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Playing Top Pair T. asked: Big slick is my Nemesis. On the second hand of a qualifier I had AK off suit. The player to my immediate right (early position) opened for 100 (5x BB), and I called, assuming a PP or big Ace. Everyone else folded. The flop was a rainbow with a King and two rags. Player checked and I bet half the pot. He called. Turn was a 10 and he checked. I bet 350; he went all in. Is there any reason that I should have folded top pair; topkicker to his all in at that point? He of course busted me with a set of tens.
Hi T., thanks for your question!
My opinion of AK is that it is often misplayed, but is not as hard a hand to play as most people make it. Your play preflop is pretty standard, although reraising there wouldn't be a bad idea instead of flat calling. That depends on how aggressively you like to play your stack early.
On the flop, I'd bet a more than 1/2 the pot. Go for a pot-sized bet here. The reason is if your opponent sees a half-pot bet, they might call with anything, so your half-pot bet didn't tell you anything. It's not just protecting your top pair that matters, it's also figuring out where you are in the hand.
On the turn, you've got a stack of 1500-100-100-350, so you have 950 chips. It's unlikely at this point that your hand is good. KT beats you, TT beats you, and any lower set beats you, as does AA, of course. At best, you're looking to split with someone having AK. But, consider how your opponent played it. They check/raised you all-in, which means they're probably not scared in the least, and were slow-playing a monster. This is only the second hand after all. While a set of tens isn't the only holding he could have, it's a possibility. King-ten is as well, because many players are fairly loose and aggressive at the start of a low-buyin MTT.
Unless I had a read on my opponent that they would play AK or KQ like this, I would assume they have me beat. I wouldn't expect them to have three tens, though. I would have assumed they flopped a low set and slow-played it into me because they saw a safe board. Even their preflop raise doesn't eliminate a low set because many players are aggressive with low pocket pairs even in such poor position.
This is why you need to bet harder on the flop. Bet at least 200 chips instead. Even though the half-pot bet is right in most cases on the flop heads up, in this case you're so early in the tournament that players are relatively deep-stacked and may call off 100 chips with many different hands because it's only 100. Would you have folded for 100 chips against a single overcard?
When you bet 200+, you find out quickly where you are in the hand. And, of course, you protect your hand if it's ahead at this point. If your opponent is really tricky, flopped a set, and checked into you looking to get you all-in with your ~2-3% chance to win (TPTK against a set with no other draw), you'll find out one street sooner when they shove back at you. Then, you can fold and have 1200 chips left, which easier to do than folding on the turn in the situation you describe.
In general, make sure to adjust your flop betting size to not only the size of the pot, but the pot in relationship to the structure, and the size of the stacks in play. You need to put your opponent to a true decision (and one that lets you figure out where you stand), which 100 chips at this point simply doesn't do.
Good luck at the tables!
- Coach
 
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