Troubling situation

[dalecooper]

I was playing in a 99 person MTT last night. With roughly 25 people left (top ten get paid), I was pretty comfortable with 11,500 chips - right at the average chip count. Blinds were 400/800, and about to go up to 500/1000, with a 25 ante. Then this came along:

In early position I got pocket jacks, including the jack of hearts. I raised it to 2000 and got one caller, a ginormous stack in late position (he had me covered twice over, and then some). He was a pretty tight, solid player though, so I knew he wasn't just calling because he could.

The flop was TTx with two hearts. I bet out half the pot, so about 2600. He hesitated for a second or two and then called. The pot was now over 10,000, and I had a bit less than 7,000 left.

The turn card was another low card, and another heart. I don't remember specifics but I know there was no straight possible, so let's just say it was something like TT64 with three hearts. I wasn't sure what to make of this card so I thought maybe I should seek the cheapest possible showdown, and I checked. He now bet 4000, which was troubling. Here were my thoughts on what he could have:

1. A ten. (But based on my read it was hard to imagine him calling a raise from me with any hand that might have a ten in it. AT suited or JT suited seemed like possibilities.)

2. A made flush. (But in order to have a made flush, he'd have to have two hearts, and based on my read, probably two high card hearts. And I would figure with AK suited and his stack, he would have re-raised me. That doesn't leave many possible hands that would turn into a flush.)

3. A middle pocket pair. (He thinks I missed with overcards and is using his stack and position to steal the pot from me. His play pre-flop and on the flop is definitely consistent with a decent player who has a middle pair like 7's, 8's or 9's.)

4. A pocket pair that hit, in which case he has a boat.

I ran it down and it looked like this to me: I was way ahead of a lower pocket pair; I had 11 outs against trip tens; and I was basically dead to a flush (four outs) or boat (two outs). But my pot odds were good and my stack was dwindling, so I check-raised all in.

Right move or wrong move? Should I have just folded here and saved my 7,000 chips for a better (and clearer) situation?

[JeffreyGB]

I think it all comes down to the type of player this big stack is. How aggro is he when he has a hand? When he's trying to push you off?

I need a bit more of a read to know for sure how I feel - you've defined him well enough preflop. What about post flop?

Generically, I want to say that the play looks fine based on your reasoning above (which I agree with in most cases). Still, I prefer a touch more info to be sure.

[drmcboy]

3 followed by 1 seem most likely, so I like the play, but not a lot. Very tough spot.

[johnny_fish]

You had 7K behind and he bet 4K.. This complicates things a lot IMO. Would be an easier call if he just pushed..

[dalecooper]

I think it all comes down to the type of player this big stack is. How aggro is he when he has a hand? When he's trying to push you off?

I need a bit more of a read to know for sure how I feel - you've defined him well enough preflop. What about post flop?

Unfortunately I didn't have much. His aggression and the number of hands he was playing seemed on the low side for such a large stack, which means only that he wasn't comically idiotic and wasting his chip leverage like many players do; but he made enough raises and was betting in what I'd consider a sound fashion (not over- or under-betting on any hand). He had won most hands he got involved in without going to showdown, and he was raising in position pre-flop to take the blinds uncontested - did that a few times. I had only played a few orbits with him when this hand came up. My impression was that he was a medium-aggressive, fairly tight, thinking player.

[dalecooper]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Results: he had pocket tens - d'oh! His play makes perfect sense given his cards, but it was impossible to put him on that hand.

[drmcboy]

haha. On the upside, you can never feel too bad going broke to quads.

Weird play by him to lead there, he gives up a free chance to destack you if you have the Ah, and takes the bluff away.

[Zidane18]

You had 7K behind and he bet 4K.. This complicates things a lot IMO. Would be an easier call if he just pushed..

agreed. the reason he made it 4k makes it a simple fold IMO. the heart on the turn does complicate things though. but if he had a set of 10's, which appeared likely on the flop, then he would push when the heart came on the turn.

i would of put him on a boat

[Zidane18]

You had 7K behind and he bet 4K.. This complicates things a lot IMO. Would be an easier call if he just pushed..

agreed. the reason he made it 4k makes it a simple fold IMO. the heart on the turn does complicate things though. but if he had a set of 10's, which appeared likely on the flop, then he would push when the heart came on the turn.

i would of put him on a boat

so, bizzarly, i would of called a push all in on the turn but would fold to this bet. unless he was an idiot, which i doubt from what u aid about him

[dalecooper]

I agree with your reasoning about his turn bet. I may have out-thought myself a little bit on that one... I know when I am playing against thinking players, I like to make post-oak bluffs and fake value bets to induce folds. It's the cheapest way to buy a pot, and it's pretty reliable against good players. In this case I knew this guy was decent, and I felt that he knew I was decent - so I talked myself into the idea that he was running a somewhat rare turn bluff, repping a strong flush or boat by not betting my entire stack right away.