Big Slick Brooklyn Head's up Suckout, or is it?

I'd like to clear up a controversial issue concerning calling and making bets with marginal hands. There comes a point in a tourney when implied odds become the major consideration for playing a hand and this factor must be taken into account by both the bettor and caller.

Let's take for example a head's up hand that ended a tourney at the Big Slick Brooklyn Casino last night.

I am big stacked with about 18K in chips DNice has about 7K, Blind are 600 1200

I get 4 3 suited and call the Big Blind

2400 in the Pot

DNice raises 2500 bringing the pot up to 4900.

At this point it will cost me 2500 to win a possible 4900 pot offering me approximately 2:1 pot odds, so I would need a hand that has a 50/50 chance of winning to make this call when taking just pot odds into consideration. If it was a pure pot odds call I would have to fold considering I'm under the impression that he has 2 overcards giving me a little better than 3:1 odds (38% chance of winning). If he had a pocket pair he would have went all-in pre-flop so putting him on overcards is a reasonable read.
If I make the call I am at a disadvantage considering pot odds, but when factoring in implied odds the hand becomes playable. With 4 3 suited I can flop a multiple possibility of hands, if I hit a good flop I can take his stack and win the tourney. Implied odds make the hand playable because I have him well covered and have a minimum of 38% + implied odds of winning it all. Therefore making a 2500 call giving me 2:1 odds + the implied odds is correct.

Back to the hand, the flop comes

4 3 5, I'm pretty sure DNice hit a pair of fives, I believe he had K 5

He pushes all in, I call and my 4's up wins.

What do you think? Post a comment