Top pair in big blind

[Sandy Cheeks]

Well even though my hand memory can be kind of sketchy, I thought I would post a couple of hands from a few of my tourneys. This is a hand from the Main Event.

We all started with 5,000 in chips with 40 min blinds. Day 2 started with 36 players - 11 players left, 5 at our table, 6 at the other table; aggressive blind structure:

With approx-80,000 in chips with the blinds at 8-16 thousand with 4000 antes (2 players to my right were well acquainted with each other belonging to another regional poker club) both had been working the squeeze play on me since they had both been moved to the final 2 tables.

I was BB with -, Button calls, SB calls. 68,000 in the pot. Flop --. I bet out 40,000 button pops over the top for 80,000 and he has about 200thou behind., SB folds . I insta-call. What does the Villain have????

[DevilFish73]

Not really sure w/o being at the table but he could easily have a small flush draw or middle pair w/ a gut shot... Good break down of the situation though...

[Chipless Wonder]

Overpair, 6-2 or a flush draw?

[FrankNagaiJr]

if i read this correctly, you are terribly short-stacked (80K w/a 16K big blind?) then villain could easily have as little as 66 or even 2nd or third pair.

[cusecrusher]

I would put them on a flush draw or possibly something like 7-6. However with only 4 BB and hitting that flop rather hard it seems like an auto shove regardless.

[Sandy Cheeks]

I would put them on a flush draw or possibly something like 7-6. However with only 4 BB and hitting that flop rather hard it seems like an auto shove regardless.

Obviously, I did push and yes for where we were in the tourney, most of us were short stack. My thought was, at that point, I was not going to get a better spot. Even if I did fold I would only have 20k behind, not even enough for the next blind if I push on the small.

[tincup]

ok, so i've been in suspense like most donkeys for some time................................ what did he have? or am i just donkey enough to have missed it? lol

[FrankNagaiJr]

Yes, we're all dying to know that button actually limped TT in order to get short stack to commit on top middle pair?

[Sandy Cheeks]

It's only been a day for goodness sakes but anyway; He rolled over pocket 5's and it had been a set up all along. They had been working the squeeze play on me so that when both had just smooth called, I would be lulled into a false sense of security. I should have been suspicious but I didn't even stop to think. But they both just reeled me in (as was their plan all along...collusion sucks ) I never caught my 6 and the rest is history.

The reason I bring this hand up at all is the fact that a couple of the pro's cornered me later and told me that if I would have thought about the hand...I would have folded.

There were 2 reason's that I disagreed with them:

1-I felt that with top pair, I was not going to get another opportunity to get more chips than this particular situation.

2-I also understood that with my chips stack (at about 20k) it was either this hand or the next (SB was 8k w/4K ante) to make a move. If I fold on the SB I only have 8k left to do anything with to make any kind of a comeback.

What do you think, please let me know if I should have played this differently or were my conclusions just?

[FrankNagaiJr]

I guess I would need a little more backstory to really get what happened here. As described, in this particular hand had no squeeze play. I'm not certain what your actual stack size was, nor the two villains stack sizes. (Maybe you're due for a nap?) Based on the original description I don't think your play sucked, since the button should have made that same play with an awfully wide range of cards, including two overs.

If you go back to my venetian tourney, I was fearful of getting into a 3-way playoff with two guys who knew each other a little two well, and I think that lead me to take a not-terrific chop, so I sympathize.