Fitz Last Night

Iago

After Sunday's adventure I decided to drop into the Fitz again last night, because I was there early I played some blackjack, which was a total disaster but that's another story!!


Anyway the game itself was fine, had to go all-in on the second hand and lost but apart from that I was doing ok. Didn't see many hands, but the ones I landed held up. Last hand before the break, I was the big blind, player next to me goes all in for 470, player next to her goes all in for 1,400 and the SB calls (still has about 6,500) I have 66, I could call and then fold if the flop doesn't help ( I have about 7,500 so it wouldn't be a huge amount) but I figure that at least one of them has to have a higher pair so I throw them in. Sure enough the cards are turned to show QQ, AK and KK so I was right to throw them away. Dealer turns the flop 9 6 6 DOH!!!! I still think I did the right thing, but that really irritates me!

After the freezeout I spent most of my time watching hands, I think I only played 3 hands in the next hour, but I managed to win on them so when we got to the final table I had just over 20K in chips. We started the final table with 8 players and after about an hour or so we were down to 5.

So this is where I'm looking for other peoples opinions, what would you have done in this position. I'll post what I actually did and what happened in a couple of hours.


(Samson if you're reading this don't give it away!)

You've about 20K in Chips, blinds are 2k and 4k, there are 5 players left and you're first to act. You look down to see you have 99, do you

1. Call
2. Raise
3. Fold


Presuming you decided to call or raise, next player folds and the button goes all in for about 30K, SB & BB Folds, it's down to you. If you've already gone all-in then this isn't a relevant question but Do you

1. Call
2. Fold

What's your reasoning behind your answers?

Iago

and fi someone can forgive my ignorance and tell me how to cover text with spoilers I'll post up what happened straight away!!!

Samson

Originally posted by Iago
(Samson if you're reading this don't give it away!)

You've about 20K in Chips, blinds are 2k and 4k, there are 5 players left and you're first to act. You look down to see you have 99, do you

1. Call
2. Raise
3. Fold


Presuming you decided to call or raise, next player folds and the button goes all in for about 30K, SB & BB Folds, it's down to you. If you've already gone all-in then this isn't a relevant question but Do you

1. Call
2. Fold

What's your reasoning behind your answers?

I won't say a word.
However, if I were in that position I would have go all in, as the blinds are worth taking and you don't want to allow someone in with a draw to a better hand.

Hyzepher

Firstly with only 5 players left and pocket 99 with 6k to steal I would go all-in - especially if first to act. No way am I going to pass, If I only call then it leaves someone else to come over the top thinking I have a weakish hand. By going all-in you do two things - represent a monster hand & maybe deter someone else from going all-in if they have a marginal hand like AT, AJ or low pair. Simply raising is not really an option - i would need to raise to at least 12k anyway and that still might lend itself for someone to come over the top.

By going all-in the second part is moot - I'm all-in so any call just gives a show down. I still have outs and am probably ahead pre-flop - unless they have a monster AA, KK etc. But those are the risks.

Hyzepher

Samson

Originally posted by Iago
and fi someone can forgive my ignorance and tell me how to cover text with spoilers I'll post up what happened straight away!!!

Use [spoile.r]text[/spoile.r], leaving out the .

careca

I would have raised first to 10K hoping to take the pot there and then. If you check and the flop throws up an overcard or two you have to lay down the hand. Unfortunately when the player came back over the top i would probably have called because I think i would have been pot committed at that stage. With the blinds at 2/4 and only 10K left you might not get a better chance.

Although it would seem obvious that you would be behind when calling there is still a chance that you might be playing against two overcards rather than an overpair. Thats really what you are hoping for.

If the other player turned over a higher pair, as Roy the Boy said on Poker Million, you would have two outs. Out of your chair and out the door.

Thats my two cent worth anyway.

Iago

Ok, so this is what happened..

My initial action was to double the blinds, so I put in 8K, at the time I thought it was a sensible bet, but the more I thought about it afterwards I probably should have gone all in straight away.

To be honest, I think I felt that a 8K bet would prevent the other two players from playing, as the table was quite tight and there was a lot of respect there (with the exception of Samson who seemed to think the blinds were actually 10K on every hand!!) and that the extra would stop the blinds playing as well.

Anyway, I bet 8K Samson folded and the guy next to him went all-in, SB and BB folded and I was left with the decision. I had already committed 8K to the pot, it was 5 handed so a pair was a good hand, I was next big blind, so if I didn't call I was quite possibly throwing away another 4K on the next hand anyway, and I only had 12k left.

I called the all-in bet, he turned over AQo (I think that even had I gone all in, he would have called with that hand, I know I would have) Flop came 3 4 5, it gave him 3 hearts and a str8 draw, but I was still ahead.

