ITH Poker Forum

[philhux]

A somewhat odd spot from late on Day Two of the main event.

There is about 35 minutes of day two remaining and hero has chipped up from 60k to 150k throughout the day on the table, never really playing any huge pots but through slow steady progress.

Villain has been directly to hero's right throughout the day. He is clearly an amateur businessman type, white guy about 50, he has gucci shoes and a wife who is at least 20 years younger than him who is reluctantly railing. He has been driving me crazy through the whole day muttering under his breath about others bad play and how card dead he is. He's played pretty weak tight throughout the whole day but has recently sprung into life by opening with 97s from the hijack. I flatted from the cut off and he two barreled me with a gutshot. I called two streets with tptk and he tank checked the river and gave up when an over card came on the river instead of firing the third barrel.

Soon after he three bets German pro Eddy Scharf from the BB and then ships 1.5x the pot on a KQ2 rainbow flop. Scharf tank folds and he aggressively shows 37o.

Clearly he has decided to play a bit crazy for the last hour.

Blinds 500/1000 - 100 ante

Villian is UTG+1 with 45,000 chips - he opens to 6,000 (6x the BB - this the first time in 8 hours of play he's done anything like this. His standard is usually 2.5-3x)

Hero with 150k UTG+2 has AKo

Stacks behind are mostly 40-60k. Steve Paul Ambrose in the BB has 25k, there's one shorty with about 13k and the guy directly to my left has about 95k.

[chrisjp]

Intriguing. I think I raise to 12K and put everyone in the squeeze behind me. I really don't know what I'll do if it folds around and he pushes. I might very well fold. I'd trust your read here Phill.

If you think he's got like QQ-TT here or AK, I think I'd fold it right now. So many of the stacks can just push behind you and now what? I'm not adverse to folding AK here in early postion right now especially when you have a big stack and can afford it. Very slow tournament as you know. Unique really in that aspect and it leads to some bizarre play.

Chris

[royze1]

I like Chris' idea to 3 bet here. With your position he's going to have to put you on a real hand and the chances of him reshipping light are pretty small so if he does you can fold without putting in many chips. You'll either get enough info to fold or likely play the hand in position.

[redman7027]

I am not sure if play at this level in a live tourney changes things but online I am not putting chips in if I can’t call his push if I 3 bet I am calling him. His larger bet when he has switched to play more aggressive seems like pocket 10’s or there about. If someone else comes in after I raise unless I have good pot odds I would fold. How other behind see me and my read on them is very important.

[philhux]

I cheated on this one a little.

I actually had AQo so I thought it was quite an easy fold. But I wondered what I would do with AKo.

I like Chris' idea of a small raise quite a lot - I would for sure fold to a four bet from the business guy and also a cold four bet from anyone else. If he calls our three bet then we can play a pot in position.

I don't know what he had but I found out why he was playing crazy.

I messaged Steve Paul Ambrose and he said the guy had told him he was a building contractor who was shortly going to Afghanistan. He told his wife if he was below a certain amount of chips at the end of day two - he would come home, even if he was still in the tournament - hence he started playing like a crazy man in the last hour - makes sense now but at the time I was totally confused.