PCA hand VS David Benefield

[Juan Carlos Alvarado]

Been waiting to post what I think is an interesting hand, but haven't had one in a while and I'm bored at Atlantis so here's this one that just happened:

Background:

I feel I've been playing really well but haven't had anything better than mid pair since level one, all my chips were coming (or going) from bluffs pretty much. I've shown one pretty weird bluff during level 3, other than that I've been pretty active but not showing anything down.

David has been playing really solid even though I'm pretty sure he's made a few moves throughout the tourney, I feel I've caught on to a pattern or two in his play but I couldn't really exploit any because my table was fairly soft and I didn't really want to get into it with him, I've done a good job of staying out of his way during the tourney. I've never played with him before this, and never heard anything about his play other than he's really good.

We're pretty much dead even in chips with about 41k to start I think (unless I'm messing up the numbers, but I dont think so).

Hand:

20 minutes to go for the day. Folds to Dave on the button, he limps for 1200 (he had done this with 79s from the cut before). SB thinks for a bit then just completes, I make it 5600 with AKs, I'd raise a similar size with steals - AA, I knew the pot on the flop would be fairly big if he called and I had planned on bet/calling a few flops even if I missed, check raising some, and giving up on some.

Dave thinks for a bit and calls (pot is 13,400 I think) , flop is 89Tr I check he thinks a little and checks back, now I think his range is a pair, A7-A2s, nuts, maybe two pair and that's about it. Turn is a blank 4x I check he thinks for a bit and bets 3400, he had done this with weak hands from what I had seen. I figure my outs are probably live and my hand might be best so I call, in the back of my head I thought I'd consider calling any potsized bet or bigger because it was kinda obv I had A high or a small pair. the river is a 2 I check pretty fast and he ships in what I'm pretty sure is 32k and that was about what I had left.... pot is 20,200 I think.

I had my big chips behind slightly behind the ante chips, when I pulled them out to count he glanced over and got pretty still, then I caught something that is almost impossible to hide or fake. I'd say I was 95% sure that he didn't have a strong hand like a straight or 2 pair. I think he'd bet a T on the flop. I think he checks back with a 4 and an 8 or 9 on the river. I'm pretty sure he raises any pair and AT+ here.

So based on my read I thought

A- He's turning a small pair or something into a bluff
B- He's value betting light.
C- A small chance he has the nuts or something similar (any T pretty much)
D- A tiny chance he misread my stack by 10 or 15k.
E- He's bluffing with the few non paired Ax's, KJ, and a couple other weird hands

Is my logic okay? Or am I just trying to be a hero vs a better player?

[Barry Greenstein]

If you are right about him not thinking you had a lot of chips left, that might scare me out of calling (if I was thinking of it). Now (with possible misinformation), he may be value betting, thinking that you don't have so much so he might as well put it all in, since he is pot committed for your small stack. If he realized you had a lot left, there is room for him to bet less and fold to a raise.

You have to go back and reread the situation in the new context of you not having a life-threatening chip stack, from his point of view. Did he bet enough to cover you because he thought you wouldn't chance going broke for the little you had left and that you would have put it in yourself with any hand that can call him, or is it the value situation I described above, and he was just being cautious until he felt confident that your checking on each street wasn't some sort of trap?

Barry

[Christian Harder]

i think the turn is a fold, and i think the river is a def a fold, this seems like a spot where he takes a funky line and has it. I think david is def capable of value shoving 9x here or something, putting you on Ace high or a small pair. I think hes realizes his line looks really sketchy and will almost always have it here against a thinking player who is capable of hero calling light like yourself.

[Todd Terry]

I've never played with him, so this is just generic advice. There's a ton of interesting stuff in this hand, but I think it boils down to his turn bet size. That microscopic bet in position, given the board texture (which hit his LP limp/calling range very hard yet he has made no effort to get any money in the pot) and preflop action, has to be one of two things: (1) a bet designed to get a cheap showdown; or (2) a bet to set up a bluff shove on the river (at that point, given his possible view that you don't have as many chips behind as you actually do, he would probably expect you to shove most or all hands that you are willing to go broke with). The fact that he shoved the river on a total brick rules out option (1), which just leaves option (2). Combined with your read that he doesn't have a big hand, I think I like a call. And I guess you know you've made it when a good player like charder wants to fold because your line makes no sense.

[Phil D'Auteuil]

fold turn, fold river

[Aaron Jones]

The turn is a fold (assuming you check flop and turn) because of the "implied aggression" factor and the fact that you're OOP. You're not calling the turn to get to showdown, you're calling the turn to get owned on the river (not that you did in this case, just that his owning leveraging since he's allowed to act after you is quite high). In cash games, specifically HU and specifically deep, it's correct to make incorrect folds with an alarmingly high frequency. When tournament players and limit players transition to HU cash (or just deep cash in general, usually shorthanded) this is the single biggest mistake they make by far. Essentially, it boils down to playing your hand too much and not the opponent or position.

Also, I was so sure you had A8 in this hand-- it might have been my first incorrect read ever.