Have you ever thought you were busted out, but you still won the hand and the tournament?

In this hand, on a final table and on the bubble, I was dealt a pair of red queens in early position, so I raised, but a player in mid position with a slightly larger stack than I shoved, reraising me all-in if I called. I thought deeply about it (for the full ten seconds allowed!) and called, because although I feared he was on AA, KK, or possibly AK, I thought that hands like AQ, JJ, and TT could be in his range and that he was trying to resteal.

But as I feared, he had AA and as the cards rained down, I saw that I was badly beaten. I quickly typed in gg and stood up to leave the desk and check something baking in the kitchen, when I noticed that the chips had come over to my side and the opponent was down to a few hundred chips. Four diamonds had come down and I had made a king high flush to take the hand. Opponent did not have the diamond ace.

I went on to win almost 6 million chips in this tournament after this ridiculous piece of luck.

Would you have folded the queens in that situation?

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You can’t fold. Even if his range was exactly KK, AA and AK you have nearly 40% equity and you only needed 30%. You can’t open to 3x and then fold from a sub 10BB stack. Better off just shoving because of that.

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Well MekonKing,
You said on the bubble … so 7 left, paying top 6 is my guess… ( watched replay )
With 1 person super short and another lower by enuff to you, I think I limp the QQ not raise. I think then it all depends on how much AA raises to, as to if I continue.

If you limp then fold, you can still pay blinds and be ahead of the person on your left, along with the super short grey alien across the table. Blinds prolly go up before they get to that Alien, and maybe 2 other stacks combine popp’n the bubble wayyy before you will pay the blinds the 2nd time.

You said you won 6m, so a 1m entry… if so, I’m not paying 1m to miss the payout bubble by 1. You were in great shape to be there before you got the QQ.

In your situation, most of the time I fold and some of the time I call. Usually tho I play the hand differently and limp the QQ or fold it outright there.
Sassy

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Actually the first prize was 5.7 million, the entry was 0.5 million and there were 5 places in the money, so it was just prebubble and not right on the bubble, but, as you say, there were small stacks about to go out. The problem with limping is that you tend to trigger a limping avalanche as everybody gets good odds to call.

I kind of agree with Comicguy about shoving, from the math point of view, but with two stacks about to blind out, I would want to keep various options open. For example if the 3x bet is flat called and AK come on the flop, I would want to proceed with extreme caution, and at that stage of the game a raise of 3BB with 2 small stacks is enough to deter flat calls with all but the most powerful hands.

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It is hard to analyze these situations, because there is always so much of a luck factor in the final stages of these tournaments.

In the hand that follows I picked up JJ on the bubble in a tournament tonight, and my first thought was to shove, but instead I raised so that I could see if there were overcards on the flop before committing (if called). In fact another stacks larger than mine shoved, then an even bigger stack called him, and after the mandatory 10-seconds of though, I decided to fold and let the other two players have at it. The smaller stack was knocked out and I was in the money in 4th place. In fact I finished 3rd, so was pleased with the result.

I must say I think I would have folded AQ here, but it overcame AK and put me in the money.

A few moments later this:

And I had squeaked into 3rd place.

MekonKing,

To start the hand you were in a close 3rd of 7, and next hand you’re BB. I have no clue when blinds were sheduled to go up and that kinda makes a difference. There was 1 super stack, and 2 shorts … with the other 4 in the middle group all kinda close.

The problem here is blinds are 750/1500, to everyone but the superstack … if anyone raises and gets reraised, its prolly for all thier marbles. There isn’t much wiggle room when 2nd stack is @ 11bb, you were a close 3rd to that.

If ComicGuy is right, and ““you”” can’t fold, then either limp or shove. He is right, its hard to make the case for folding after you already put 4500 into the pot. It puts you basically tied for 5/6th, not good.

I just think there are times when the correct play, is not to play the hand…
NO matter what you have, seriously… lololol.

( and Yes, I have thought I was busted… only to somehow see chips come to me. I’ve even closed the window, only to see 2 min later I’m still involved on a table, and been like WTH… )
Sassy

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RFI smaller later in tournaments as the number of avg bb’s decrease. On FT’s opens to 2x do the same job that 3x does but for a smaller risk.

You shouldn’t have an RFI range from EP 7 handed off of 8 bb’s… if 6th place means that much to you just fold pre, otherwise peanut butter jelly time… jam it in there.

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