Can I get more chips here?

[pembo]

Is there anyway I'm extracting more chips here? Am I betting to hard preflop?

I'm checking back the flop just to make it seem I haven't hit, and allowing them to improve on the turn. When they check the turn, I know any bet is going to make them fold, so I check and give them another chance of improving. As they've checked the river (and I know I've won the hand), there seems no reason not to bet, just in case they call....

The problem is, I see this situation happen a lot. I know it's early in the blinds, should I just accept I can never win more chips in this position, or is there a trick I'm missing?

[knifeboy62]

What hands are you expecting to get chips from on that flop? Your plan needs to make sense for those hands.


Pocket pairs, 9X, 3xs:

may possibly call a 1/2 pot flop bet just to see whether you follow up on turn and if you check turn may also pay bet into you on river or call another bet from you. This is early in tournament so you have to expect more speculation than usual.

Ax (<=J):

will definitely call 1/2 pot flop bet and may raise to try to test you which gives you more value. Will be rough ride if they follow up with turn and river big bets though.

AJ, AQ:

will call 1/2 pot bet and probably check call you on turn and river as well.

AK:

will probably raise at some point but I would expect raise pre-flop so less likely.


Overall I like 1/2 pot bet on flop, check on turn and 1/2 pot bet on river. I think that gets the most out of the marginal hands that will pay you anything and limits damage against hands that dominate you. You are giving 2-5 free cards with turn check but that is not a disaster in a pot that will not be that big.

3X pre-flop makes sense to me with 50BB early in tournament. There wil be enough speculation for worse hands to call. Betting less wil just encourage too many callers or a 3-bet that will put you in tough spot.

What do I know though - my Jan MTT challenge results aren't anything to be proud of
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