Blinds 25/50. All stacks even around 10k. This is like the 15th hand of the tournament.

UTG opens to 150, 4 callers and I'm in the big blind with Ac7h. I complete, and flop is Ah9c7c. I check first to act, UTG cbets 500 into 900. A middle position player calls, and I call.

Turn 5c. I check, UTG bets 1500 into 2400. MP player makes it 3500. I ???



I'm near certain the MP player has a flush. I'm near certain UTG has a hand he's continuing with, if he cbet into 5 people, and then bet the turn when 2 called. Either a set, a flush, or a pair with a flush draw. Doesn't seem like the type at all that opens A9s UTG.

Flop play is obv debatable but I'm solely worried about the turn here

Seems like an easy fold.

Now it seems like an easy fold with the action, but I would have cr’d the flop, and before that I would have folded pre flop as A7o against a UTG raiser and 5 callers can get you into trouble, A7 does very poorly multiway I can understand why you called though cause of odds but unless you have exceptional post flop skills you’ll end up torching too much money with just calling to complete, and get into a lot of difficult spots against the more experienced players. Always have a plan before you play the hand.

fold pre...but pls keep regging 1k MTTs...

Question : is it a joke?

FYP

Ok I wasn't gonna reply to it, but I like to have fun, so I'll bite

I call pre because I'm getting 8 to 1, w 200bbs, and I close the action, in a live MTT with human beings. I don't feel anyone that is at THIS table is going to " outplay me", in a 6 way pre ante pot, with 200bbs. If Moorman was at my table I might fold. He wasn't. And I'm never going broke on an AK7 board w 200bbs. You guys aren't that good...

A7 is an easy fold on almost all boards. I invest 1.5% of my stack here. I don't see pre flop as a problem, but I understand it avoids situations like this. I may be over estimating my edge when 200 bbs deep like this, but this is a live MTT.

But on to the flop. I didn't wanna give "live reads" on any of the players because I wanted for someone to just do the math. But, UTG bets Ah97cc flop OOP vs 4 callers who haven't acted. I put him on AK AQ AJ, sets, and KQcc, KJcc, and maybe QJcc, TJcc,. He seemed like more of the passive type. I don't think he's 3x opening UTG w other flush draws, or A9 or A7.

The MP calls and he was a middle aged guy, and I'll just say that he did not look like a professional poker player. He was looser and I felt his range was much wider. I could see him calling with 87hh on this board, even JTo, honestly. He seemed weak but with 2 players who hadn't acted yet, I'm not sure if he raises his sets here either. It's still the 15th hand of the tourney. It gets to me and I have the decision to raise. If I raise here, my standard would be around 2500

If I do that, that would leave me with a little over a pot sized bet on the turn if one player calls, and 2/3 if both call. This is the 15th hand of a tourney with 60 minute levels. I was trying to take more passive lines, especially at the table I was at, with only 2 players who appeared to be decent.

And the main point I didn't raise on the flop, I wasn't sure if I was ahead. When the UTG cbets into 4 people on A97cc, I take him as very strong. I would range his cbet range like this:

AA 99 77 = cbets 100%
AK AQ AJ = cbets 80%
KQcc, KJcc, QJcc, TJcc = cbets 50% and maybe less. Players fear the top pair and nut flush draw where they are drawing dead. He 100% seemed like that player. These are the only hands I think he cbets.

When he cbets, I'm not sure where I'm at, so I call. If I'm behind, I'm far behind. And I'll have invested 6% of my stack by calling. Versus putting in near 30% of my stack in on a raise where I'm not even sure where I'm at.



I posted this on here because at the table, I really wasn't sure of the spot and took way longer than I normally do. Just wanted to get any insight. Everyone saying fold pre is like telling someone to invest in bitcoin 5 years ago. Thanks, I gotcha. Still playing a live MTT where human error comes into play at a rate that I would say is substantial, at least from what I've seen. If the flop comes 772 and utg has Kings, I could double up without a doubt in my mind. I play a style where they pay me off. Because again, they're human. For instance.