Turn was 9h, so I'm way ahead but he only needs a heart or a 2 to win, river gives him the 2 and he hits the straight. Apart from the fact that I probably should have gone all-in instantly I think I played it correctly, and as I said with AQ I think he would have called the all-in anyway.

Samson, how did you end up?

Lafortezza

With only 5 players left 99 is a big hand to start with. Definitely all-in or fold if you're under the gun. As Hyzepher said, anyone who might have been tempted to go all in in late position with K10suited or AJ or something will now be put off by the fact you might be representing a pair (where they could be 50/50ish or way behind if its a high pair), or representing a bigger hand like AK, AQ.

There's a chance you might run into a monster in late position but thats the chance you take by acting in early position.

All-in to steal the 6k blinds, you only have 20k which is 5 times the big blind, 10 times the big blind is supposed to be just about comfort territory, you can select your starting hands.
4 times the big blind is all-in or fold kind of decisions. If you have less than 4 times the big blind it no longer hurts the bigger stacks to call your all in, if blinds are 1k-2k and you only have 4k, then its nothing for someone to call you. If you had 8k on 1k-2k blinds people would be less likely to call to knock you out.

mewso

I haven't read the spoiler but what I would do would very much depend on the stacks around me. If I am one of the larger stacks then I would avoid trouble. i.e. flat call the BB and fold the all-in raise. If I am low stack then I'm all-in str8 away. You may well get that 30k bloke to fold if he has KQ or something he intends stealing with.
It's very noticable that nobody has mentioned stack sizes, just how many players they are up against.

Iago

I was the second smallest stack with about 20K, SB had about 12K, the rest had over 30K each, up to about 50K I think

To be honest, I did want a caller and was hoping that either they wouldn't hit or the set would come up for me. That way I could put myself in a strong position rather than just stealing 6K and then giving it back on my blinds

Samson

Originally posted by Iago
Samson, how did you end up?

I was a bit gutted after Joe O'Neill's pocket aces and played very tight for a while after that.
After a period of folding blinds I flopped top pair (JJ) on big blind with Joe (small blind) raising big after the flop, I went all in, he folded.
Next hand I got pocket sevens on small blind, Joe calls with Q7 (I think) and I take lots of his chips.
Joe is on big blind next hand, I fold on the button, and small blind just calls, so Joe goes all in. Killian calls and puts Joe out in third.
Killian is way ahead but offers me a deal which I gladly accept, €800 for him, €700 for me.

That brings my poker winnings for the week so far to just over €2000.00, I'm off to New York and Atlantic City next week, so I'm well covered.

Iago

You walked into that one alright!! It was unfortunate, but at least you were well up and able to absorb it.

That's the thing with Joe though, he could just of easily had 72o when you called him on that.

Glad to hear you did well, you were still in a strong position when I left and with the exception of the aforementioned hand you seemed to timing your raises and calls well..

congrats

Lafortezza

Originally posted by Samson
Killian is way ahead but offers me a deal which I gladly accept, €800 for him, €700 for me.
That brings my poker winnings for the week so far to just over €2000.00, I'm off to New York and Atlantic City next week, so I'm well covered.

Who is Killian? Is he a Fitz regular?
Fair play , 2000 in 2 tournament is not too bad going at all! you should enter the €250 game at the end of the month...

Samson

Originally posted by lafortezza
Who is Killian? Is he a Fitz regular?
Fair play , 2000 in 2 tournament is not too bad going at all! you should enter the €250 game at the end of the month...

Killian is a fairly familiar face alright, but he's not there every night like Norman, Joe, Viv et al. He drives a 98D Volvo if that's any help in identifying him.

Don't think I'd be comfortable paying out €250.00 (even from my winnings) just yet. Anyway, I'm flying out next Thursday, so it won't be an option anyway.
I might go in tonight anyway, if I were to win a ticket, I'd add €60 to it and get 3 credits for the Monday night tournament.

careca

Fair play Samson, thats some nice winnings. You must be doing something right.

DeVore

Regarding the initial question: I'd have gone all in. In fact in the position you are in with only 5 players and lowish stack, I'd have gone all in on any pair. You are likely to be ahead 13 times out of 17! With the 99's that rises to about 15 times out of 17.
Since you are in early position they will tend to believe you rather then think you are stealing.

I havent read the spoiler yet...

DeV.

Lafortezza

Originally posted by DeVore
I havent read the spoiler yet...
DeV.

You just have to highlight it with the point, click and drag your mouse over it. n00b

DeVore

some of us like to keep up the suspense... (i came up with the idea for the custom hack for the spoiler you know! Cloud wrote it )

DeV

MrPudding

Originally posted by DeVore
i came up with the idea......Cloud wrote it )

DeV

Story of your life;)

DeVore

yeah I'm an ideas-guy.... I dont like that work stuff

DeV.