I am hoping to get a critique of the following hand, to see what if anything i did wrong, and what i possibly could have done better.

The hand occurred during the Borgata Winter Open, Event # 14. This was a $170+$30 buy-in, one re-entry, that attracted 1100 players. the blinds started at 25/50, with 40 minute levels.

For most of the tourn., i played well, winning pots uncontested, or having the best hand at show-down. I was pleased i didn't have to use my one re-entry.

Later on, with the blinds at 500/1000, 100 ante, 330 players left, 100 making the $$$, average stack size in the tourn. 21k, i was above-average stack size with 52k. With the exception of one player at my table who had me outchipped with about 65k, the average stack at my table was between 17-21k.

At this point, on the button, i pick up pocket aces. The small blind is the 65k stack, big blind has about 18k. I raise 3x bb to 3k, sb calls, bb calls. Flop comes 8-5-q rainbow. Sb checks, bb checks, i make a continuation bet of 5k, sb raises to 18,500, bb calls. At this point i am worried, because the large stack sb has been a pretty straight-forward player. The thoughts going through my mind are: AQ?, slowed played pocket kings? k-q?, a move? I immediately announce all-in. Sb calls, having me covered, bb folds. Sb has trip fives, turn and river offer me no help in the form of a two outer, and my tournament is over.

Here's what i would like feedback on: When the sb raised to 18.5k, i really didn't think there was a great chance he was making a move. Since he had me outchipped, would a better player than me 1)Fold 2)call the additional 13.5k and see what happens on the turn 3) shove like i did.

Folding just felt too weak for me. I just was unlucky that the guy who made the trips was the one guy who could bust me. Shoving would have been a no-brainer if i was up against one of the average sized stacks. Calling the additional 13.5k would be about a third of my stack, felt like a weak move, and would have committed me to the pot anyway.

It would be very easy for me to convince myself i did the right thing, but somehow i think a much better player would have found a way to get away from the hand.

The only advice i have gotten so far is that i should have bet more pre-flop, say 5-8k, but i don't think it would have mattered.

Any feedback will be highly appreciated. Thanks, Ken

Why would you want to scare 55 away with AA? LOL Anybody who tells you that you should have raised more is result oriented. You some money in as a heavy favorite pf, he hit his 2 outer (1 time out of 11 this happens) the other 10 of 11, you take down a nice pot.

Cooler IMO, I don't get away from this. AQ, KK are in his range.... and I would figure a set would slow play this and just flat the flop. I stack off 100% here.

If you offer the odds to mine you don't get to complain when someone set up & stacks you. I know the small ball line and it makes alot of sence in many spots, but it really offers no protection to your big pairs.

 

Originally Posted by jaydeez40oz

Why would you want to scare 55 away with AA? LOL Anybody who tells you that you should have raised more is result oriented.

No, just math oriented. Many folks don't understand a set mine's math (I get flamed all the time for supporting them) but this is exactly the same question as a more familliar spot to most people, if you had AA on AhKd7h6c board and you bet 300 into a 1K pot and get flushed you rate. With these stacks and binds/antes you need to bet 7x to offer incorrect odds to set mine, if you go less & get stacked by a set - no complaints.

It isn't that you want to scare them away only that you don't want to offer the correct odds to shoot at you.

my 2 cents

 

Originally Posted by jaydeez40oz

Agreed. But who's gonna call 7x BB preflop?

That and there are very real meta-game issues with big bets preflop when you are deep. I'm not saying it's an easy nut to crack - kind of why the "win a small one/loose a big one" saying remains current about AA :)

My preferred line with big pairs deep is limp/stomp or minraise/stomp but its very much less effective in live play with its much lower 3-bet rates. You also need to be way willing to dump them easily if you induce a widly limped pot.

 

Originally Posted by KO1u0

Saukendar,

So, you think i should have raised more to around 7x pre on the button; thats what my friend told me as well (Im thinking i should have raised 4-5x, the big stack prob would have called with his small pocket away, he had the chips to speculate on hitting his trips, but at least he would have been making a bit of a mistake calling.

As I said above there are very real issues with large pre-flop raises when you are deep. If you are going to make them you need to run a betting pattern that includes them. If you play a standard smallball line thats quite hard to manage.

You need to make a solid bet pre to protect your hand. Online I find limping or min-raising will induce a 3-bet or raise plenty enough to be the optimum path to a big raise. In live play 3-bets over weak opens are quite a bit less common so you have to bet your own hand more.

So lets look at this from the blind's side. It folded around to the button who put in a standard raise, they will see your range as any two cards. So now the SB is looking at calling 2500 into a 5400 pot > 2:1 direct with 20x the call implied - thats enough to be shooting suited 2 gaps at you. The BB then gets 2K into 7.9K, great odds - the call says his hand is very marginial, with this action and the pot already at almost 1/2 his stack he should shove a wide range, but as you see 3-bets are less common live.

If you go 5x the SB has to call 4500 into a 7400 pot with 11x the call implied, this is close but still a profitable set mine, 6x is break even, 7x EV-. Many more live players than online will call to mine near the bottom of the range as more of them are used to 1 table cash play. To make mines work near the bottom of the range you need to be focused on getting stacks in the center when you hit, online multi-tablers seem have more trouble with the focus that requires and so want more margin (i.e. more implied) to mine.

This really is not an easy nut to crack, there are real pros and cons to any approach you take.

my 2 cents

You played it fine, besides you wanted action with your AA anyways. Tuff to put your opponent on a set unless you really feel that he does and have a good read on him. I mean putting him on AQ was a good assumption or KK not really much you can do there. If there was a limp I would have raised more but that how I would have played it. Just unlucky.