Dealing with Shortstacks

[Spurious]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool (http://poker-tools.flopturnriver.com/Hand-Converter.php) from FlopTurnRiver.com (http://www.flopturnriver.com) (Format: 2+2 Forums)

BB ($10.30)
UTG ($4.65)
MP ($4.65) <--- villain
Hero ($34.40)
SB ($36.95)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP calls $0.25, Hero...?

[whyzze]

find a new table

[Spurious]

yes, that's what i just did, but i wont leave before i am in the blinds, so how do you deal with the situation?

[hitch1978]

fold

[Spurious]

i wont fold either
do you limp behind, do you raise to 1.25$, what are you doing in a situation like this?

[whyzze]

folding &gt; raising to 5 &gt; standard raise

[hitch1978]

I fold.

22 is a massive implied odds hand, and we're not getting 'em. In addition there are two players still to speak at a 5 handed game and I don't want to call a raise.

The trouble is, if we raise, there's a good chance we'll see shorty push. Not nescesarily a 'likely' move, but there's enough of a chance that, coupled with the risk of a raise behind, I probably fold.

Now if the players behind me are passive pre-flop then I might call and hope to flop a set.

I really don't like to raise here, 22 is not a big pot hand pre-flop. But you know that.

[Bill Smith]

[ QUOTE ]
limping &gt; folding &gt; raising to 5 &gt; standard raise

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless the blinds are aggressive, I am almost never laying down a pp on the button for 1 BB. If the blinds come along without a raising, you're almost halfway to the odds you need, and you'll get the rest with good play the times you hit. I'm not calling because I think I have implied odds against MP - I'm calling because I have some immediate odds and implied odds against all 3 opps.

If the blinds are aggressive, then folding &gt; limping. Raising is incredibly foolish regardless.

[mookboi]

Raise &amp; hope blinds come along. If they fold &amp; shorty pushes, get it in. If he calls, get it in on flop.

[Snafu'd]

For me, it depends on how the blinds play. I lean towards a limp in this situation if the neither of the blinds are TAGs. I'll definitely limp if we've got a donkish player in the blinds.

[hitch1978]

[ QUOTE ]
If they fold &amp; shorty pushes, get it in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't see how getting our chips in when we are racing AT BEST is good poker? Please elaborate.

[mookboi]

Dead money in middle makes it +EV to race.

[hitch1978]

But we've chosen to put allot of the 'dead money' there to race for.

And that's if we are racing. Surely better to limp or fold and avoid this position?

[mookboi]

Eh. Aiite, now that I got more time to elaborate:

I'm raising here, because
a) the SB behind us got a nice stack.
b) even if the blinds fold, villain folds here a decent amount of time in my opinion to make this raise show immediate profit.
c) if villain shoves, we are ahead (slightly) of everything but a higher pocket pair. Since he limped with a really short stack, I doubt he's got a pocket pair.
d) if he calls &amp; checks flop, we put him all in, he'll fold there too.

Basically, I'm putting as much pressure on short stack as I can. Just calling here is also +EV IMO, but I much prefer raising. I likes teh aggression.

[members_only]

I like a limp here. He'll often call you if you raise, and you'll be in a tough spot on the flop if you don't hit a set.

[Lego05]

Make it 1.5. If the blinds fold, shortie calls, and then shortie checks the flop put him all-in.

[Gelford]

Semi-grunch

limp looks meh to me

if shortie is known to fold postflop then raise and cbet else fold