pca step 2 question
 

ok so this is a hand from the pca step 2 on stars. i think this is the most obvious decision in the world, but my friend disagrees with me. here is the situation

3 handed $27 step 2, top 2 get $60 whatever step 3 entry, 3rd place gets a retry at step 2.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (3 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Hero (t5380)
Button (t3590)
SB (t4530)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t600</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero ...

Re: pca step 2 question
 

Tell me your friend doesn't think you should pass on a freeroll and fold here! I push this all day and twice on Sundays.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

FWIW step 3 is $87 and these 1st two levels are rediculously soft.

I push here against 99% of known players and certainly all unknowns.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Tell me your friend doesn't think you should pass on a freeroll and fold here! I push this all day and twice on Sundays.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I do say fold here. From my perspective the BB on the big stack has more equity in the prize awarded for first and second place by folding here than by trying to bust this guy out for 3/5ths of his stack in a probably coinflip, or at best being somewhere about a 70% favorite vs one overcard or an 80% favorite over an even less-likely underpair.

I dunno, I figured that as the chipleader there are better opportunities to get your money in that don't involve risking your equity in first or second place. Personally I think I play good enough to wait for a better spot and try to chip away at the smaller stacks a bit more before trying to knock them out.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Tell me your friend doesn't think you should pass on a freeroll and fold here! I push this all day and twice on Sundays.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I do say fold here. From my perspective the BB on the big stack has more equity in the prize awarded for first and second place by folding here than by trying to bust this guy out for 3/5ths of his stack in a probably coinflip, or at best being somewhere about a 70% favorite vs one overcard or an 80% favorite over an even less-likely underpair.

I dunno, I figured that as the chipleader there are better opportunities to get your money in that don't involve risking your equity in first or second place. Personally I think I play good enough to wait for a better spot and try to chip away at the smaller stacks a bit more before trying to knock them out.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the worst post I have seen in a strategy forum in months. Sorry, but it's true.

This is the easiest shove ever. It's even easier bc its basically a freeroll.

You are miles ahead of his raising range.

You have fold equity.

ITS A FREEROLL.

If you feel like you bubble pretty frequently it's probably because you aren't doing things like shoving mid-high pocket pairs 3 handed with fold equity.

Post less, read more.

P.S.- If 3rd place was sentenced to death, I would still shove this hand.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

bump for vindication

Re: pca step 2 question
 

It's a push, but Jesus Christ, it's NOT a freeroll. You have about $67-68 in equity prior to the hand and if you lose, it drops to about $45. If you have to retry Step 2, you don't get to start with three players left and 5380 chips. It's not a freeroll.

You're never losing equity pushing here unless button's the biggest nit ever, but you're almost never increasing equity more than 1.0%.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

&lt;----- never said it was a freeroll, saying there is one and only one play that can even be considered here.

Re: pca step 2 question
 

It was really the other people who were saying it was a freeroll that I was getting on FWIW. In all seriousness, though, otherwise decent players make equity mistakes bigger than 1.0% all the time, especially on the bubble in payout formats they're not used to, so a fold here would not be completely stupid as some were saying, just a small mistake.

Reads are key here. If the button's only opening 15% here, shoving 99 starts getting problematic. Are we saying no one's ever this tight?

Re: pca step 2 question
 

I would push with 55 here, as well. I did just that in a similar situation in a stage 2 and got called by K9 sooted. They got there, but I get to replay the stage 2.