Don't Give Free Cards!

In my last post I talked about the monster hands I hit in my first and third sit 'n go's the other night. However, I didn't mention the 2nd sit 'n go that I played. That is because I was knocked out, not because of a bad beat but because of a bad play on my part. I wanted to share it here in the hopes that you will learn from my mistakes (hopefully I will also!).

I am playing a No Limit Hold'em, 9 player, $10 + $1 Sit & Go on FullTiltPoker.com. Four players remain (we are on the bubble). Blinds are 40 and 80. I am in the big blind with 1,075 or an M of about 9. I am in the Orange Zone and I am the short stack at the table.

I am dealt [8s Jc]. I plan to fold to any raise. The first to act folds, the button calls 80, the small blind folds and I check. There is 200 in the pot.

*** FLOP *** [8h 6d Js]

This is obviously a great flop for me. With top two pair and no flush draws, I have a medium strength hand. So now I need to decide how to play it. My standard post-flop play here is to bet out about half the pot and hope my opponent comes along for the ride. However, my opponent has been playing very aggressive after the flop. Typically when someone shows weakness he fires a bullet into the pot. I have seen him do this on the flop and the river over and over during this sit n' go. So I decide I will check to him and let him bet, just call the bet with the intention of pushing the river.

I check.
The button bets 160.
I call 160.
There is 520 in the pot. I have 915 left in my stack.

*** TURN *** [8h 6d Js] [Ac]

The ace isn't really a bad card for me. If my opponent had an ace, based on what I had seen throughout the tournament, he would have raised preflop, especially short handed. I also think he would have raised with 66 or 88 from the button. Betting out on the flop doesn't really mean he has anything; he has been doing that since the start. I am hoping he is on a weak pair of jacks. Of course, since the board is not paired, it is always possible to have a straight draw on the turn. If that is the case he has about a 16% chance of hitting it on the river if he is on an open-ended straight, and only an 8% if on a gutshot. I like my odds. At this point I still think I have the best hand.

So now what. Do I bet or check and hope for him to bet into me? Well, my original plan was to check the flop, call his bet, and then push the river. However, the pot is currently 520 and I still have 915 left. My goal is to get all my chips into the middle, but pushing is a major overbet. I thought about betting around 300. That would get a third of my chips in now and make a river push appropriate. However, due to my opponents aggressive nature, I decided again to check and then push to his bet.

I check.
The button checks.
The pot is still 520.

DOUGH. That wasn't what I was expecting. I just gave him a free card to draw against me. That wasn't the plan. How dare he not follow the plan!

*** RIVER *** [8h 6d Js Ac] [Td]

Well, I can't say I like the river card. The Td fills a couple of straights. If he was playing KQ, Q9, or 97, I am now beat. I dought he has KQ because he would have raised preflop with a hand like that. But Q9 and 97 both fit his betting patterns. Also, if he was playing a weak jack like JT, I am also beat. The 8% chance of him hitting his straight might have just become a reality.

So now what? Do I check or bet? Well, if I check here I am pretty sure he will bet the river. If I check and call the river I only have one way to win--showdown the best hand. But if I bet I have two ways to win--he can fold and I will win the pot immediately, or I have the best hand at showdown. I decide to bet out and to make it strong--I will bet the pot.

I bet 520.
The button raises 1,960, and is all in.

Great. Not what I wanted to see. I am fairly certain I am beat now. The effective pot is 1875 and I only have 315 left in chips. If I fold here my M will be less than 3--not a scenario that is acceptable to me. I am getting almost 6:1 on my money so I decide to call.

I call 315, and am all in
Uncalled bet of 1,125 returned to the button

*** SHOW DOWN ***
The button shows [9s Qc] a straight, Queen high.
I muck.
The button wins the pot (2,190) with a straight, Queen high.

That's it. I am knocked out of the tournament.

So what do I want you to learn from this example. Simply this...

When you think you have the best hand,
do not give your opponent a free card.

I think I played the hand well until the turn. I was counting on my opponent's aggression to do the betting for me with the intention to push. If it had of worked out, my opponent would not have had the proper odds to call my push. However, if I had bet 300 like I considered, he would not have had the odds either. It is quite possible that he would have called the 300 and we would have ended up all-in anyway. But that isn't the point. The point is that I had the best hand on the turn and should have bet it but instead I gave my opponent a free look at the river to beat me. That was a clear mistake on my part.

In single table sit 'n go's, as in most forms of poker, aggression pays. But don't count on your opponent's aggression to get the chips in the middle. Unless you have a MONSTER hand, put them in yourself. If you opponent comes along for the ride and still draws out on you, that's poker. But don't give him the opportunity without making him pay for it.

Off to lick my wounds.