Last night i'm playing in a $20 SNG at Poker Stars. There's 4 players left and the blinds are at $400. I'm in the BB with A 10s and the short stack with a little less than $800 goes all-in from the Button. The SB calls, and I call. I've got about $5,000 left, the SB has about 3,500 less, and theres another short stack at the table with less than a $1,000.
The flop come 8 9 10, and I bet $400 at the pot, the SB folds. I've got top pair with top kicker and the other player that is all-in has a pair of 9's with a K kicer. I won the hand and dragged the a $2,300 pot giving me over $7,000 in chips and pretty good control of the game.
Anyway, the SB that was in the hand started calling me a moron for betting at the hand. He said that I should have checked it to increase the odds of knocking the all-in player out.
My theory here is I've got top pair with top kicker which is probably the best hand. I'm going to bet here to protect my hand especially if the other player is drawing to an inside straight draw. I understand the part of checking it down strategy but I'm really not worried about placing in the money with the stack that I've got and there's another small stack left in the game.
Who's right here, why in the world would somebody ever give somebody free cards to outdraw them when you think you have the best hand? Like I said I do understand the part of checking it down to help eliminate the all-in player. I've been bluffed out of these types of hands when there is no side pot to see the all-in player win a pretty good sized pot with Q high.
Eliminating the small stack isn't your only consideration here. You also want to win the pot, and you were smart not to give the small blind a free chance to outdraw you. Let him whine.
I agree with Gary and the SB was probably just pissed because he didn't get a free shot at winning the pot, which is what he would have got if you didn't bet and let him stay in till the end.
Also that was a decent size pot and if you let him stay in and he wins it than that would have improved his odds of having a chance at beating you.
If I'm getting this right, if all 3 of you had almost 800 in the pot than that would be close to 2400 total in the pot which if he's got 3500 less than you, that would go along way to getting him back into the game but if he doesn't get to draw for free and you win the pot than that puts him back even further, which brings me back to my point and also why I said that he was just pissed because he didn't get a free shot at winning the pot.
I would of bet, you had a strong hand. I dont see any reason why you shouldn't, especially when you think you have a winner.
I do get a little annoyed at people that bluff at a pot like that, especially when there is no side pot yet. I usually laugh and say something like "what you think the all in is going muck his hand".
Anyway good play, nothing to be ashamed of or worry about.
You did the right thing. If I have a bigger stack and am in a side pot against a significantly smaller stack with a hand that I feel beats his, I'll try to overbet him to get him out of the pot and not catch cards against me. The less people in the pot, the better you're chance are of taking it.
