Hand Of The Day #89

Atlantis ~ 01.11.12 ~ 7:00 $45 Tournament Level 9 (2k/4k/400)

19 players for this one, and four are left, which is the Bubble. The play is rather calm, as everyone is waiting for AA to get their money in. It folds to me, and I have 9c 8h in the SB. I just limp in. I could raise, and just take it down, but I'm choosing to play small ball with this pot. I'm not super shortstacked compared to everyone else, but I'm in the middle of the pack.

The other reason for limping is the BB, who's a 60's Asian gentleman. He and his wife are tourney regulars around Reno. He's not the typical 60's Super Nit. My perception of him is that he's on the loose, passive side. He likes to call, but he will also make the occasionally move on a pot. If I shove All-In to steal the blinds and antes, then his calling range is wider than average.

Anyways, he checks his option, and the Flop is Tc Td 6s. We both check.

The Turn is [Tc Td 6s] Kh. Once again, we both check.

The River is [Tc Td 6s Kh] Qh. Once again, I check, but he bet 7000. However, I don't fold right away. To me, this bet smells like, "I don't have anything. Please fold." And as I already mentioned, he is capable of making that bet.

The problem is that I have 9-high. Granted, I do have the Nut 9-high, but my kicker doesn't play. Normally, this would be a spot that I could make a small check-raise from 7k to 17k. However, this is a shortstacked tournament. If my read is wrong, I'll end up as Bubble Boy again.

So what can I beat? I think if he had King, then he would have bet the Turn. If he had a 6, then he probably wouldn't have bet. A Ten is definitely possible, as he could have been slowplaying the whole time. I'm not sure if he would bet a Queen, as it seems like I don't have anything. My gut says he would have made a smaller min-bet, hoping I would call.

If he had A-high, he would have shoved preflop. J-high is the other hand that I'm worried about besides a Ten. A 9-high would be a chop pot, and everything else I'm beating.

So after thinking for about 30 seconds, I follow my read, by tossing out a 5k and two 1k chips. The BB gets that "Oh crap" look on his face. He says, "Good call," but doesn't show his cards. I just sit there, patiently waiting for him. The Poker Player in me wants to turn over the 9-high, and stroke my ego by having everyone go "Wow!". But the Tourney Player knows that I need those 23600 chips that are currently in the pot. 

Eventually, he just mucks his cards, and the Dealer starts to ship me the pot. Now, I show my hand, but I'm not sure if the BB or anyone else realized what I have. No words were said about the hand.

I still think my 9-high was good.