$5.50 45 man : Making it harder than it should be

[yNnOs]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (7 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

SB (t2880)
BB (t2849)
HERO (t2310)
MP1 (t1885)
MP2 (t2950)
CO (t2215)
Button (t2793)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
HERO calls t150, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to t1885</font>,

???

Villain didn't have to do this, but the only read I have is that he's essentially a push bot that can't see flops without freaking out. Villain pushed several times earlier w/ blinds 50/100. Is my stack deep enough to let it go, or am I right to call if I "know" I'm ahead?

Yes, I'd usually raise this, so I already know I should've just played it straightforward. Predictability is not a problem in these.

[applejuicekid]

I would fold always. He would need to be a complete maniac for me to call, and it doesn't sound like he is.

[levAA]

As he is MP1 with M=8 I would set him on 66-QQ, AK (AQ).
Pot odds: 1:1,3
If you don't think he is tighter than this range it's a call

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 51.374% 50.23% 01.15% 273485976 6253476.00 { 99 }
Hand 1: 48.626% 47.48% 01.15% 258519744 6253476.00 { QQ-66, AKs, AKo }

I'd call this always - think you are in front most of the time.

[yNnOs]

I was sure villains range wasn't that tight, and after using some time, I did call. He showed AT and hit trip aces. I didn't post this because of that though. I know I got my chips in with the best of it. I posted because I wasn't sure that a call was necessary given my stack. I'm not used to these situations yet. I suppose it didn't matter (at that point of the tourney) as long as I have positive equity. I try to avoid "toss-ups" as much as possible, without avoiding favorable situations.

[woohoo88]

[ QUOTE ]
I was sure villains range wasn't that tight, and after using some time, I did call. He showed AT and hit trip aces. I didn't post this because of that though. I know I got my chips in with the best of it. I posted because I wasn't sure that a call was necessary given my stack. I'm not used to these situations yet. I suppose it didn't matter (at that point of the tourney) as long as I have positive equity. I try to avoid "toss-ups" as much as possible, without avoiding favorable situations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. If a move, or call in this case, is +ev you shouldn't be passing it up. As you can see from levAA's post, your read of his range makes this a clearly +ev call.

[ItalianFX]

If he's pushing a lot and pushing earlier than he should, you can make a read on him that he is uncomfortable with postflop play and just wants to take it down preflop. It's uncommon to see a high pair being played this way and most of the time you'll see AK, AQ, AJ played this way as they are unsure how to play postflop when they don't pair the board or connect in someway. If villain is really bad, you can start adding hands like AT, A9, KQ, KJ (depending on how bad he really is) and maybe some smaller pairs.

I saw the results, but I'll be honest and say that that was my initial thinking before I read the rest of the replies. I think you're ahead a LARGE majority of the time.

And what really sucks is that you can have a really good read, act on it, be right, and still lose.

[JammyDodga]

I think at low buy in MTTs you see people playing low to mid pairs this way, 44-99. I'd call based just on this. I think QQ-AA is pretty unlikely too, so theres not much you are behind to here, and you crush him fairly often.