Hey Guys

Bad Beat - NO bad play - YES


So back story to explain my play- i havn't made final table in weeks, in a decent sized field.

I am not a whinger but i am running terribad with my monsters in key positions (AK KK AA etc) but thats besides the point.

I am chip leader here 12 remaining - 3 before FT bubble.

I am playing well - maybe a tad too aggro - but with my stack i am able to bully alot - most of the time i am showing up with a hand on showdown, once i have shown down 56 suites UTG - So imo my perceived style to others is LAG - But to me i am actually having nice hands very playable hands with a good stack to do it with.

If im honest at this stage im looking to win this MTT but a final table maybe 4/5th would even be nice just for my mindset for future games.

A few of these players (villain included) have been getting it in KJ off on K or J high flops to preflop aggressors

My opinion of villian is exactly this, He could have any PP or Any Ace.

I had Jammed light to a short stack in the last 20 hands - winning with a flush on river (i had gut shot - one over and flush draw and i hit) 200k pot total but i know Villain saw this. Several other pots i was betting moderately just building my stack showing down medium to strong hands sometimes nuts.




My pot control here is just Awful - how would you play it.
Thing is with opponents range - its wide i should have let him bluff i think (if missed)

My line here would be
3bet flop fine (could have made it a bit more maybe 60k)
Flop bet half pot
Turn Check - Opponent more than likely bets here - its becoming draw heavy - so if pot is now standing at 140ish and Opponet bets 80k-100k(they was all betting big) and i call pot would be at 340k
if i check river - he will half to pot bet - 170-340k

whats my play.




Big $7.50, $6K Gtd
Poker StarsJuly Hold'em, Multi Table$6.69+$0.81Entries: 932Prize Pool: $6,235.08

Seat #8 is the button
Seat 2: HERO(752034 in chips)
Seat 3: BB(331939 in chips)
Seat 4: UTG(215131 in chips)
Seat 6: UTG+1(231762 in chips)
Seat 7: MP(238030 in chips)
Seat 8: Villain (521947 in chips)
HERO: posts the ante 1250
BB: posts the ante 1250
UTG: posts the ante 1250
UTG+1: posts the ante 1250
MP: posts the ante 1250
Villain: posts the ante 1250
HERO: posts small blind 5000
BB: posts big blind 10000
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO[As Ks]
UTG: folds
UTG+1: folds
MP : folds
Villain: raises 11000 to 21000
HERO: raises 29000 to 50000
BB: folds
Villain: calls 29000
*** FLOP *** [Ah 7c 3s]
HERO: bets 85775
Villain: calls 85775
*** TURN *** [Ah 7c 3s] [6h]
HERO: bets 615009 and is all-in
Villain: calls 384922 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (230087) returned to HERO
*** RIVER *** [Ah 7c 3s 6h] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***

Just to Add i am chipleader the guy with 500k is probably 2nd or 3

The rest all have 300k downwards to 90k or so

I really hate my turn play it was like 6am i was a bit tired and just wanted to make FT i had a good chip lead and wanted the pot over. We really poor play.

You are 50bb effective.

I think you made a big mistake preflop with 3 betting so small. You simply gave too good of odds to villain to call with any two basically. As his raise is a minraise-ish, you should raise 4x to something like 85K.

Then the postflop will be super easy. You will have SPR of around 2ish. You size your flop and turn c-bets so that they are roughly proportionate with the aim to go all in on the turn.

Looks like you need to be fired as the port manager.

Hi thanks for feedback, yes i was considering 60-65k seeing as im OOP

I will admit i played this hand so bad not my usual hand play at all. I think as soon he called i just wanted the hand over. Just cos i had my sights on the Final Table.

Is it inevitable to probably double him up here ?

I don't understand ICM etc i havn't studied any of that. I am curious to know what do i do here, as im gauranteed to make top 5 even if i just fold fold fold fold all hands.

scenario if played slightly different pre and post flop:

hero - 752034 k

Villian - 521947 k

5k SB and 10k BB + 8k in antes (6 handed)


Villain raises to 21k on button
I could 3 bet to 64k or so - I think Villain still calls this tbh just cos he has position and has chips if he has absolute junk he folds.

so now pot is 128 + 5 + 8 = 143k or so

I lead flop same figure i think lets say anywhere in range of 60 - 90k - (pot is now inflated to 260 to 320k)

(disregarding we know villain flopped set) most times he doesn't have a set. But from my table image i could very well do this with KK QQ JJ 10s and i really think he is gunning for me. I think before i joined the table he was "table Boss" and wants that image. Just going off his hands played.

Anyways i think going off he above recalculation of preflop raise - looks like i am destined to double Villain up here. I can't see in my mind where i can save chips except flatting and check calling to river with AK. Which is very weak.



Really wanted input on is this just standard hand here, if this was beginning or mid tourney i wouldnt even be posting here. Its just cos im very big chip leader and 12 left.




and yes Port control

P.s i went out 12th - AJ suited 2 hands later to 99 oh well.

Assuming villain never folds preflop, then you are going broke whatever happens, that is poker. Sometimes this spots can't be avoided.

However, there are several things you could have done to play the hand better.

Preflop - your size is too small. You are OOP, and want to raise 3.5-4x here really. If you went 4.5x and had reasons for it thats fine too.

On the flop, bet smaller. Your actual betsize is far too big - you are going to double up when you cooler him, but given you have an ace it makes it far less likely he has one.

Turn - bet smaller. What are you hoping is calling? Again you'll double up if you've coolered him, but with this sizing you allow him to herofold some Ax, and you'll really narrowed down his range that can call.

I'd say this hand demostrates a problem in betsizing more than anything, and that is an area you need to work on. With huge sizes you pretty much prevent the opponent bluffing, you make it look really strong and let him herofold, and you don't need to protect your hand because without some ridic runout you are playing for stacks over three streets here so don't really need to worry much.

I think shipping it is a good play for port control, but not so much for pot control.

I think your biggest mistake is your 3bet sizing pre. I usually like to make it 4x OOP without any cold-callers, a sizing a little smaller should also be fine. However your x2.4 sizing is just way too small OOP. Think about the odds you are giving him to try and hit his set. That price is a lot worse if we go for a bigger sizing pre and if he still calls than we have taken advantage of the fact that he is inelastic and we usually pick up a bigger pot OTF.

On a board this dry you usually want to go with a smaller sizing since we want to extract value from a big part of his range.

TBH as played I don't mind the shove OTT, but only if you think villian will call it of with hands that are worse than yours. Given that you think V will stick around if we 3bet for 4x pre with 33 he might also call of the shove OTT with a weaker ace.

I think bet sizing here is the biggest leak. Most people said it but I'll say it again. Bigger pre flop. I'm mOre concerned with the flop and turn bet sizing tho. This is where you lost control of the lot and ended up losing way more chips tha you had to.

Thanks guys for input sometimes i find it hard to be critical of my own hands

If this was someone elses pot id see the mistakes straight away.

I will take it all on board.

And good to know im more than likely destined to lose a big pot here either way.


And yes i do believe if i Jam here he will call A10 AJ and AQ
A9 not sure but cos if my previous plays i think he would struggle to fold.


Thanks again

You are likely getting stacked here anyway, but I don't like postflop sizings either. You bet close to pot OTF and shove for over pot OTT. You aren't getting action that often when the A hits and you have 3 streets to gii. Your play is too face up. You want to use sizings that you might also used if you had 3! JJ or 98s.