KK in PokerStars Tournament

Although KK is not one of the tougher hold'em hands to play, I mixed it up a little bit with this opponentwho has been playing very LAG and since we had clashed several times already, I felt a little more poker tournament strategy was needed to get more value on the river. I just don't think I bet enough.What do you think?

Big hand, standard raise.

The big blind is sitting out, so I wanted to make this raise look like I was trying to steal the blinds withouta fight. My range could presumtiously be wider than normal here because of that. The player to my leftis a gambler and the two of us have engaged in several hands already. He is no that bad of a player,

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but he does tend to over-bet and play too many hands. This is a $2 tournament, so that much isstandard. So I was happy that he flat called me, making the pot $900.

Everyone else folds, and I hit a decent flop, that deserves a bet here now, which is what he would beexpecting me to do, since as I mentioned, we have clashed already. I bet just under half pot and myopponent flat calls me. I think that's great because I can assume now he has a Q. Two pair is unlikely,and this guy probably would have reraised me prflop with 55 or 66. It's just the way he plays.

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Okay an interesting development in this now lucrative poker tournament hand. With the deuce on theturn I decided to check. My opponent's AF factor is infinite, so I checked in order to induce a bet fromhim. I was trying to make it look like I had AK, as this would be my standard check holding that hand.He does just that by betting 580, making the pot 2,320. So either now I am crushed to a set, or he hasa Q. No way I am laying off this hand against this opponent, and now it is time to check-raise.

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This is a good chunk of my stack here really, so this is a tough spot for him holding only a Queen. Well,that's what I would be thinking anyway. He flat calls my check raise, and the pot is over 4,000 now.Since I am looking kind of committed to this hand right now, this would be a good time for him to comeover the top if he had a set. So his flat call still leads me to beleive he has only has a queen. I guessthere is an outside chance he is slow playing AA too, which would just be shitty.

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A jack on the river, and honestly that card freaks me a little for two pair now, as would an 8, 9 or 10.Nonetheless, the pot is too big to turn away now so I just might as well shove. But woops, not sure whatI was thinking here and only bet 1,440 or slightly more than a quarter of the pot. I feel if he has aqueen, he is calling all in. If I am beat, then I am calling his reraise anyway.

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As soon as he flat calls I know I am #winning.

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Tournament Indicator shows he had KQos, so right away I feel I should have gotten more from him onthe river. A slight miscalculation there, in an otherwise game-changing hand.

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However, it worked out even better for me later on in the poker tournament when he bet his top pairhand into my nut straight. This hand, and this player actually sent me to the final table where I took this90 player tournament down. Love turning $2 into $50.

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