[z32fanatic]

[ QUOTE ]

Hand 28: This hand leads to my one question for Chip: even though none of your opponents are regulars, does this mean you aren’t trying to get reads as the SNG progresses (either manually or with software)? I agree that shoving is out here, if for no other reason than ICM-type calculations show it to be -Equity. A smaller raise is also pretty weak. But unless I believe the BB to be an aggressive player, I will usually open-complete with effective stacks of ~13 BB’s holding a suited queen.

A slightly similar phenomenon occurs with Hand 37. Generally I’m folding there too, but then Chip introduces the hypothetical of a UTG limp. Now if UTG limps in this spot, reads are very important. Against a tight-aggressive player, say 9/7/x, I would find a UTG limp very suspicious and probably just fold. Against a loose-passive player, shoving looks good. And against a total unknown, I might raise to 650 or so. That is why even basic reads can be so helpful.

Best Regards,
Collin

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, thanks for the nice words, I really appreciate it.

As for the Q2s hand, completing is fine I think, it's just kind of an awkward stack size because I have 15bb. If I had more I could definitely play it for implied odds, if I had less I could push it. While I don't think unknown people will shove on my completion that often, completing here into a regular is not a great idea.

The AJ hand is a little trickier if they limp, just because it does look like a trap. Looking back at it I'm pretty undecided whether it's a good push or not, so I would probably default fold. If he limped from anywhere but UTG I'd be way more inclined to shove. FWIW the only hands he would trap here with are AA and sometimes KK (even though I'm sometimes shown AK here as sick as that is).