Underpair vs big stack, near bubble, NL MTT

DailyHandQuiz

Game type: 100 Rebuy, PokerStars
Stage of tourney: Near bubble
Your image: TAG
Opponent’s image: Aggressive
Your hand: 8♦8♠

The setup: You’ve been pretty tight and are sitting on a shrinking stack in this 100R tournament. 33 players remain, and the money begins at 27. You raised preflop last hand and the table folded to you; before that you had been pretty quiet.

This hand you get 88 UTG and make the same open. The table folds to the chip leader in the BB, who calls. The flop comes Q♣4♣4♦. The BB checks.

What’s your play?

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10 COMMENTS (Jump to comment form)

Bet, we probably have the best hand. If we get a call we probably don’t. Am I missing something?

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Rowdy

Yeah, you’re ripe for being shoved on with air. You’re also folding out worse hands only.

But I’d still take the bet line. Just hope we still have respect for out tight TAG image.

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Pirate21

Doesn’t look like the flop helped him at all (4 wouldn’t likely be in the hand and Q would have bet the flop) so all we should be concerned with are bigger pairs. I don’t want V to see another card because any over is a scare card, so I’m throwing out a pot-sized bet and taking it down now.

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Nelson

I definitely want to bet – but I have a question for everyone. Say we bet pot and villain puts us all in…Now do we fold? I think we’d have to right? Would it be better just to push all in first and put the tough decision on him? I mean, if we only bet pot and he just calls – now what? Our only real move at that point given the stack sizes and pot size would be all in or fold, correct?

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Pirate21 Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 10:18 am

With an Agg opponent, I’d have to rely on prior history but in general I think it would be difficult to make that call.

[Reply]

T Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 12:16 pm

So why the large pot-sized bet?
On this flop the only hands that are going to give us action are hands that beat us. Villain may be aggro and might have made a loose call pre, but he’s not going nuts with KJ here.
Betting 1/2 to 2/3 pot should suffice to get him off any FD, and allows us to get away more easily if there’s resistance.

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Pirate21 Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 10:49 pm

I think a smaller bet may look like a c-bet and thus more likely to be called or raised. I have no interest in seeing another card because there’s a 50% chance it’s an over card to my pair. My bigger bet says I really have something here so fold and move on.

samo

We can’t play this hand differently despite the recent history. I’d bet 5.5k as Hero is very likely ahead. An agg opponent is 3-betting 99+ PF.

May have run into a Qx, but can’t run the risk of another ‘over’ hitting the turn. Besides, an agg opponent might 3-bet PF with a decent Q. If raised, fold even though it may be best hand. Survival is the primary goal, and letting this battle go vs. a big stack is one way to get there.

[Reply]

general johnson jameson

Why do people think we aren’t going to get called by worse? Really? There is a lot that would call a half size bet here… a clover draw, a backdoor diamond and straight draw with high cards, small pairs, even a decent ace might peel another card. Giving a free card is outrageous. We have a made hand, but it is the type that gets worse and worse with every new card that comes out, ESPECIALLY in this situation, where he could have a lot of things. Any over now pairs his we are toast. Any under card now sets his low pair. These are all very likely hands he could have here. Every card makes us worse and worse. Protect your hand here.

Also, his check means nothing for 2 reasons: first, he is acting first after the flop, which means nothing, and second he is checking to the raiser which also means nothing. If he actually has a good hand, he will let us know right here. We need to bet to find out where we are. Betting the pot is way too much, and anything less than half is gonna look weak. I like the 5.5k that was suggested. This gives a back price to all draws, and at the same time charges to see one more. As to the question if he shoves: we have to fold. An aggressive player is an aggressive player, but that also doesn’t imply that he is in the mood to lose 31,000 chips on a bluff to a TAG player that just open raised UTG. Aggressive doesn’t mean stupid, it just means pressure. Let’s never ever confuse the 2. An aggressive player with a huge stack, didn’t get it by sticking his foot into a wood chipper just because he is fear less. Even aggressive players have to pick certain spots to apply pressure. And if he has a hand that’s similar to ours like 77, and he shoves and we fold, well that’s just a situation of whoever is first in is going to take it. Sometimes it happens.

If he has the goods, he will let us know, as he isn’t the trapping type. Lead out and protect your hand.

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Nelson Reply:
September 21st, 2010 at 2:43 pm

Nice one again General – the line about sticking his foot in a wood chipper…jesus…thats priceless.

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