Want Advice About This Hand

[Merlopj 0]

First night in year long league. We play monthly tournaments w/ part of the prize pool going to the championship event at the end of the year. Top 10 in points qualify. You get a point each month for everyone you outlast, starting with 1 point for the first one out.What would you do in this situation?and how do you think I played it:5 players left, 4 pay tonight. I have about 13K in chips, other big stack is about even w/ me. 2 stacks ~7K, 1 short stack below 3k. Blinds are 800/1600. Play has been weak/tight around the table w/ very low M's all around.I'm in the big blind w/ Ac3d. Folds around to small blind (other big stack) who calls.Decision 1: raise or check? I have an A, but a crappy A. Figure I can win the pot if an A hits, or lose my BB and play on. I check. Flop comes A Q 7, all hearts. Small Blind bets 1600 (min bet). Decision 2: Now what? My A hit, but it's all hearts. I know the guy likes to gamble, and will bet on a draw. I didn't put him on a flush yet, but maybe paired his Q at best w/ a flush draw. He probably would've raised preflop w/ an A. I push all in. After much deliberation (obviously not considering we were on the bubble and the short stack will probably be out in 2 hands) he calls w/ JhTd, drawing to a K for the straight or a heart for the flush.Do I want the call? Should I have just folded to his bet and stayed in? Or do I play to win (would've had 2/3 of the chips on the table)and go w/ my push?The turn was a brick, the river was the Th completing his flush. After we counted the chips, he had me covered by about 300 and I'm out with 10 points (14 started). drat.comments? critiques?

[Mercury69 3]

A-rag offsuit on a board like that is asking for trouble. Assuming he doesn't have a better A, he's clearly repping at least one heart. I'm out of there on the flop bet, regardless of pot odds (3 to 1?)(implied odds are way crappy).

[Eight_Tabler 0]

Decision 1: I'd probably check here and play it safe against the other big stack, but I definitely don't hate raising. If you think there is a good chance he is limping with trash, go ahead and raise it up.Decision 2: I definitely don't like the all in push, too risky... I'd play it safe and smooth call and see what falls, and what he does, on the turn. It'd take some big stones to keep firing at it unless he has you, since you're a big stack as well; But if he minbets the turn again, and a heart doesn't fall, then I might consider shoving since there's a good chance he's drawing, and now there's only 1 card to come. BTW, I hate his call of your all in.

[cubbybri 0]

I see this type of situation a lot in these live tournies. Blinds go up so fast(my assumption) that when it gets down to bubble play, there isn't much left.Decision 1: Ace rag very vulnerable and you need to have idea where peep stands in this situation. SB (chip leader) could have anything here. He knows he's short and that you are short so he may be checking to trap or he could be trying to hit a flop hard that he can take out your cash and make a real good lead on the others(although his M would still stink). You could get away a raise here to see where you are at and still have chips to contend. I say check and hope to hit the flop hard but be prepared to check and fold with this holding.You are in spot where it could be head's up before BB hits you again so I say take it easy. Not my normal play but I don't want to put myself in position to bust when I can find a spot to more likely put in the top 2.Decision 2: Since you just checked, he says he likes flop and you don't know where you are at. You are either way ahead or way behind so I say you fold. You really only have 3 3s for redraws if behind. I see no reason to go over the top here as you still are sitting second in chips since you did not raise pre-flop. If he is behind, he probably has a lot more outs than you do. I personally feel a lot of the skill is diminished when you get to this point in a tourney with M's all so low. You are talking about the chip leader's with effective M of approx 2.7. You say table has been weak/tight. How about villain specifically? He could just fold that we SB to you since he is chip leader and in position to take 1st or 2nd. He is playing as he has strength now and you do not know where you are at. I think you just have to go on what you know specifically of this villain. If this is last of year long tourney with 14 peeps, you should know his play well. With no reads, I check pre-flop and fold flop.

[thecove 0]

First night in year long league. We play monthly tournaments w/ part of the prize pool going to the championship event at the end of the year. Top 10 in points qualify. You get a point each month for everyone you outlast, starting with 1 point for the first one out.What would you do in this situation?and how do you think I played it:5 players left, 4 pay tonight. I have about 13K in chips, other big stack is about even w/ me. 2 stacks ~7K, 1 short stack below 3k. Blinds are 800/1600. Play has been weak/tight around the table w/ very low M's all around.I'm in the big blind w/ Ac3d. Folds around to small blind (other big stack) who calls.Decision 1: raise or check? I have an A, but a crappy A. Figure I can win the pot if an A hits, or lose my BB and play on. I check. Flop comes A Q 7, all hearts. Small Blind bets 1600 (min bet). Decision 2: Now what? My A hit, but it's all hearts. I know the guy likes to gamble, and will bet on a draw. I didn't put him on a flush yet, but maybe paired his Q at best w/ a flush draw. He probably would've raised preflop w/ an A. I push all in. After much deliberation (obviously not considering we were on the bubble and the short stack will probably be out in 2 hands) he calls w/ JhTd, drawing to a K for the straight or a heart for the flush.Do I want the call? Should I have just folded to his bet and stayed in? Or do I play to win (would've had 2/3 of the chips on the table)and go w/ my push?The turn was a brick, the river was the Th completing his flush. After we counted the chips, he had me covered by about 300 and I'm out with 10 points (14 started). drat.comments? critiques?

Decision 1: Raise. If he just calls and you know he pushes with an A preflop, you may take the hand down right there. A decent raise here should win you the pot and won't affect your stack too bad if he comes over the top and you fold. (Comment: Where is the button player here? Is he a short stack? It's bubble time and everyone folded to the button. He should have popped the pot with any two cards here, he has position on the two chip leaders, the only time that will happen in the orbit, and made a play)Decision 2: Fold. That's a very precarious flop for your hand. With the information you have, you know he doesn't have an ace but there are too many other hands that he could have in the small blind that can beat you. You may have the best hand but you are a near coin flip to win if your opponent holds any heart. IMO at that juncture of the tourney and knowing this guy likes to gamble, it is not worth risking my stack on a race with an A/weak kicker and no draw. Your re-raise all in IS a good attempt at taking the pot right there. You did make him think about it. But with his gambling tendencies and him having 12 outs (48% chance at winning), I don't think he is going anywhere.If I were you, at the next league game I would give the button player on this hand grief for not raising from the button, because you could have folded and stayed out of trouble. BTW - I am running a similar league. Points are awarded the same way except everyone plays in the championship. Chip Stacks for the championship are decided by multipying points by 500. I give extra point for attendance each month and extra points for add ons. We play 8 months out of the year It's a good time! Have fun in yours

[pokerguy33 0]

First, dont' raise preflop, checking like you did is fine. Why would you want to play against another big stack with such a weak hand? Your main focus since your on the bubble is to target the short stacks, and knock one of them out, so you at least you are ITM. Seems pretty standard, but when villian bets this flop, even though its the min. i'm folding this on the flop. One big rule in NLHE is never go broke in a limped pot. You got carried away with your top pair, with a horrible kicker, and three hearts on board, in which you had no heart, I think this is a horrible play IMO, not trying to bash you, but I just think its a horrible play, and you could have easily gotten away from this hand with no problem, just toss those cards in the much on the flop.