$16.50 MTT - holding 89s in SB facing button raise
In hindsight, I really wish I called this hand, rather than folded. Usually I would call a raise with 89s in the SB, if my stack was a little bit deeper. There are two reasons I folded here.
1) My stack depth was only 13BBs, so I wouldn't get good implied odds on hitting the flush, or have enough to pay for bets on multiple streets.
2) This was on the bubble, so even if I had a good drawing situation, the bigger stack BTN player, could apply pressure to force me out just based on that. It didn't seem like a great situation to have a drawing hand out of position.
So in the long run what is the best play here? I would have loved to hit that flush on the turn and have a nice addition to my short stack. So should I still call if this situation comes up again?
PokerStars - 600/1200 Ante 150 NL (8 max) - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4
MP: 16.1 BB
CO: 41.57 BB
BTN: 26.52 BB
Hero (SB): 12.98 BB
BB: 23.59 BB
UTG: 19.06 BB
UTG+1: 30.75 BB
7 players post ante of 0.13 BB, Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB
Pre Flop: (pot: 2.37 BB) Hero has 8♥ 9♥
fold, fold, fold, CO raises to 2 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 1 BB
Flop: (5.37 BB, 2 players) J♥ T♥ 2♦
BB checks, CO checks
Turn: (5.37 BB, 2 players) K♥
BB bets 2.5 BB, CO raises to 6.11 BB, fold
CO wins 10.37 BB
3 Replies
Aside from the standard ICM considerations we don't want to waste any chips in situations like this. No speculative calls, not even IP. And we don't want to put ourselves in difficult spots.
Most likely outcome here:
1. We completely miss the flop or just have a marginal draw. We check, btn bets, we fold, having wasted 10% of our stack.
2. Flop comes something like K84 rainbow. We check, btn bets 65% of pot. And BB might be behind. Now what?
Don't think shoving is a very good idea in this spot given our hand and The stack depths.
Calling is not an option for me here. Because BB can raise and also because it gives us less FE in the future if we have to fold on the flop.
This hand is often in my 3-betting range but < 25 bb's I typically remove it. However in this spot I might just jam. It depends entirely on CO's prior activity. If CO has been raising a lot (wide) I prefer a jam to a fold. I think CO will fold a bit and we should be about 40% when he does call (though an overpair knocks it down to 20%).
Results oriented about call.
Call would be just awful. You really shouldn't call from the SB short, particularly when the opener can apply pressure on the bubble. However, I would might shove against a big stack on the bubble. Depends on how active he has been. He may have a lot of junk that can't call. He could be opening 70-100% of hands. Also, depends on how valuable the min cash is and if it is the direct bubble, etc. Would tend more to shove with low 15xBB. He is getting about 1.55-1 here to call so he should usually call.
