Pot committed?

	I’m never going to pass. The pot’s just too big, especially against a tricky player. I don’t care that I think I may be beat

It’s the classic major tournament dilemma: you’re in the money, but being put to the test in a hand. If you fold, you simply survive; but if you call and win, you could be well on your way to winning the entire event. What will the pros from Team PokerStars do?

SCENARIO 1

You’re through to the last three tables in a $5,000 nolimit hold’em tournament. Blinds are at $3,000/$6,000 and play is six-handed. You have around $80,000 chips and your table image is loose-aggressive. You pick up Q-J offsuit on the button and everyone folds to you. You raise to $18,000. The small blind folds and the big blind calls. The big blind has only been showing down big pairs and folded to a previous raise when he had A-J in the same position. He has around $100,000 in chips. The flop is K-10-3 rainbow and the big blind checks. You check. Turn is a J♣. The big blind checks again. You bet $20,000 and the big blind re-raises to $45,000. Now what?

GREG RAYMER

If I had to make a decision because there’s a gun to my head, I’d say fold. You’re getting 3/1 on the call, but I have to go with my read on the player – does he look like he really wants me to call because he’s got the nuts or does it look like I have the best hand, but it’s not the nuts kind of a feel? The pre-flop raise is fine. With a player tight enough to fold A-J on the big blind, you could give me 2-3, and I’ll raise. I’d probably shove all-in on the flop. There’s over $36,000 in the pot and I have $62,000 in my stack. A normal pot-sized bet is half my chips and I have outs, no matter what.

VANESSA ROUSSO

This is what it would come down to: if I felt the players at my table were very strong, I would take a shot and make the call and go for the straight or the trip Jacks. If the players were poor quality, I wouldn’t mind folding because I know I’ll have the opportunity to play small pots with and accumulate chips back to my original stack. When the flop is checked, I would bet because I do have an open-ended straight draw. It allows me to find out some information cheaply and whether or not I’m being trapped. At the moment, when he raises me on the turn, I don’t know if he has the King. He may have A-J and just hit the Jack, or he could have Q-J. If I bet on the flop and he raises, he probably has the King. If he makes a big move on the turn, he has two pair or even the set.

CHRIS MONEYMAKER

I would probably fold when the big blind re-raises. I’ve turned a Jack and have got a good draw, so I’m half pot committed. But, if the big blind is a super tight player, he may have A-Q, A-K or even flopped a set. There’s no way you can really be in a good spot here. The only way you’re going to get re-raised from this type of player is if you’re beat. I don’t mind the check on the flop. I’m playing loose-aggressive and I’ll mix it up. So I would check on the flop.

SCENARIO 2

You’re playing on the final table of a WPT event with a $15,000 buy-in. The blinds are $10,000/$15,000 with a $2,000 ante. You are lying third in chips with $300,000. You’re on the button with A♥-10♣. Everyone folds to you. You raise to $45,000. The small blind folds and the big blind calls. The big blind is a tricky player – capable of playing a wide range of hands very aggressively. She has about $345,000 in chips. The flop comes K♥-Q♥-10♥ and the big blind checks. You now bet $80,000, only to see the big blind call. The turn is 10♠. The big blind checks again, and so do you. The river is a 9♣. The big blind bets $50,000. What’s your next move?

GREG RAYMER

I’m never going to pass. The pot’s too big, especially against a tricky player. I don’t care that I think I’m beat. If the person fits this description, there’s at least one chance in six they’re just full of shit with five-high or something. I’d just call though. There’s no point in raising, they can’t call you with the worst hand.

VANESSA ROUSSO

I’d certainly call the $50,000 into a $337,000 pot. But I need to be sure that at least one in six and a half times, the big blind is bluffing. As long as that’s the case, then it’s a good call. There’s no reason to raise there. The big blind could have a straight and could also have flopped the flush. But there’s too much in the pot to fold for such a value bet. You showed such weakness on the turn by checking, the big blind could easily be trying to bluff that. She could have a King, Queen, even two pair. I would never have checked on the turn, I would have put in a big bet and acquired information.

CHRIS MONEYMAKER

I’m going to call for $50,000. I’ve got the odds to do so. With the range of hands the big blind plays, they could be on a pure bluff. The $50,000 isn’t going to destroy my chips, plus I’ve already got over $120k in the pot. The big blind looks like they want me to call, but a lot of players that are tricky will put that bet out there to get you to fold. I make the call, but probably lose the hand. To be perfectly honest, I’d probably lead out with $120,000 on the turn and take it down right there. The big blind has me at that point and basically has to have a full house or a flush to beat me. But I don’t think they would play pocket Kings or Queens like that on the flop as they would probably come back over the top.

SCENARIO 3

You’re on the final table of a major $10,000 no-limit hold’em tournament. The blinds are $800/$1,600 with $300 antes. The cut-off is a loose-aggressive player who limps in. The small blind also limps. Both have slightly more chips than you. You find Q♥-Q♦ on the big blind and raise to $3,400. Both the cut-off and small blind call instantly. The flop is 10♣-9♦-5♥. Small blind checks, you bet $7,000. The cut-off calls instantly and the small blind folds. The turn is Q♠. You bet $12,000 and the cut-off asks you how much you have, before calling. The river is K♣. You check and the cut-off goes all-in. Now what?

GREG RAYMER

I would insta-call. The big mistake on his hand was the check on the river. This was the perfect place for the ‘stopper’ bet. There’s about $50k in the pot, so you bet about $20k. You’re telling the other player: ‘You can’t bluff me, I do have a hand.’ So if he was thinking of trying to steal the pot from you, he won’t and it’ll also keep him from making a value bet that’s so big you might be afraid to call it.

VANESSA ROUSSO

I call, but I wouldn’t have checked and allowed the other person to just go all-in. I would have made a mediumsized bet that I know a player can’t come over the top of without actually having a hand because it will appear as if I’m pot-committed to call a raise. The pre-flop bet is a problem; it’s barely more than twice the big blind and there’s already two people in the pot. You need to raise in that position, three-and-a-half times the big blind. On the flop, again, the bet of $7,000 is just too small. I would either have bet very large to give them the wrong odds to call with an open-ended straight draw, or I would have checked.

CHRIS MONEYMAKER

I’d call. I would make it more than $3,400 pre-flop though, more like $5,600. I’d lead out with $14,000 on the flop. With the Queen on the turn, I’d push. I don’t want to give the cut-off the ability to steal or to catch.