I moved my blog to a new home. Your browser should automatically take you there in 5 seconds. If it doesn't please go to http://www.fifthstreet.biz/ Fifthstreet Blog: KK is only second best

50k guaranteed, Kings Casino Rozvadov, Czech Republic

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

KK is only second best

I'm usually not providing too much "Hand Histories" here. It's just not the style of this blog. But I have to share this with you:

I played the $25K guaranteed at Pacific yesterday and had a great night. One of the early key hands was 22 in the blinds. Don't allow the Shadow to see a cheap flop! ;-)) Flop came 2-4-A. Even with a possible street I figured that my trips are good here. I bet half the pot and was called (by one other player). Turn was another low card - I think it was the 5. Still possible straight but I doubted it. Half pot again and called again. River was an Ace for a full house. Maybe I was up against a higher full? Two aces in the pocket? Don't think so. Most probably it was an ace with a high card. So I decided "to play some poker" and checked to him. He bet - but his bet was weak and I was sure he hit trips but not the higher full. I took him all-in, he called and showed AK before he was sent to the virtual rail. Not raising before the flop cost him the tournament here...

I had another hand that was similar were I was able to see a cheap flop with K9 - flopping 99K :-))

The tournament had almost 700 players and I never was below the average stack until we reached the bubble at 70 players. It's amazing how different you can play your hands being the big stacks. And more interesting: While being short stack my play is mainly based upon the value of the cards. As big stack I threw away some hands that could be played (but not neccesarily) against other big stacks. "You never go broke if you don't go all-in against a bigger stack" - so true!

After the bubble I didn't get much to play and folded some hands after missing the flop. Due to that and the increasing blinds my M went below 10: Stacksize about 24,000 with 1,000/2,000 blinds. As I still was around average and one of the bigger stacks at this particular table I decided to play only premium hands but just raise 4BB's instead of going all-in as I woud usually do. Overall chipleader had about 100,000 at that time.
Therefore I folded A9 on the button due to a middle-position raise. Next round I woke up with KK in the small blind. Great! Some callers. Raised it to 8,000 and big blind went all-in for 24,700. Oh hell! It was folded to me and I was left with a decision either to fold or to call his all-in knowing that he had a mere 700 chips more.

With all other hands (QQ, JJ and so on) I would have folded against an all-in here. But KK? He was short-stacked like I was. He could have pulled a move with any pocket pair 99's or better. So I called and was sent to the rail by AA at 55th position (winning $87,50 instead of possible $5,500) after 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Well, looking back at it I think I should have went all-in directly. It wouldn't have changed anything here ... but it would have been the right move.
Was it correct to call here? Hard to tell - but I would say yes. How many players in the world can lay down kings here? (O.K. - it was bullets in the Phil H. clip but you get the idea). I can't and I'm even not sure if a laydown is a +EV move in the long run. Hey but Phil H. makes more $$$ than I do. So I may be wrong here ;-))

But considering this kind of move anybody should remember: "You never go broke if you don't go all-in against a bigger stack"

0 Comments:

  ©Template by Dicas Blogger.