Archive Pick: Strong hand, short stack, two raises in front, NL MTT

DailyHandQuiz

Game type: $1k freezeout, Full Tilt Poker
Stage of tourney: Fairly early
Your image: New to table
Opponent’s image: No strong read
Your hand: T♣T♦

This hand is from our archives; view the original quiz and comments here

The setup: You haven’t had much luck so far in this tournament, getting a couple of strong hands cracked and dwindling down to a short stack fairly early. This hand you get TT in the SB. UTG raises 3x, UTG+1 calls and the next player makes it 1350. The table folds to you.

What’s your play? What about if you had Jacks instead of Tens?

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10 COMMENTS (Jump to comment form)

black fair

Fold both.

I don’t see a big difference between JJ and TT here personally.

I think folding or calling is very close.

With plenty of big stacks to act behind him it looks more like an isolation move rather than a squeeze play from the 3-better. I think he can bet this spot with both weaker and better pockets as well as AK. Against that range I think the value on offer is there to make the call – we’re getting better than 2:1 for our money and I’d estimate our average equity in this spot is around the 50% mark.

I could probably talk myself into a call here but I think I’d fold and hope to hit some cards on the next orbit.

[Reply]

kaimano

10 BB left, a strong hand and a lot of dead money in the pot…what else do you want?

[Reply]

black fair Reply:
August 25th, 2009 at 2:39 am

what sort of hands are you ranging an UTG raiser, a shorstacked UTG+1 flat caller, and an UTG+2 three better on?

It seems like they all likely have strong hands. Our hand is strong relative to the average hand, but how strong is it relative to 3 other strong hands?

Middle position limpers donate dead money, but these guys? The 3-better has bet our stack size so they’re obviously in it. No dead money there. The short stacked flat caller will have almost 100% of his range priced in, so his call is unlikely to be dead money. The UTG player raised in a full ring freezeout tournament – typically not dead money either.

[Reply]

kaimano Reply:
August 26th, 2009 at 12:25 am

If it was a cash game I’d agree with you…but it’s a tournament…it’s early so I don’t see surviving as a target…I’ve 10BB left, so I’ve to make a move soon or I’ll be blinded out or called light…To me this looks like a good spot to gamble. If somebody has an overpair, so be it. But if they share their cards (two AK for example) I’ll be a favourite. I think UTG and UTG+1 will go out leaving 6 BB as dead money, more than half of my stack. I call.

[Reply]

alekhine11

I love it,Strong hand,..lol indeed

[Reply]

kaimano Reply:
August 26th, 2009 at 12:26 am

Your comment is very useful…do you know?

[Reply]

alekhine11 Reply:
August 26th, 2009 at 4:29 am

What do you think my answer implies?

[Reply]

kaimano Reply:
August 26th, 2009 at 7:22 am

Do your answer implies something?