Hi all,

After a long while, I grinded some Pokerstars tournaments in the past weekend. One hand especially left me wondering how it should have been played and would like to get some thoughts on it.

Below is the hand & some backround info:

- Villain stats: 29/14/0 (3bet) - Only 7 hands history in this table
- Due to short history, no specific reads - other than that the villain had done 1 or 2 steals.
- I don't remeber exactly how big the field was & how many made it to the money. Around 100 or so places paid.
- One hand prior to this one, I tripled up, won a big bounty and had a decent stack.
- At this point, there was 54 players left in the tournament.

The hand:

PokerStars - 900/1800 Ante 270 NL (8 max) - Holdem - 7 players


Hero (SB): 59.81 BB
BB: 11.92 BB
UTG: 44.85 BB
UTG+1: 17.07 BB
MP Villain: 81.69 BB
CO: 40.89 BB
BTN: 52.88 BB

7 players post ante of 0.15 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.55 BB) Hero has AdKs

MP raises to 2 BB, Hero raises to 7.05 BB, MP calls 5.05 BB

Flop(16.15 BB, 2 players)[/i] 8dAh8c
Hero bets 6.46 BB, MP calls 6.46 BB

Turn (29.07 BB, 2 players) 7c
Hero bets 11.63 BB, MP calls 11.63 BB

River (52.33 BB, 2 players) 9c
Hero checks, MP bets 35.58 BB, Hero?

When I checked on the river, I had 34,5 BB left. I think my bet sizing could have been bigger in the previous streets, could still get calls from other Ax hands. But, the Villain was thinking a long time before calling my bets, and I kinda had a bad feeling of this hand that I might be beat.

Really curious to hear how others would play this hand and what would be your line on the river? Go for a small bet like 15 BB and fold to a shove / shove yourself / check fold?

Thx in advance!

Tricky spot for sure, his 3 bet calling range doesn't really connect with this flop, him calling down 2 streets indicates an Ax perhaps weaker than yours, maybe floating with a pair between 99-KK, but that seems even less likely.

As played I'm not happy about it but I guess a sigh fold is in order, he's either value betting trips or better, some elaborate float/bluff, or in a more rare case value betting AQ, or AK as well, completely over valuing his hand, but in all honestly I don't think he is ever value betting a hand here that you can beat.

Do yourself a favour and check back the flop vs V who covers you imho, your stack is so big that this pot is insignificant really because you can’t win a bounty and covering the other players is what’s more important.

Just my 2cents obv, but I’m NB at mysteries.

Won’t go into as played because basically you just inflated the pot and now your decision is whatever imho.

Calling 30 to win 80 you can probably call profitability vs a bunch of players. AXc is possible and a bunch of floats got there too, but decent V can recognise his A is not winning at showdown and turn hand into a bluff. Naked Ac likely too vs regs.

Check flop….

I'm not sure what a solver would say, but I personally prefer checking the turn with an intention of check calling.

You often get an extra bet out of loose flop floats that will stab when checked to and if it checks through you can go for a sizeable value bet on the river (on most rivers, probably not this one though with the back door draws coming in).

If he bets turn I check call a river jam on most rivers. I feel like you keep in more of your opponent's bluffs this way compared to when you bet turn.

As played you're in a tough spot on the river. You're getting a good price but what is he really bluffing with? T9s is about the only obvious combo that comes to mind. BDFD got there and it's hard to imagine he's value betting worse. I fold river. ICM is still a thing and if you were in the first level of the tournament I would be more apt to sigh call.

Also, how big the average mystery bounty is in comparison to the prize pool payouts is very relevant. There are a lot of factors to consider here and it's a tough spot for anyone to figure out on the fly

that is some absolutely atrocious advice, check back the flop when it is an obvious range bet with such an equity advantage you have, i want to take a spoon and rip my eyes out

We're OOP so there is no "checking back" anyway.

You might check the flop if you want to get a check-raise in (and just live with it if he has 8x). I don't know if that's sound strategy, though. You could also just bet the flop and pile the turn, I suppose.

flop is obv cbet since you are crushing this board with your equity advantage, turn can go either way since your best tp pairs should be mixing, when a strategy is mixed ask yourself
1) if i check now how likely is the villain to bet his draws or worse tp?
2) will get bluffed on the river if check now(from what i know against villain and against pop)? yes/no what i want to do with my hand?

As played the hand i would have bet something like 10% otr to sqz some more value from Ax. As most people are playing i would prefer to xshove turn, most people will bet a lot more in frequency when check to them with their draws and tps

lol, clown.

at least i am a clown who doesnt check back when is first to act

ITM in a mystery vs monster stack who can literally have any 2…

I mean we were discussing hands that developed equity on the turn, it didn’t really seem necessary to point out that V has all the 8’s and we have 0.

But sure go ahead pump the pot with your equity advantage you crusher.

Oh lord Jesus forgive me for not realising OP was OOP, does that just a make it OPOOP?

In all seriousness and away from this slap-fighting for a second, from IP you have much more control over pot size and can guarantee you can see another card if you check. So, yeah, checking doesn't really have the same value.

What would you do from OOP? Check or bet, how much? How do you respond to bets of various sizes?

You need these chips man. Youre not gonna win tournaments by being scared especially in later streets where rhe poker is played. The only reason I am checking otr is in the hopes villian piles in for me. I would just 3 barrel it if and if he tarped or outdrew us oh well.