For those that got past the title and into the thread...event #20 was the women's event. Small buy-in at $200+$50. Wound up with 112 entries counting an unknown number of re-buys.

Hand in question comes at Level 10, shortly after pay-outs were announced. Table had probably five of the original nine women. I was generally being afforded a great degree of deference if I got into a pot simply because I didn't get into many pots and of those that I did get into, I generally had the better hand. One hero call where I had A7cc on a 7-high rainbow flop...heads up to the flop and it was checked. Jack on the turn, still rainbow...I check, short stack shoves, I put her on AQ or AK and called. My read was correct.

To the hand in question...which came at 100 ante, 400/800. At the time, there were something like five tables left (about 40 still in) with top 12 being paid.

At the beginning of the hand, I was somewhere around 32K and SB (who had been up and down) had me covered by 5-10K. SB had been active and, at times, over-valued any ace but also had shown the ability to lay down big hands. We had very few hands heads-up but had been very much on the same wavelength when discussing play from the other end of the table.

SB and BB post, checks around to me on the button. I look down at QJo (admittedly one of the better holdings in a while) and min-raise. SB makes it 3600 to go and BB folds (calling would have basically put her all-in save for maybe 500-1000). I call.

Flop is Q-J-6 with two spades...could have been a 4, but that is meaningless to the hand.

SB checks, I make it 5600 to go with top two. After a small period of thought, they make it something like 18K and I all but insta-shove. SB tank calls but not before she counts out chips three or four times. She had been down to 5K on a couple of occasions before the re-buy period ended, but she (like me) was still on the original bullet.

Neither hand changes on the turn or river, although I may have improved to a flush draw on the turn.

IMO, all chips are getting in before the hand is said and done.

Question becomes one of whether I should have just flatted the flop raise or was it a correct shove (results of the hand notwithstanding). When I have not been active for much of the day, does the shove telegraph too much information in that situation?

(should add that two hands earlier, when I was in BB, it folds around to SB who completed. I min-raised with AJss and got the fold...I also had showed under the pretense of showing that I was not just trying to bully a short-stacked SB).

This is a pretty standard 3-bet shove for you. The opponent is essentially forced to call another 11,000 to win the 44,000 already in the pot, unless they were on a pure bluff (and a fold here from her wouldn't be the worst result considering that there is already 55bb in there). Plus, you don't want a scare card coming on the turn like an Ace or another spade in case she has KK or AQ.

Pre is fine. Can maybe justify opens a touch bigger to not give SB and BB such a cheap price to peel with garbage, but nothing wrong with it. SB making it 3600 is a total mistake, basically gives you the price to call with pretty much any two.

Flop is fine. When SB checks after 3-betting it can sometimes be a trap, but having QJ really blocks logical 3-bet hands for value so opponent is more than likely holding a marginal made hand (like Jx or TT). Check/raise is weird but I guess it could be with something like JJ+ (although you'd expect AA/KK to open a decent amount) maybe 66 although 66 shouldn't 3-bet that often, maybe Asxs.

I think because you have QJ that the shove is fine, if your opponent does have the random set so be it. Because your shove is for so little (11K) worse hands (good draws, AA-KK) that take this line are almost always going to call.

Considering how badly villain butchered the hand, its not clear what you could have done to get her to give you more chips.

Her pre-flop raise was too small. I make it at least 4800 and considering position I might make it 5,200.

Why would she check the flop after her 3-bet pre? What if you check back with a gutter like ATs?

Also, the c/r on the flop is for the wrong size. By putting in over half your stack, she is effectively going all-in --- but giving you the right price to call with a double draw. This is another reason to lead out 1/2 pot on the flop. So she can shove the turn in case you are on a draw. She has to c/r all-in on the flop.

If you call the flop bet and this horrific villain decides you have a draw and hit it on the turn or river she just might fold to your all-in bet.

Yes getting it in on the flop is fine, V can have AA/KK/ AQ/KQ combos, semibluffs w spades, open enders and gutters potentially (depending on the opponent). Seems like a pretty standard 3bet get in on the flop. Id have opened for more than 2x on the button just to gain a little more fold equity but the min raise is fine.

As played though I don't really see any reason to slowplay the hand on the flop. You aren't that deepstacked and there are so few combinations of hands that beat you and stuff like QQ and JJ is blocked by holding QJ, so you can mostly of discount those hands from their range (only 1 combo of each left.) There are such few combos of sets I'm putting my stack in here w 40 big blinds.

Thnx for the comments...

As it turned out, I had the misfortune of having run into a set of jacks and was gone. All the way home, when I was able to take a mental break from the pouring rain, I felt as though I had not played the hand horribly. There were still things I felt I could have done differently but I wasn't sure if I needed to be beating myself up over it...

I can see the reasoning for having raised more pre, but with the image I felt I had, I envisioned her viewing my min-raise as real strength and I was content to take blinds and antes there while limiting risk with a marginal holding. Had there been other action before it got to me, I could easily have just gotten away from it.

Thnx again...

You played the hand fine. Now that we see what villain had that line does make some sense, but with 2 blockers it's harder to see them show up with JJ or QQ.

I can see trapping QQ (and to a lesser extent, JJ) being reasonable because that hand blocks so many good hands your opponent might have and strengthens your checking range overall. I guess if you're check/raising with QQ, JJ sometimes and a few nut flush draws that's a reasonable mix.

i think shoving flop is fine because of how wet it is, v might think we on a draw or might be on one themselves.