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What would you have done?
I'm not going to give my own poker advice on this blog because if you all listen to me, you'll be broke. But a beauty of this blog is I get to ask everyone else about poker, in the name of journalism.
So, here we go:
I'm playing in a multitable tournament at Dania, with an average chip stack, think it's 2000 or so. I'm in the big blind (100 units).
I get pocket 10s. Five players in front of me call the 100.
So I bet out 500. Get two callers.
Flop comes, 2-4-8, rainbow.
So, with no overcards, continuation bet, another 500. Get one caller, from first position.
Uh-oh.
Another blank on the turn, maybe a 5. I check, he bets 500, then mercifully he checks it out on the river, another 5. Friendly game.
He turns over queens. He slow-played the queens from the first seat.
Where did I go wrong? Should I:
a.) Not have bet out on the 10s at all?
b.) Bet more?
c.) I didn't do anything wrong. That's poker.
d.) Other
Send me some responses and I'll put them up.
NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, early training for his...
Comments
Scenarios like this really show why middle pairs are so difficult to play.
As a tight-aggressive player, I like to see the flop for cheap with JJ or lower earlier in tourneys. Especially when you are out of position as you were with the likelihood of getting at least one caller.
Considering your average stack and the relatively low blinds, you were not in desperation mode to play a middle pair aggressively from the BB. I would have checked and tried to spike a 10 on the flop. Playing it this way would have probably saved you 1000 chips (assuming the QQ guy checks the turn and river after your call of a flop bet).
Posted by: R P | January 11, 2008 11:35 AM
You played it correctly, under the gun played it wrong and got lucky.
Pocket Q's and you're under the gun, why would you give so many people the chance to see a cheap flop? He shoulda gone all in and worst case scenario, he gets the blinds.
Cheap flop and he let's someone in with an A-rag and an A flops and he's screwed.
The only thing I would have done from the BB spot, would have been to go all in pre-flop. I really don't want 5 callers. All in wouldn't have gotten rid of the pocket Q's though. You didn't notice that he was playing a conservative game?
Posted by: KCK | January 11, 2008 2:55 PM
I agree with KCK, but I think the player thought he'd play the queens, then either call or just muck them if an ace or king hit the board. And if a queen hit, he'd nail someone because no way to put him on queens.
I guess.
Posted by: Nick Sortal | January 11, 2008 6:00 PM
That's poker.
You didn't NEED to get yourself all pot committed with pocket tens and a decent stack of chips, but you didn't play it wrong either.
Occasionally someone will sneak in and take a chance at a bad flop with a big hand like QQ.
Posted by: Mark | January 14, 2008 9:13 AM