Deep-stacked MTTs require a very different approach early on to turbos and shallow tournaments. See if you can swim in the deep waters with the latest PokerPlayer quiz
Q1. Slicking up
Players: 9 Blinds: 50/100 Your stack: 15,000 Your hand: A♣-K♠
Action
It’s the second level of a UKIPT main event and you have your starting stack. An unknown opponent raises to 150, and you three-bet with A♣-K♠ to 500 on the button before your opponent then four-bets 1,500. What should you do now?
Decision
a) Fold
b) Call
c) Five-bet to 4,050
d) Move all-in
Q2. Ace in a perfect place
Players: 6 Blinds: 100/200 Your stack: 19,000 Your hand: A♥-A♣
Action
It’s early in a £500 UKIPT six-max side event populated with strong online pros. The cut-off raises to 500, the button three-bets to 1,500 and you wake up with pocket Aces in the big blind. How should you play them?
Decision
a) Call
b) Cold four-bet to 4,050
c) Cold four-bet to 6,000
d) Move all-in
Q3. The big set-up
Players: 9 Blinds: 200/400 Your stack: 80,000 Your hand: 2♣-2♥
Action
You’ve built a big stack early on in a £200 freezeout when you raise to 1,000 with 2-2. Two players call and then the big blind, an older guy who has always had the nuts when he plays aggressively, three-bets to 4,000. He has a stack of 45,000. What should you do?
Decision
a) Fold
b) Call
c) Raise to 10,500
d) Raise to 14,500
Q4. The drawing board
Players: 9 Blinds: 500/1000 Your stack: 90,000 Your hand: 8♥-7♥
Action
It’s a very tough field in a GUKPT high roller event. You’re near the top of the chip lead when a fellow big stack opens to 2,500 and you call with 8♥-7♥ on the button. The flop is Q♥-K♣-3♥ and your opponent continuation bets 3,500. What do you do?
Decision
a) Fold
b) Call
c) Reraise to 9,500
d) Reraise to 20,000
Q5. Barrelling off
Players: 7 Blinds: 5,000/10,000 Your stack: 1.2m Your hand: K♣-J♣
Action
It’s the final table of a $100 online tournament. You’re the chip leader with 1.2m and raise K♣-J♣ to 25,000 UTG. The cut-off calls (from a 500,000 stack) and everyone else folds. There are two short stacks at the table. You bet 30,000 on the A♥-6♣-2♥ flop and are called.
Decision
a) Check and give up
b) Check-raise all-in
c) Bet 150,000
d) Move all-in (for 375,000 effective)
Answers
- b) Call. Calling is the best option as you are too deep with 150BBs to get all-in preflop while still being ahead of your opponent’s range. Generally an unknown player won’t be willing to get all-in with a worse hand than A-K this early. Also, you have position and will have a disguised hand postflop.
- b) Cold four-bet to 4,050. In a very aggressive game this is a perfect spot to cold four-bet bluff so it makes sense that we should do the same with our monster hands for balance. Slow-playing would be a mistake, especially as we are out of position. A bet of 4,050 is a good size because it gives our opponents an illusion of fold equity if they decide to bluff.
- b) Call. You are deep-stacked enough in this scenario to call the three-bet to try and hit a set and win a huge pot. As the reraiser’s range is so weighted towards monster hands we will have a much better shot at getting paid if a two flops. By calling we also encourage the other players in the hand to come along giving us better odds.
- b) Call. In general it’s good to be aggressive with your flush draws, but in this spot calling is better. When we just call our range remains wide open and we could have all sorts of draws, sets, two pairs or weaker hands like 8-8. Against very tough opponents it is very important to keep your range wide open or you will be exploited.
- d) Move all-in (for 375,000 effective). This is a perfect spot to put the pressure on your opponent. With two short stacks he will be wary of calling a shove with anything less than a monster. Unless he has been slow-playing a set it is unlikely he can have stronger than one pair and AK/AQ can be ruled out as he would usually three-bet them preflop.
Your score
0-2 Deep shit
Kezay is that you? Maybe stick to the turbos, eh.
3 Deep trouble
You’re getting there but are still liable to drown in these deep waters.
4-5 Deep stack
Moorman? You’re a maestro of the MTTs Take a bow son, take a bow.
