After a great series, the Main Event was a real disappointment. I cashed in 14 of the 40 preliminary WCOOP events that I played, and although I didn’t have any especially deep runs, I felt good about putting myself in position to go deep so many times.
The Main got off to a good start. I felt much more confident playing with the 300 – 400BB stacks than most of my opponents, and I was really leaning on my position to take down pots. That set me up for this spot:
PokerStars – $5000+$200|30/60 NL – Holdem – 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
UTG+1: 404.28 BB (VPIP: 13.33, PFR: 8.89, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 45)
MP: 321.18 BB (VPIP: 12.00, PFR: 6.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 50)
MP+1: 336.22 BB (VPIP: 38.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 50)
Hero (MP+2): 329 BB
CO: 292.92 BB (VPIP: 22.45, PFR: 20.41, 3Bet Preflop: 4.35, Hands: 50)
BTN: 333.02 BB (VPIP: 17.65, PFR: 3.92, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 51)
SB: 300.98 BB (VPIP: 18.37, PFR: 12.24, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 49)
BB: 456.18 BB (VPIP: 18.37, PFR: 12.24, 3Bet Preflop: 12.00, Hands: 49)
UTG: 240.8 BB (VPIP: 20.14, PFR: 17.96, 3Bet Preflop: 10.00, Hands: 292)
SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Jd Jh
fold, fold, fold, MP+1 raises to 2.52 BB, Hero raises to 7.55 BB, CO calls 7.55 BB, fold, SB calls 7.05 BB, fold, MP+1 calls 5.03 BB
Flop : (31.2 BB, 4 players) Ts Js 8c
SB checks, MP+1 checks, Hero bets 18.5 BB, fold, SB raises to 48.5 BB, fold, Hero raises to 321.45 fold
Hero wins 128.2 BB
I’m not entirely sure that shoving is the best play here, but I like it. I don’t really see Villain being on a stone bluff, I don’t think he’s cold calling the 3bet with Q9s or 97s, and there’s only one combination of JTs out there, so I think he very likely has either a lower set or a draw. If he has TT, he may not expect me to just shove with a bigger hand, in which case he may call. I don’t want to just call, because so many turns will be tough for me to play, I don’t think a smaller raise will induce him to shove a combo draw, and honestly getting him to fold a hand like Ks Qs or As Qs is not such a bad outcome for me.
He tanked for a really long time before folding. I think if it weren’t so early in such a major tournament he probably would have called.
Not long after that, I played two significant pots against the player on my left. The first was a small one but set up the second a bit:
PokerStars – $5000+$200|50/100 Ante 10 NL – Holdem – 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
MP: 230.54 BB (VPIP: 16.90, PFR: 8.45, 3Bet Preflop: 2.94, Hands: 71)
MP+1: 170.58 BB (VPIP: 13.16, PFR: 6.58, 3Bet Preflop: 2.86, Hands: 76)
MP+2: 188.28 BB (VPIP: 30.26, PFR: 17.11, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 76)
Hero (CO): 243.53 BB
BTN: 180.28 BB (VPIP: 24.00, PFR: 20.00, 3Bet Preflop: 5.71, Hands: 76)
SB: 222.74 BB (VPIP: 23.38, PFR: 5.19, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 77)
BB: 194.5 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 10)
UTG: 269.89 BB (VPIP: 21.33, PFR: 12.00, 3Bet Preflop: 10.53, Hands: 75)
UTG+1: 163.1 BB (VPIP: 21.34, PFR: 18.71, 3Bet Preflop: 10.49, Hands: 318)
9 players post ante of 0.1 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 2.4 BB) Hero has Kc Qd
fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2 BB, BTN calls 2 BB, fold, BB calls 1 BB
Flop : (7.4 BB, 3 players) Kd 2d 8c
BB checks, Hero bets 3.7 BB, BTN calls 3.7 BB, fold
Turn : (14.8 BB, 2 players) 4h
Hero bets 9.36 BB, BTN calls 9.36 BB
River : (33.52 BB, 2 players) 8d
Hero checks, BTN bets 24 BB, fold
BTN wins 33.52 BB
Then he got me good with:
PokerStars – $5000+$200|125/250 Ante 30 NL – Holdem – 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
MP: 62.36 BB (VPIP: 22.09, PFR: 14.11, 3Bet Preflop: 2.74, Hands: 165)
MP+1: 62.81 BB (VPIP: 18.34, PFR: 9.47, 3Bet Preflop: 2.47, Hands: 170)
MP+2: 84.74 BB (VPIP: 27.98, PFR: 16.07, 3Bet Preflop: 5.06, Hands: 170)
Hero (CO): 93.22 BB
BTN: 139.29 BB (VPIP: 31.36, PFR: 18.93, 3Bet Preflop: 7.23, Hands: 170)
SB: 57.36 BB (VPIP: 23.53, PFR: 7.65, 3Bet Preflop: 1.15, Hands: 171)
BB: 53.99 BB (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 6.73, 3Bet Preflop: 1.89, Hands: 104)
UTG: 115.56 BB (VPIP: 18.93, PFR: 10.65, 3Bet Preflop: 7.50, Hands: 169)
UTG+1: 76.04 BB (VPIP: 20.10, PFR: 17.08, 3Bet Preflop: 8.84, Hands: 412)
9 players post ante of 0.12 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 2.58 BB) Hero has Kc 9h
fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2 BB, BTN calls 2 BB, SB calls 1.5 BB, BB calls 1 BB
Flop : (9.08 BB, 4 players) 5c 3s Ks
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets 4.54 BB, BTN calls 4.54 BB, fold, fold
Turn : (18.16 BB, 2 players) 7c
Hero bets 9.11 BB, BTN calls 9.11 BB
River : (36.38 BB, 2 players) Kh
Hero checks, BTN bets 28 BB, Hero calls 28 BB
BTN shows Kd Js (Three of a Kind, Kings) (Pre 73%, Flop 86%, Turn 93%)
Hero mucks Kc 9h (Three of a Kind, Kings) (Pre 27%, Flop 14%, Turn 7%)
BTN wins 92.38 BB
That left me on a short stack, which is where I lingered for the next few hours. I didn’t get a lot of big hands or good shoving opportunities, but I was fortunate to win the first three times that I was all-in and called.
