$20 NL HE MTT: Do we make this call, fold, or shove?

[canbora]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

20

Game Options

1. Bounty

Currency

$

So heres the deal. PKO MTT, $20 buy in. Approx 175 entrants, We're down to 12 players left. We're in the money of course. Unfortunately, I have only 1 bounty under my belt.

I'm on the button with Aj Jc offsuit. Middle position raises, cutoff calls. I call.

Flop comes K c 5c Jd

middle position bets third pot, cutoff calls. I call.

Both of us started off this hand with near the same stack, Approx 40bb effective. We're nearing the final table. (which I did make by the way )

turn comes 9c

MP bets half pot this time. cutoff folds

I go long in the tank. I know I have odds to call. Problem is... do I potentially "waste" the blinds on this? We know he'll fire again on the river, more than likely. Then what do we do? We cant be sure we have the best flush, and unless an A or a J comes, the hand doesn't improve. If I make this call I'll have mid 20's left in BB,... let alone what the river street of betting brings. This is potentially being all in against someone who appealingly has something.

Again, I know I have the odds the call, I want to call. Should we call?

 

[A kiravio]

Considering the position in the tournament and the flop that appeared for sure, I wasn't curious to see the turn either🤔

 

[Andrew Popov]

Perhaps it's time to get aggressive. Don't call, just put everything all-in.
With the appearance of the third card for a flush on the table, you have the right to such a semi-bluff.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
This one is close, but with a field caller I kind of prefer to squeeze rather than flat. And the intention would then be to fold facing a 4-bet. Its a marginal spot, and simply folding would not be crazy either, if they are both tight players.

Flop
If CO had folded, calling with second pair would be mandatory. But when he has called, its another very marginal spot. You are getting a good price and closing action in position, but if either opponent has a K, you are drawing very thin.

Turn
This turn C-bet carry quite a bit of weight, since he is betting again into two opponents, and he is doing it on a card, that completed both flush- and straightdraws. Maybe he can have a hand like AQ/AT with A of clubs, that is semibluffing. But even that has equity, and you are drawing dead or very thin against anything, he bet for value. So I dont think, calling again is profitable, and I also think, his range is to strong for this to be a good bluffing spot.

 

[makisaa]

You are near the final table and last stages of the game. I think that AJo is not so interesting hand, and it is not a hand I would play just near the final table. But if your cards were poor and this AJo is a strong hand after a while, then maybe a few times only you could play it!

 

[eetenor]

So heres the deal. PKO MTT, $20 buy in. Approx 175 entrants, We're down to 12 players left. We're in the money of course. Unfortunately, I have only 1 bounty under my belt.

I'm on the button with Aj Jc offsuit. Middle position raises, cutoff calls. I call.

Flop comes K c 5c Jd

middle position bets third pot, cutoff calls. I call.

Both of us started off this hand with near the same stack, Approx 40bb effective. We're nearing the final table. (which I did make by the way )

turn comes 9c

MP bets half pot this time. cutoff folds

I go long in the tank. I know I have odds to call. Problem is... do I potentially "waste" the blinds on this? We know he'll fire again on the river, more than likely. Then what do we do? We cant be sure we have the best flush, and unless an A or a J comes, the hand doesn't improve. If I make this call I'll have mid 20's left in BB,... let alone what the river street of betting brings. This is potentially being all in against someone who appealingly has something.

Again, I know I have the odds the call, I want to call. Should we call?

In BTT we have to know every ones stack sizes on the table to have proper strategies---In an MTT we would Jam or fold this hand sub 40 bb

 

[canbora]

Thanks everyone.

I'll just respond in general.

This is just one of those hands. Everything worked the way it did to lead it the way it did. Had MP bet any harder, I would have folded. Had the CO raised preflop, I would have folded. Had I had any weaker of a hand, like A 10, I would have folded preflop. It all worked just so to get here.

Believe me, I thought I about jamming on that turn. It just seemed far too likely that the MP had a Q or a A of clubs. And I was pretty certain he had a strong King. Most likely both. As someone mentioned. He seemed to be more value betting here. Throwing out the standard one third pot, then half pot. And he was leading out into two of us, out of position. And Even though it was a total fireworks show earlier in the tourney, it "straightened" up here later on closer to the money/final table. It seems as if the 20 and 30 dollar buy in version of this tourney (pokerstars PKO MTT) are even more a donk show in the first half, more so than the lower buy in version of $15 and lower. But where the 20 and 30 differ is when you get closer to the money the maniacs are all gone and the better players have all their chips (mostly) and the play gets "better". The stacks are far more balanced and everyone has more. The lower buy in its just a random scattering of chips. People bust out faster, etc. The play got quite serious right around the bubble and remained so then on.

So, in other words. I'm very inclined to believe this guy had a hand. He wasn't trying to push us out, I don't believe.

Spoiler::::
---------------------------------






I folded.

 

[Aleksandr1991]

I would play for anything

 

[fundiver199]

I folded.

I definitely think, that was the right decision. So I would focus more on preflop and flop and consider, if these calls are long term +EV.

 

[puzzlefish]

Generally I find that whenever you feel like you want to call, you're the donkey trotting after the carrot. It's a very different situation from calling to keep the betting going.

 

[canbora]

I definitely think, that was the right decision. So I would focus more on preflop and flop and consider, if these calls are long term +EV.

yup. Did more solver studying and they show when even on the button, if theres two others before you, fold.

Generally I find that whenever you feel like you want to call, you're the donkey trotting after the carrot. It's a very different situation from calling to keep the betting going.

lol yup. I felt I was being value bet.