Monday, December 06, 2010

Another Tale of Two Kings

After early level success, I had a combination of bad table position and bad cards. With about 1/2 the field gone, my double-avg size stack was tiny. I have maybe $12k (avg is $35k) and I finally get a hand: KK.

An action player who had made many marginal plans and got rewarded this evening is on my left and he raised (I am in the blind) to like $1800. Now I can re-raise all-in, and expect him to fold and rake a pot of like $4k. OR, I can bet half my stack (say $5k) and expect him to CALL, and expect him to call the post-flop push, as probably a 3-1 favorite (as he probably has a weak Ace... yet again).

I dont know how you play, but I am NOT letter a weak ace get away pre-flop here. I bet 1/2 my stack, he calls with Ah3h. Flop is Th9h3c and when I shove, he now calls again as a dog, because he hit the flop. But in the end, he draws out and I go out.

But, that is the way I play.

6 comments:

Don said...

Actually, PokerStove call villain a 51% favorite here. Sorry.

columbo (at eifco dot org) said...

I understand the odds. But that is not my point. My point is that I am VERY happy with how I played the hand, and will play the odds with KK vs. a weak ace player EVERY TIME instead of shoving all in. EVEN if it means that he nails the flop 1/3 of the time when I have no intention of folding on ANY FLOP.

Hammer Player a.k.a Hoyazo said...

Would you have been willing to fold without putting in anything more if an Ace had flopped instead of a million other outs?

columbo (at eifco dot org) said...

probably. This guy could have called me with KJ. (really)

Hammer Player a.k.a Hoyazo said...

I think as long as you would have been willing to fold (truly) if an Ace flopped, then you played it fine. If you're going to call when the Ace flops, that makes your play somewhat more dubious.

Jordan said...

This, to me, all goes back to the rule about the difference with big hands in tournaments and cash games. The old adage was that in cash games you want to get action on your big hands, and in tournaments, you want to protect them. Now, I am not 100% sure that this remains true (things change, particularly in poker), but in this case, I think it applies.

You could've won the preflop raiser's 1800, plus whatever other blinds or antes were in the pot. If you only have 12k, then that the raise alone is worth 15% of your stack. In that situation, I'd want an easy 15% increase, rather than risk an Ace coming out and possibly being forced to fold the best hand or having the loose preflop raiser hit a miracle (but unscary) flop.

Just a thought. The way you played it makes more sense to me in a cash game. Still, its a justifiable play, so this is all a matter of opinion.