Two Plus Two Magazine has just published an article of mine entitled Hidden Costs in Tournament Poker in their May issue. Please take a look and tell me what you think either here or in my discussion thread in 2+2’s Magazine Forum.
And here’s a good example of me ignoring my own advice:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em Tourney, Big Blind is t8000 (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
SB (t117322)
BB (t264538)
Hero (t172400)
UTG+1 (t158790)
MP1 (t215154)
MP2 (t94740)
MP3 (t128922)
CO (t177974)
Button (t118931)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kc, Qh.
Hero raises to t22000, 2 folds, MP2 calls t22000, 5 folds.
Flop: (t47200) 2s, Kh, 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets t48000, Hero raises to t96000, MP2 calls t24340 (All-In).
Turn: (t215540) Tc (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: (t215540) 4d (2 players, 1 all-in)
Final Pot: t215540
Results in white below:
Hero has Kc Qh (one pair, kings).
MP2 has Ac As (one pair, aces).
Outcome: MP2 wins t191880. Hero wins t23660.
OK, so I wouldn’t actually advise playing this hand any differently, even though I lost. However, I did think a big pair was very likely for my opponent when he called off 25% of his stack versus an UTG raise. I was certainly giving up if I missed the flop, but having hit my K, I don’t think I can do anything but check and get the money in when my opponent bets.
Doesn’t that mean he played it well, then? I would have folded to a pre-flop all-in, but by slowplaying he trapped me and got me to stack off. That works for the specific hand I held, but KQ is at the bottom of my UTG raising range in this spot, and in general when you have the nuts, you are better off playing to win the most against the top of your opponent’s range. Although I fold KQ to a pre-flop all in, I call with hands like TT and AK that will check-fold a lot of flops to such a blatant show of strength. And I’m also check-folding the KQ when I don’t hit. So although he won more by slowplaying in this exact spot, I still think my opponent lost out in the long run by getting tricky.
I’m (heavily) inclined to say I would fold KQo UTG, without knowing anything else about the players at the table or where things were in the tournament.