I'm up early, so I decided to play in the $20/10k on Stars. 3rd or 4th hand, and I already am in a real tough spot.

pokerstars Game #10746595560: Tournament #54104711, $20+$2 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/07/03 - 12:03:58 (ET)
Table '54104711 11' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: drudog (3000 in chips)
Seat 2: McManus06 (2770 in chips)
Seat 3: 841214 (3160 in chips)
Seat 4: birddogg313 (2980 in chips)
Seat 5: fretsche (2900 in chips)
Seat 6: gvigelet (2920 in chips)
Seat 7: Chaz100 (3080 in chips)
Seat 8: stimpy666 (3170 in chips)
Seat 9: BodogAri (3000 in chips)
gvigelet: posts small blind 10
Chaz100: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BodogAri [Th Tc]
stimpy666: calls 20
BodogAri: raises 60 to 80
drudog: folds
McManus06: folds
841214: folds
birddogg313: folds
fretsche: folds
gvigelet: calls 70
Chaz100: folds
stimpy666: folds
*** FLOP *** [7d 9h 5d]
gvigelet: bets 180
BodogAri: calls 180
*** TURN *** [7d 9h 5d] [4h]
gvigelet: bets 1340
BodogAri: ????

Ok, so I only call the flop thinking that I'm ussually good here (although that fat bet 180 into 200 led me to believe that I def may not) So I decide to play a little cautious and see where he goes w/ the hand. I'm expecting him to fire out a 360-500 bet into the 560 pot, but instead he goes for 1340.

Preflop, when it got to him he thought for a long time then just flat called. (then utg limper folded???) anyways i thought he def could have something like 55 or 77 given that preflop and flop action, but is he really playing a set that scared. I mean live this is the line alot of people would take w/ a set, but I'm more inclined to believe he has a "piece" of the board, but not something that beats me, and thinks that I have high cards. This is a draw heavy board so he could have any number of draws too. Unfortuantely, the internet was slow at the time, and I couldnt access thepokerdb in time. However, the other guy is down in tournaments enough to make me believe he is a weak player. (Of course the 20 entry part kinda let me to that conclusion pre)

In conclusion, I didnt think I could get away from it, so I did decide to push. I'll say the results post discussion.

Note: I dont enter a tournament unless I plan on playing it seriously. I'm well aware this is a $20 buyin.

Ari , I agree with ur thinking about villain in this hand. Looks like he has just a piece ( A9s maybe )

If he plays a set that fast , then kudos to him ... I like the push here, even though its early ....

I think I fold. Bad players play 2 pair super fast, and to be honest I wouldnt be surprised if he had JJ-AA. I'm kind of curious as to what he has though, because these are the types of spots I get really frustrated by and could use all the information I can.

thats the only reason you may want to fold , but I think him ( probaly ) knowing who u are , and knowing ur capable of playing looses/aggresive - I'm more inclined to believe he'll overplay his marginal hand here .... so actually I think it makes it more of a case to push ...

Hope u can make out my point ... hard to get across in a post sometimes

When playing low limit games, I see some of the most ridiculous plays ever sometimes; I've made big laydowns where i just 'have to' be beat, only to see their cards afterwords and find out my opponent is a donk... I've done this enough times that I've decided to make a rule: when playing low limits, until I have evidence that my opponent is not a donkey, if it looks like I am good, then he's gonna have to showdown a better hand than me to win the pot, simple as that.

In this spot, with no information, it looks like you probably have the best hand here. I'm shoving on him and hoping he shows me A9dd, A9o, any 2 diamonds, even 88. Obv you might be up against JJ, or a big hand playing scared, but with no information in the 4th hand of a tournament I'm just not giving an unknown player credit for a better hand here.

Shove ----> GL

I'd put him on 66.

I use thepokerdb... if he is a significant winner (based on this bet size ur not gonna see this often) I fold, If he is a big loser I shove, if he is a break evenish player over a decent sample I instaaaaa fold bc he is prolly a nit who is playing a big hand scared and losing value...

so most of the time I'm folding here... in a vaccuum this is an easy laydown but against a bad player in a $20 MTT I get it in here...

However, this early in atourney I'd fold. You'll pot commit on a call and a push is no good b/c<span>he doesn't call it unless he has you beat or he really is a moron. </span>

I think this just isn't true AJXTERRA

Being that it is early in a low-limit MTT, this is an even easier 'all in' imo. While folding isn't a bad play and there are some valid arguments for folding, there are also tons of 'morons' as u said in these early levels who will definitely call with hands that are worse than TT.

Honestly, I look at a 20+2 tourney as a larger one for myself so my view will definitely be different. For my 180 chips in the pot I'm not willing to protect it with 1/2 my stack...even from a moron. I know I'm better than him and can take smaller chunks away as the game goes on and don't need to and I also know the moron could really have something and his stupid move be the overbet. I just don't like big bets at flops and turns like these...perhaps one of my many leaks.

"he either has nothing or something". vn analysis

thx for all the responses. He had the 26 of diamonds and called.

obv

I fold here, I don't think you have more than the required 50% equity against his range.

I expect to see JJ+ more than a set though.

Also note that draws have a lot of equity against you so you'll have to be ahead a large % of the time.

I think he's on some combination of a pair and a draw. Something like 89d, 66, or A9d.

I push on the turn.

i raise the flop and get it in.