Can you play like a pro in a big tournament environment? Check out the latest live conundrum from Karl Mahrenholz
EVENT: £1,000 UKIPT London main event
STACK: 75,000
BLINDS: 1000/2000/a200
Karl’s hand: 9♣-8♣
Board: K♣-9♥-3♦-9♠-5♦
This hand comes from Day 2 of the recent UKIPT in London. My opening table broke quickly and this hand came up about twenty minutes after I got moved. My initial thought on the new table was that it was very aggressive. There was a PokerStars pro who seemed to be going crazy with a big stack, a few young guys, a couple of UK circuit pros and two or three other guys I didn’t recognise. This was an excellently structured event and I had around the average stack.
In this hand a player min-raised from under the gun to 4,000 and had me covered. Everyone folded to me, I made it up with 9♣-8♣ in the small blind and the big blind folded. I had no real info on this player apart from that he was a young European with a decent stack and his opening size suggested an online background.
The flop came K-9-3 with one club. I checked, and he asked to see my stack before checking behind. The turn paired the
9. I checked and he bet 6,500, which I called. The river was the 5♦. I checked again and after a short think he moved all-in for 65,000 effective into a pot of 24,600. What’s my best play, call or fold?
Last month
Event: GUKPT Manchester £1,000 main event
Stack: 200,000
Blinds: 800/1600/200
Jeff’s hand: K♥-7♥
Board: K♦-J♣-7♦
This hand was played by Jeff Kimber in the recent GUKPT main event. The UTG player limps for 1,600 from a stack of 50,000. Jeff was in the cutoff and raised to 3,700 with K♥-7♥. Action folded to the big blind who called for ‘the value’. The UTG player also called. The flop came K-J-7 with two diamonds. Both players checked to Jeff and he bet 6,600 into 13,700. The BB thought for a short while and raised to 16,600. The UTG player folded and action was back on Jeff. What would you do with his hand and why?
Solution: There are only four hands that are beating us – K-K, J-J, 7-7 and K-J. Most of these can be ruled out because of the preflop play and we also have blockers to most. Not only would pocket Kings or Jacks most likely three-bet preflop but the way in which the BB calls ‘for value’ suggests a speculative hand. I’d rule out both 7-7 and even K-J because they would be standard calls most people would make without a shrug or a comment (I’m not saying to rely on verbal tells 100%).
This leaves total bluffs and draws. His most likely hands seem to be flush draws, or possibly a combo draw. However, even hands like 9♦-8♦ or Q♦-T♦ feel less likely for the same reasons as noted. The only options open to us seem to be to raise (and call a shove) or to shove. Jeff decided he would rather try to take the pot down than to induce something from a semi-bluff or be left facing a tough turn decision if Martin called and a diamond fell. Jeff moved all-in and the BB showed J♦-5♦ before folding.