The two times that I did pick up big hands were at inconvenient times, with an awkward stack and a raise from an UTG player in front of me. When I had KK, the raiser called a small 3-bet and check-folded a rag flop. I felt like it was very obvious I had a huge hand, but I didn’t see any value in checking. The second time I had AK and the raiser called a small 3-bet and check-shoved a rag flop.
The hand I ultimately stacked off with warrants some discussion. Villain was not overly aggressive in general, but this wasn’t the first time he’d opened when I was in the BB, and many players will correctly open lighter with a short stack in the blind:
PokerStars – $5000+$200|400/800 Ante 100 NL – Holdem – 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com
MP+2: 49.8 BB (VPIP: 12.86, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 70)
CO: 25.35 BB (VPIP: 24.40, PFR: 21.84, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 211)
BTN: 84.78 BB (VPIP: 12.16, PFR: 10.81, 3Bet Preflop: 5.71, Hands: 74)
SB: 50.58 BB (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 31.67, 3Bet Preflop: 11.54, Hands: 60)
Hero (BB): 14.63 BB
UTG: 25.1 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 10.91, 3Bet Preflop: 4.60, Hands: 165)
UTG+1: 220.18 BB (VPIP: 20.55, PFR: 10.96, 3Bet Preflop: 6.98, Hands: 74)
MP: 28.41 BB (VPIP: 19.35, PFR: 9.31, 3Bet Preflop: 4.03, Hands: 250)
MP+1: 112.6 BB (VPIP: 21.11, PFR: 17.53, 3Bet Preflop: 10.53, Hands: 200)
9 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 2.63 BB) Hero has 5h Ah
UTG raises to 2.19 BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, SB calls 1.69 BB, Hero calls 1.19 BB
Flop : (7.69 BB, 3 players) 5d 9h 7c
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG bets 3.09 BB, fold, Hero raises to 12.32 BB and is all-in, UTG calls 9.22 BB
Turn : (32.32 BB, 2 players) Kd
River : (32.32 BB, 2 players) 4c
Hero shows 5h Ah (One Pair, Fives) (Pre 34%, Flop 25%, Turn 11%)
UTG shows Qs Qd (One Pair, Queens) (Pre 66%, Flop 75%, Turn 89%)
UTG wins 32.32 BB
Against a calling range of {77+,76s,87s,98s,T9s}, I have 21.5% equity in a 32BB pot. When he folds, I win 11BB. If I did the algebra correctly, I need him to fold about 60% of the time.
That calling range is 3.5% of the deck, so I need him to show up with 9% when he bets flop. In a heads up pot, I’m sure he would. I don’t know how much the SB’s call will deter UTG from continuation betting with air, but it may well be enough to make shoving a bad idea.
I play very few multi-table tournaments these days, so my apologies if this is a dumb question, but is there value in 3bet shoving preflop on your bust out hand?
Sorry to see the ME didn’t pan out so well. Thanks for sharing the hands. The thought process on the top set of Jacks is interesting. I often think of Nate Meyvis’s comment that “cash games are about winning stacks, tournaments are about winning pots” and while that is a very broad idea, it seems that the more detailed reasons that you give here show support for that idea. In a sense, it seems like you are positioning yourself to win the pot outright and possibly win villain’s stack if, for instance, he convinces himself he needs to call down with TT rather than see a (potentially disastrous) turn with the hopes of winning a bigger pot on future streets. Is that on the right track?
Thoughts on preflop 2x with deep stacks? As Mike M was mentioning, could size up bigger??
K9 hand, on turn, the board is extremely wet, wouldn’t a slightly larger turn cbet be more profitable as we get called so often (obv not in this case), by draws?
last hand seems spewy, 10% PFR, so UTG open is gonna be very tight range, also cbet into 2 blind defends which connect pretty well with this board