Hand from VC Tourny last night

[FatBoyFat]

No poker targets for me [yet] in 2008 but I am going to try and spend more time playing MTTs to try and improve my tournament play. To that end I wanted to post my thoughts on a hand that I played in the VC tourney last night and get your comments. Blinds are 150/300, I have a stack of 3,695, player 1, who is a solid player with some moves like most on PL, has me covered with 7,305.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Player 1 limps in MP. I raise from the button with TT to 1,200, my standard 3BB R plus one extra BB for the limp. Puts 1,950 in the pot, and excluding implied odds gives player 1 a price of 2.2 to 1 [decimal 3.2, 31%] to make the call.

Now I’m using these odds through this post and I’m not sure I have go them right. I’m getting a bit mixed up between fractional odds, decimal odds and percentages.

But basically I am thinking that from these odds as long as Player 1’s hand beats my range 31% of the time then they are right to make the call.

Question 1 – Was my raise too small here? I was thinking that if Player 1 was limping with AJ/AT, low PP or suited connectors the raise would chase them out of the pot? Having done the calculations and given that Player 1 has me well covered I am not sure this was correct. What would you raise to?

My thought process, if I am being honest is that I wasn’t really thinking about the size of the raise, somewhere along the way for MTT’s I have learnt to do the standard 3BB raise plus chuck another one in for each limper. I mix it up a bit with what I raise with, but I tend to stick to this approach so that my raise shouldn’t reveal my hand.

Now my raise here leaves me with 2,495 chips, so from what I learnt in Harrington an M of just above 5. If I remember Harrington correctly then once you get your M below 5 you are really in a push or fold situation.

I could raise more, say to 1,800, but then player 1 is still getting just odds of 1.7 to 1 for the call. Against my range I would imagine that his hand is still price in for the call, especially given that he has me covered.

If I do raise to 1,800 then this leaves me with about 1,900 chips, or an M of just over 4. So if I don’t take down the pot I will have a difficult flop decision as I may not get a better spot to stick my chips in.

Question 2 - As an aside to the hand that played out, if the SB or BB, who are yet to act, put me all in, or if Player 1 was limping with a monster [unlikely from MP] and RR all-in then I think I am looking priced in to call [assuming it would be a heads-up decision].

If I had raised to 1,200 then I would be calling with 2,495 to win 5,645 [150+300+300+1200+3695]; odds of 2.25 to 1 [decimal 3.25, 31%]

If I had raised to 1,800 then I would be calling with 1,895 to win 6,245 [150+300+300+1800+3695]; odds of 3.3 to 1 [decimal 4.3, 23%]

Assuming an all-in range of AA-QQ, AKs + AKo [do you think this range is reasonable for an all-in re-raise] I will win with TT 36% of the time according to pokerstove. If my maths is correct this equates to a probability of winning of 1.7 to 1 [decimal 2.7, probability 36%].

Therefore I would be correct to call if I get re-raised all-in whether I raise to 1,200 or 1,800. Knowing that would I be better off to raise all in preflop? This seems excessive given that my stack is about 12BB’s.

Moving back to the hand in question …….

SB and BB fold and Player 1 calls putting 2,850 in the pot.

Question 3 - What range would you put player 1 on now? I’m interested in the answer to this question to see if I am being too conservative when I limp and then fold to a raise.

Now that he has called are you looking to improve on the flop before you will put any more chips in?

The flop came 7d5d4s, putting a flush and straight draw out there. I wasn’t worried about the straight draw but wanted to price out any flush draws.

Player 1 checks to me and with 2,850 in the pot and 2,495 left I pushed all-in with my overpair.

Question 4 – What do you think of the all-in push here?

I think it is fit or fold time, a small bet isn’t chasing a flush draw away, but even an all-in isn’t probably chasing the flush draw away given the odds, although I didn’t think that at the time. A small bet would leave my chip stack so crippled that I would feel compelled to call a re-raise.

The hand played itself out …..

Question 5 – Am I a spanner for thinking about the hand in this much detail?

[robilaruk]

Re: Hand from VC Tourny last night

Question 5 – Am I a spanner for thinking about the hand in this much detail?

no you are not a spanner at all - thinking about hands and discussing then is a great way of improving your game. I will re-read you post and post my thoughts. Damo