utg

[paulhouk03]

I think pre-flop your play is a 'little bit weak', post flop its a 'little bit weak', but the irony is its probably actually saved you money!

Fold now... 

this
i think u have to fold unless u have history with him.

[StuartHopkin]

Yeah i think this has to be a fold, but it is a very interesting spot.

FWIW i think you have the BB beat unless he has got lucky and flopped two pair, but i think he can shove here with such a wide range your normally ahead, he could easily be thinking, that flops a mess, utg is taking a stab with overs, you have shown no strength, ill have a go at squeezing. Adding aroung 60% to his stack if it gets through.

Im tempted to say that UTG has 10 10, but only because i cant work out what he is doing with his reraise.
You havent shown much strength so i dont think he wanting a call really. If he was strong would he not wait for the turn to build the pot. If not then  or  ?

Will be interested to know the outcome as I dont normally post on here because I normally make a mess of these tricky spots, and would like to know if ive just made a mess of this one!

[MANTIS01]

Some top quality posts. UTG did limp, sorry about that.

I think pre-flop your play is a 'little bit weak', post flop its a 'little bit weak', but the irony is its probably actually saved you money!

Fold now... 

As for this. I agree 100% with the 1st part. At the previous table I was reading my oppos well and just steadily increasing my chip count. So I land at this new table and i'm suddenly in the dark info wise. Hate that table move when you're playing well. But that's the reason I sat on the fence and called. That was deffo a mistake.

The 2nd part I disagree with 100%...maybe. I underrep my hand vs the big stack aggressor from UTG. I like that. He can carry on burning chips into me with a worse hand imo. And he may well do that with a big stack and a drawing board. If he's got an over-pair he never folds, but may slow down on a heart turn. So the strat works both ways. I held the Ah btw. Considering my stack a raise would only get him folding worse imo. And I wasn't feeling week at this point at all.

I didn't consider the fecking bb so much though, maybe cos he had no chips. But it really changed the dynamics of the hand when he got involved. And also messed up my start.

[George2Loose]

Some top quality posts. UTG did limp, sorry about that.

I think pre-flop your play is a 'little bit weak', post flop its a 'little bit weak', but the irony is its probably actually saved you money!

Fold now... 

As for this. I agree 100% with the 1st part. At the previous table I was reading my oppos well and just steadily increasing my chip count. So I land at this new table and i'm suddenly in the dark info wise. Hate that table move when you're playing well. But that's the reason I sat on the fence and called. That was deffo a mistake.

The 2nd part I disagree with 100%...maybe. I underrep my hand vs the big stack aggressor from UTG. I like that. He can carry on burning chips into me with a worse hand imo. And he may well do that with a big stack and a drawing board. If he's got an over-pair he never folds, but may slow down on a heart turn. So the strat works both ways. I held the Ah btw. Considering my stack a raise would only get him folding worse imo. And I wasn't feeling week at this point at all.

I didn't consider the fecking bb so much though, maybe cos he had no chips. But it really changed the dynamics of the hand when he got involved. And also messed up my start.

Nothing wrong with your hand being under repped- just leads to these tricky spots and perhaps playing a bigger pot then you want to without much info

[dousche]

i think this is definitely a pass. theres no need to be trying to turn your AJ into a bluff here either (you said you wanted to take it on the turn, someone else said we can now make him pass). imo his line screams overpairs or sets. bb has top pair/2pair if he's any good.

i quite like your line, but i dont like the things you were planning to do if the action changed! once you've called pre we're not looking to get it all in with just top pair. a lot of you have said that his hand is underrepped but if he starts getting lots of chips in it looks more like a set or a draw than top pair - just play it smallball. and as i said at the beginning, i think its a pass now