Top pair out of position, Poker Stars Sunday Million

DailyHandQuiz

Game type: Poker Stars Sunday million
Stage of tourney: Deep ITM, 43 remain
Avg stack: 1.6m
Opponent’s image: New to the table
Your hand: K♦8♦

This hand is taken from game play in the Sunday Million on 8.17. The hand took place between exomil and LK_Revolt. You’ll be standing in for exomil

The setup: Your opponent was moved to the table a couple of hands ago and has seen you raise one pot. They have yet to play a hand.

This hand the table folds to villain in the CO who bumps it to 150. The button folds and you call with your suited K. The BB folds and you flop top pair:

9♦K♥T♠

It’s your action. What’s your play?

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9 COMMENTS (Jump to comment form)

DHQ Staff

I’m not sure you needed to call preflop, but now that you have top pair and there’s a half a million in the middle, it seems like you’re probably going to have to go with it.

I think the standard play here is to go for a checkraise. You don’t have to worry about a free card all that much, simple because any hand that can really improve on the turn will probably bet when you check. The checkraise also has the benefit of getting the maximum value out of hands that your opponent has missed with. Finally, any checkraise will offer your opponent better than 2-1 on the call, so they might be able to talk themselves into calling a little wider than they should.

What actually happened: The SB checked and the CO bet 300000. The SB raised to t720000, the CO raised all-in t1030190, and the SB called t310190. The CO had aces and they held to win.

[Reply]

Richard P

Seeing as you chose to call with king high you’ve hit your hand so you’re going to have to play it. I would check hoping to check this down, but if opponent c bets on flop then for me it’s gotta be a crai to protect my hand and try and end it. I don’t want to lead and stop my opponent from c betting if missed, and I don’t want to lead and then have to call an all in for half my stack with top pair crap kicker. I want to be the one going all in even though I wish I didn’t have to (and hadn’t made that pf call).

[Reply]

Rhycar

The biggest mistake was the pre-flop call. Yes you’re getting 3-1, but you’re up against an unknown raiser out of position. K-8s is not good enough to call in this spot.

So we make top pair after a dubious call. However, your kicker is very weak, and the board is highly coordinated. He raised pre-flop, and lots of hands that raise pre-flop have made their hand or have multiple redraws. Your top pair is likely no good. I think your only hope to win this hand is to lead out. Chip stacks being what they are, a bet of 250k is likely to get a fold or an all-in raise. Pot odds would be attractive to call an all-in, but your chip lead is comfortable enough to let it go.

Check raising is very risky. You don’t know what villain’s pre-flop raise indicates because he’s new to the table. Also, a check-raise means you virtually have to call an all-in reraise because of pot odds. Check-call is silly as well, you learn nothing of your opponents strength, and you get closer to calling an all-in with no good information. Check-fold is acceptable because the board is so coordinated, and you are likely to be nearly drawing dead at this point.

Come on now, there’s no way check-raise is the correct play. It’s extremely risky, and it assumes that villain is very loose. We don’t know villain’s range, so to get an idea of what he has, we need to lead out. The board is highly coordinated. Lots of hands that would raise pre-flop just hit the flop.

[Reply]

turtle

I would have folded pre flop but since I didn’t…
I agree that a lead bet will give you much more info than a check. With the weak kicker, a raise over my lead bet would tell me enough. I personally am ok with laying this hand down to a raise, post flop. I would be hesitant to check/ anything.. that move just invites an all in after the turn. Besides since you really know nothing about this player other than he hasn’t played a hand yet, to see this demonstration of strength would be enough to make my nose twitch. I have plenty of chips..I’ll wait.

[Reply]

Chad Gerson

Dumb call pre-flop. Check-fold. Even if he only has a K he probably has you outkicked.

[Reply]

samo2

I’ll take the 3-1 with K8s. Villain’s range is wide being the open-raiser. I flop top pair on terrible board, so I’ll lead for 250 and fold to any raise. I’ll still be well above avg. stack. Can’t see check-raising that board vs. a stranger … hard to believe that many voted for it. Check-calling leaves you in the dark.

[Reply]

samo2

I’m actually in the SB, so odds are 2.4-1 vs. 3-1 for BB. Still lead out and fold to a raise.

[Reply]

no luck

agree with samo2.

[Reply]

Utherrex

Yeap…we need to lead (now the damage is done) and hope he folds
fold to a raise or pray for the turn to improve your backdoor draws …a call from him would mean we are almost certainly beaten… but if we check the flop…i don’t feel strenght enough to call his bets out of position.

[Reply]