FT $10r Stars

[max_power]

Down to 6 on the FT after 560 odd runners, from memory so details may be a little off but you get the jist.

Stacks are roughly:

Seat 1: 18bbs
Seat 2: 55bbs
CO: 15bbs
Button: 35bbs
Mise (sb): 20bbs
bb: 45bbs

Payouts as usual are top heavy and no talk of any deals it's something like:

1st $2.4k
2nd $1.9
3rd $1.4k
4th $1k
5th $730
6th $570

The game has been playing pretty loose and active every hand has been at least opened, very little flatting, lots of 3/4 bets etc.

Folded to the CO who limps. First limp on the final table (or that I've seen from about 10 tables out tbh), button folds and action is on me in the sb with 99.

Obviously in theory it's a standard shove, pick up limpers bb, antes and bb and add abouot 25% to my stack if he folds if not hopefully race/have an overpair for a nice stack. EZ yeah?

In reality and ingame however, is this ever anything less than JJ? Is it a tarp?

May sound ultra nitty but is completing and playing the hand out an option?

Obviously if we raise and he hammers it in we have to sigh call, can't fold too.

Thought it was an interesting enough spot for something which at first sight seems very straightforward.

[denchhhhhh]

it is a shove for me. he could be limping with aa or kk but that would be a bad play. if he min raises with his strong hand somebody will reshove a decent amount of the time. he could have small pair it is too nitty to think he has a big pair here a lot of the time

[Mellor]

Kinda villain dependant for me. It's the first limp for him, but you've seen lots of other things he has done. Do you think he'd trap with a big hand like this based on what you've seen.

[Lplated]

When someone does something markedly different to the way they had been playing, or the way the table has been playing, I think you're right to be suspicious. But it may not be a monster though, he may be reacting to his stack size and have a hand that wants to see a flop but pay as little as possible for it.

In either case, he's doing you a favour I think. If he had min raised or 2.5x raised, you would likely be calling, at the very least, hoping to hit your set or a straight draw. You have the option now of getting to the flop without paying that much extra for it. [ie just complete the sb].

In addition, the BB has yet to act, who may either have a hand or may decide to get tough on all this limping - and if he does you'll be able to judge the co/s response before making up your mind.

At this point in the FT, I wouldn't be too worried about trying to win the thing outright, I'd be more concerned about trying to get myself to a sure 3rd or 4th, the difference between there and 6th prize being an extra 500. In a 10d tournament thats quite a jump. So, yes, I'd be a nitty about it, but nitty with justification I think.

[Winning!]

If there's a ton of 3b/4b dynamic I'd see no reason for villain to deviate from a r/c strategy with TT+, seems more likely a misclick or funky play with something villain didn't want to r/c or r/f with. A quick OPR on villain is critical in a spot like this (and tbh you should OPR every player on a FT once you reach one). Is he a winning player? What are his stats? Readless I just shove cos our hand is too strong to fold here 6-handed

[max_power]

Everyone left at the table is a winning player. His stats suggest more of a recreational player though, not a huge amount of volume think he was up around 10k or so. Other Guys are all 6 fig winners. Pretty tough table for a 10r rebuy tbh.

He had been playing snugger than the rest of us for sure and wasn't really involved in the preflop wars as much as others. There was no glaring weaknesses in his game however and he seemed to have enough cop on to be aware that he can't limp a hand like 56s or something in a hope for a cheap flop with the in game flow.

[max_power]

Not that interesting obv!

I shipped it in anyway. Of course he had kk. Was just thinking about it after and came to the conclusion that he always has qq+ here, therefore shoving it seems to be sub optimal but don't really see any other options.

[Angry-Ball]

yeah this is becoming more common place especially when the game becomes a shove or fold game, lad with 15bigs shoves from the co everyone folds he gains nothing for his monster hand, on the other hand if he limps then he give someone else a chance of shipping over him thinking it is a mistake, or at the very least gives the bb a free flop and hope he hits top pair or a draw and then check/raises him allin happy days for him.

i have been on the recieving end of this quite a few times myself and it is quite annoying because the alarm bells do start ringing when you see someone limping from a 10-20bb stack and still you can't lay down your hand and hope that he is a donk hoping to see a cheap flop with 9 10 soooooooted, but when he turns up the goods and you think

SPOILER

you

[DrJFF]

this is one of those spots, where limping is okay, cos you don't feel like playing a pot oop vs. a villain who has a decent range and with 99 there ain't many flops we are going to love, and your not going to be super happy when you get called if all the money goes in pre,

its one those spots where you just play against the norm and keep to yourself if you know what i mean, i've often mucked TT, AQ to a single raise from UTG deep in a tourney cos my gut says this guy won't do well vs. his range or with our stacksizes,

so limp and don't tell anyone about it, if that makes sense

[max_power]

Yeah I know exactly what you mean, one of those spots where I may be better of just preserving my playable stack.

Or else just ping the 9 on the river.