A Tourney Hand - I think I shouldn't have busted
Tuesday, 27 November 2007 10:04
During the weeks leading up to the WSoP this year, I played lots of satellites with points and various other small amounts. This is a tourney hand from an online WSoP main event $600+35 satellite (which I'd super'ed into). Starting chips were 2,500 and starting blinds were 10/20. We were on the first blind level, at a 9-handed table. I had 2,800 in chips and was two from the button.
Action is folded to the person on my right, who made it 60. I called
with 5 5
. The big blind (with 2,959
chips) defended and we saw the flop of 5
2
6
three-handed with 190 in the
pot.
It was checked to me, and I led for 100 chips. The big blind called
and the preflop raiser folded. The pot stood at 390 chips. I knew
nothing about the players, but I put the big blind on an overpair
(probably around 77 or 88 that he was misplaying), 34, 66, 22, 78, 45,
47, or maybe overcards. The turn was the Q and he led for 200 chips. I
somewhat felt perhaps he did have something like AQ that he
check-called with and added this to his range. I also though maybe at
this point he had a gutshot or overcards on the flop and picked up a
flush draw. The annoying part about his lead is that it actually
increased my range for him (even if it did make it unlikely he held an
overpair on the flop).
I made it 600 chips to go and he called quickly. We saw the river of
J with 1,590 chips in the pot. He
had only 1,699 chips remaining. I really felt he had a set of 2's at
this point, but obviously 34 and a set of sixes were real
possibilities. I consider that maybe some sort of Q was a
possibility, as he may have been making some sort of delayed steal on
the flop. I decided there were a number of hands he could pay off
legitimately. I figured he'd call with everything in his range except
busted-straights/turned-flush-draws. I led 800.
He check-raised all in. At that point, I narrowed his range to 34, 66,
22, and very rarely QJ. I called his last 899 with 1-to-3.54 odds,
hoping for 22, and saw 3 4
.
After calling the river, I felt strongly I shouldn't have tried that river value bet. I think I would have been more likely to check in a cash game, but in a tourney (at the time) I felt I had to collect the chips. Once I've value-bet, I clearly can't fold to the check-raise because I can't completely eliminate 22. Plus, if he had QJ even a little bit of the time I think the odds are clearly right.
Thoughts?