$0.25 NL HE MTT: I ruined my tournament when the river hit.

[miklcct]

Game

Hold'em

Game Format

No Limit

Table Format

MTT

Buy-in

0.25

Currency

$

This was my first non-satellite MTT where I made it into the money. I was at the 3rd / 10 players left in a T$ Builder tournament which started with 398 players. I ruined my night at this hand when the river hit. The villain was the chip leader of the tournament. After this hand I became the 10th/10 and was knocked out at the 9th place, after I joined the final table with the shortest stack.

GGPoker, Hold'em No Limit - 5,000/10,000 (1,250 ante) - 5 players
Replay this hand on CardsChat

Hero (UTG): 118,975 (12 bb)
8e8df64 (CO): 95,580 (10 bb)
bf56bdea (BU): 59,084 (6 bb)
4d4f3827 (SB): 134,787 (13 bb)
df3d8140 (BB): 332,145 (33 bb)

Pre-Flop: (21,250) Hero (Hero) is UTG with K♥ 2♦
Hero (UTG) calls 10,000, 3 players fold, df3d8140 (BB) checks

Flop: (31,250) A♥ Q♠ 6♦ (2 players)
df3d8140 (BB) checks, Hero (UTG) bets 10,313, df3d8140 (BB) calls 10,313

Turn: (51,876) T♦ (2 players)
df3d8140 (BB) checks, Hero (UTG) checks

River: (51,876) K♠ (2 players)
df3d8140 (BB) bets 38,907, Hero (UTG) calls 38,907

Total pot: 129,690

Showdown:
df3d8140 (BB) shows K♣ 6♣ (two pair, Kings and Sixes)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 62%, Flop: 98%, Turn: 95%, River: 100%)

Hero (UTG) shows K♥ 2♦ (a pair of Kings)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 38%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 5%, River: 0%)

df3d8140 (BB) wins 129,690

I started with a limp because K2 had some equity, planning to fold with any raise.

My bet on the flop was thinking that because the villain checked, he wouldn't have hit something on the flop, so I believed I had the high card strength to win the pot.

On the river, he made a large bet, so I thought he hit the K, and I also hit the K as well. It turned out that he had another pair which I didn't expect because he never made any aggressive action beforehand. I lost the majority of my stack.

Which step did I do wrong?

 

[CRStals]

IMO - You went wrong pre-flop when you limped UTG with K2o.

• You only have 12BB and don't really have the stack depth to limp
• K2o is not a hand you should be limping anytime, let alone UTG
• ITM with two shorter stacks behind you, you need to focus on eliminating them - actively or passively - and not going out now

Having said that, if you are going to play this hand, why are you betting that river? If you bet the flop - and they call - that river does not mean you're ahead. You were better off folding than going to showdown knowing you only beat Qx and 6x that called on the flop.

 

[miklcct]

IMO - You went wrong pre-flop when you limped UTG with K2o.

• You only have 12BB and don't really have the stack depth to limp
• K2o is not a hand you should be limping anytime, let alone UTG
• ITM with two shorter stacks behind you, you need to focus on eliminating them - actively or passively - and not going out now

Having said that, if you are going to play this hand, why are you betting that river? If you bet the flop - and they call - that river does not mean you're ahead. You were better off checking and going to showdown knowing you had value and could beat Qx that might have called the flop bet.

In a tournament setting, what kinds of hands are good to limp? Should I limp something like 65s which is poor pre-flop but highly playable post-flop? With K2o is it always a fold with a short stack?

 

[CRStals]

In a tournament setting, what kinds of hands are good to limp? Should I limp something like 65s which is poor pre-flop but highly playable post-flop? With K2o is it always a fold with a short stack?

I'd advise never limping from UTG period but if you're going to...you want to play hands that will either a) trap opponents or b) suited aces with lower kickers or suited connectors - like 65s - that aren't strong enough to raise with, but have chances of hitting the flop hard with straights or flushes.

K2o really doesn't have any equity because even if you hit your king, unless you have a deuce on the board, you're at best chopping, and more than likely going to be out-kicked. And because the villain checked, you get zero intel on their hand strength so they could be playing anything.

When they call, that should have given you a red flag that they have a piece of that in some way:

• Pair of aces, queens or six's
• A Broadway draw with a hand like JT, KT, or KJ

It would be crazy to expect someone with 100% of their range to call a flop bet that they were on total air. But when the river comes a King and they bet, all of the hands that we mentioned above beat you EXCEPT Qx and 6x - unless the x is a King. There are more hands you lose to than beat, and with that large of a bet, your read is important to make that call - except th only info you have is they called that flop bet. Puts you in a tough spot.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
With 12BB you should generally either fold or move all-in preflop, especially when two players behind you are even shorter. So the first mistake here is doing anything other than folding or jamming. And the next mistake is playing K2o, which is way to weak from HJ. I would generally only play this hand from SB or BB.

Flop
As played I guess, this C-bet is ok, because the board favour you, and there are some equity denial benefits of betting small. But it would also not be crazy to take a free card. K high has some showdown value on this board, but K2 not as much as KJ or KT.

Turn
As played I agree with checking back.

River
I think, calling here is perhaps the most significant mistake in the hand. There are 4 cards to a straight, so you lose to any hand with a J or A in it, and the opponent is never betting a worse hand for value. So you are basically bluff catching, and what is the opponent bluffing with, that called you on the flop? This is a fundamental question to ask, whenever you consider bluff catching. And here I just dont see it, since there are no busted draws.

Any hand with a T or better connected with the board, and hands with two low cards like 95 or 82 probably folded on the flop, so they dont get to bluff the river. If you fold, you still have 10BB and can perhaps pick up some good hands to open jam within the next orbit. Which is significantly better than trying to bluff catch in a bad spot and be left without fold equity, if you are wrong.

 

[sibkaz]

A weak kicker is a strong mistake)

 

[Mario7]

1. 12BB - shove or fold, never limp (okay you could consider trapping with VERY strong hand like AA/KK if you know you have aggressive opponents behind but it is the only case and even in such case I'd prefer min-raise 2BB)
2. K2o from UTG - definitely too weak, perhaps I'd open it from SB, but definitely not from UTG nor MP
3. Post flop: bet on the flop is fine since you have the range advantage. XX turn ok. Caling the river bet is a mistake - what opponent's cards you can imagine you beat? Qx, 6x? Would they really bet? You loose to any King. You have only a bluff-catcher.

 

[fundiver199]

You loose to any King.

Not that it really matter, but K2 chop with any KX, that is not two pair or a straight.