If you never fold your big blind early in a tournament, people will take that as you defend your big blind 100%, and may open at a lesser rate later in the tourney, thinking you're going play back at them. If you planned this out, then you've gotten them to error from their strategy, because they're human. The better the player, the less this will be true. But I've been at many tables where someone says, "He never folds his big blind" and folds while I'm in the big blind. This is what I mean by we're human. You can get people to do or think certain things, by how you act. I wan't people not to think, that I'm folding A7o in the big blind, getting 8 to 1, with 200 bbs and closing the action.


I haven't played much live poker in the past couple years, so I'm definitely rusty. But the "keep regging 1k mtt's" comment is funny. I wondered what happened to the High Stakes MTT forum, and now I'm reminded.


If anyone was wondering tho, I folded the turn, and UTG called and ended up having AdQc, and MP player had K3cc. The river was a J of spades, so it was Ah9c7c5cJs board, and it went check check on the river. The MP player said "just in case you have the nut flush, I check back". Yea, I guess I over thought the hand but I don't see people play good when I play live poker. The exact opposite actually. And hands like this, make me think that calling with A7o in the big blind, getting 8 to 1 on a call, with 200bbs, versus these opponents, could be profitable.

I guess I could be wrong tho. Thanks for the advice

^^^ tl;dr BUT:

one strategic observation - if you are going to play very passively post flop as your action above indicates, play much tighter pre. you would have saved over 5% of your stack which is still significant even in the first level of a super soft donkament.

Pre isn't really debatable tbh, flatting is superstd with those odds. Yeah it's not a great hand multiway but it's not as if we have to station A-hi-Boards all the way.

Flop is an easy raise though, especially 3-way. There are too many Turncards that suck and/or kill our action

It's a terrible hand MW and reverse implied odds on A hi boards is not that relevant in a 5way spot anyway (compared to HU or 3ways).
I would like to see more evidence to support your POV

regarding Flop or Preflop?

This.

What is LOFOD?

Sup NSS

The little one for one drop

preflop

1st off...appreciate ur honesty (too many levels around forums these days.)

RE: your exemption (from having to station Ahigh boards)...just wondering how u randomize ur explofolds?

For example EP cbets on Ah6c5c callers all fold...back to you...then barrels Qd turn for 70% pot...u have As7c

Call and call blank rivers?
Call and call all non club rivers?
Call turn fold all rivers?
Fold turn (utilizing ur non-station exemption)
Other (fold flop maybe)

I think calling pre is one of those "yes you should, no you shouldn't" arguments that don't lead anywhere.

I think that once you made a hand on the flop you did yourself a disservice by playing so passively. Instead of doing something proactive you let them take you on a ride. A check raise was an option you could have used. Another option would be a Donk-bet.

The Donk-bet won't be a popular choice here but it is one I would consider from early position with so many runners. Putting out a check raise might be committing more chips than you should with your good-not-great hand at this early stage of the tournament. Instead, put out a hefty Donk-bet, take it down as often as not, move on. Maybe this is an old-school play, you don't see it too often these days, but in some circumstances it remains an effective move.

One of the old-school poker ideas that still applies today is that you are always better off making the villains react to what you do than you are sitting back reacting to them. Check calling the flop was not an active choice. Instead of driving the action, you were sitting back reacting. As a result, you turned what was a pretty good hand into a bluff catcher. The line you took painted you into a corner.

Answer: fold pre

Reasoning: see how you played this hand

I think c/r on flop would be ideal. You are way ahead of both their ranges

V1 range: AA, AK-AJ, KJcc, KQcc, 99, 77? (I think cbetting much else from his PF opening range would be spew 5 ways and you are blocking AA and 77 combos)

V2: Ax, flush draws, straight draws? (any set or 2pair hand I think he would be raising for value/protection although I'm curious if were you the only person still to act behind him?)

Set up the turn jam imo with c/r to 2500-3000

I like your play pre.

On the flop, did you consider a check raise? Might take it down right there or fold if you get jammed on.

Turn, as played, is a pretty obvious fold to me.