What's the play here?

[zilch]

So I'm the BB with a short but not too desperate stack. Flop top pair horrible kicker and a gutshot. What's my play here? push, pot bet, check raise, fold?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Hero (t3345)
UTG (t5200)
UTG+1 (t6897)
MP1 (t12885)
MP2 (t8795)
MP3 (t5486)
CO (t3530)
Button (t6105)
SB (t6591)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 6, 7.
UTG calls t200, UTG+1 calls t200, 5 folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (t900) 7, 4, 3 (4 players)
SB checks, Hero ??

[chardrian]

Why is the pot bet so popular? I really don't get it, to me a pot bet is always an overbet. Anyhoo...

You got a great but vulnerable flop. To me, my normal continuation bet or made hand bet would be 600-750. I'd probably bet 750 here.

[shysti]

I love the pot size bet, I use it against someone who may be drawing to a better hand, I use it when I have a set sometimes to throw people off, I use it as a continuation bet also sometime depending on the situation.

[HeavyP]

Pot looks good against 4 players. Throwout a bet from 650-800

[soupie]

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

Some opponents at this lower buyin MTT are silly enough to perceive any minbet to be a bluff, and they will put you to a tough decision with a big raise.

Even if you just bet a tidbit more and show them the $500 chip, psychologically they will see it's not a minbet and will be more inclined to think it's not a little bluff.

[chardrian]

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

I have two probs with the 400 bet:

1) as dwarfy said it looks weak - so you could get raised by any of the other stacks who all have you outchipped.

2) a board like this sets up nicely for what is relatively a cheap call from either of the two to your left who will then bet or raise any card higher than a 7 on the turn to take down what is now an ok pot.

[zilch]

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

I have two probs with the 400 bet:

1) as dwarfy said it looks weak - so you could get raised by any of the other stacks who all have you outchipped.

2) a board like this sets up nicely for what is relatively a cheap call from either of the two to your left who will then bet or raise any card higher than a 7 on the turn to take down what is now an ok pot.

Your second point is what was foremost in my mind at the time. I decided to take the pot at that point and made a bet of 1000. My reasoning was it was better to get a small pot now rather than picking up a caller and seeing how the hand played out.
It was a strange tourn for me. I had half the average stack size for 90% of the tourn, reached the money and busted out a bit away from the big money. I never had to gambol until the end. I just kept on making small gains from steals and the odd hand. I went through the hand history and could not see many places I could of got more money. I know that I do tend to attack pots quite aggresively when I have a hand which I think sometimes I take too far and I don't extract enough value from the hands.

[Sed]

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

I have two probs with the 400 bet:

1) as dwarfy said it looks weak - so you could get raised by any of the other stacks who all have you outchipped.

2) a board like this sets up nicely for what is relatively a cheap call from either of the two to your left who will then bet or raise any card higher than a 7 on the turn to take down what is now an ok pot.

I have to agree with soupie, I have been trying to take down pots like these and cont betting (where there is no real draw) using ~1/2 pot bet. If someone calls you on that bet, they'll call for another 2-300 on their draws. Basically half the deck is a scare card for you and you would have to drop it on the turn if you get called. Why not try to take it as cheaply as possible on the chance that you'll have to give up the pot on later streets.

- sed

[chardrian]

a bet of 400 is enough to define your hand and take down the pot if they both missed. why bet more? I dont see the advantage.

I have two probs with the 400 bet:

1) as dwarfy said it looks weak - so you could get raised by any of the other stacks who all have you outchipped.

2) a board like this sets up nicely for what is relatively a cheap call from either of the two to your left who will then bet or raise any card higher than a 7 on the turn to take down what is now an ok pot.

Your second point is what was foremost in my mind at the time. I decided to take the pot at that point and made a bet of 1000. My reasoning was it was better to get a small pot now rather than picking up a caller and seeing how the hand played out.
It was a strange tourn for me. I had half the average stack size for 90% of the tourn, reached the money and busted out a bit away from the big money. I never had to gambol until the end. I just kept on making small gains from steals and the odd hand. I went through the hand history and could not see many places I could of got more money. I know that I do tend to attack pots quite aggresively when I have a hand which I think sometimes I take too far and I don't extract enough value from the hands.

Hmmm - while I see where you are coming from, the overbet there also is problematic to me cuz you are now basically committing yourself to the pot. UTG playing a high pocket pair Ripptyde style by limping preflop will now push and you will have to call all-in on 9 outs.

A gaggle full of limpers preflop still screams weak/donkish players to me - and these are the players that will call less than half the pot bets with any two over cards, which is why I still don't like the 400 bet. 600 or 2/3 of the pot is smelling better to me now.

[Miffed22001]

eitehr playthe pot to win it or play the pot to check it unless you hit the straight.
so
3/4 or pot bet with top pair probably folding to a reraise, after that its really the cards that define if you win it or not
or check it and (check raise maybe?) just let the cards fall and hope you improve.
if this is a low buy in mtt them on missed overs limping from there