Tough decision near bubble.

Headtrip · #1 08-25-2006, 06:47 PM

Sorry, no hand history converter, but I'll be as clear as I can.

There are 13 people left in this tourny and 9 places are paid. I'm trying to make the money, but not playing so tight that I probably won't have a chance for 1st, and I have a tight table image.

Hero is on the button with AKo. Lots of limpers and callers with medicre hands at the table, 7 person table with blinds of 300/150 and an ante of 50. My stack is about 6k which is a little below average.

The first 3 fold, CO limps, hero raises 900, SB calls, BB folds and CO calls.

The flop comes A,9,3 rainbow. The SB checks, the CO checks and hero bets 1,600. SB reraises the minimum, CO folds and hero???

Uppercut · #2 08-25-2006, 06:55 PM

You've already invested 40% of your stack. You have TPTK on a non-threatening board. I would shove.

Superfluous Man · #3 08-25-2006, 07:12 PM

Push, get called by AQ. Fade the queens. Win that [censored].

jdefoe · #4 08-25-2006, 07:40 PM

i'm calling to see what he does on the turn if stacks were larger, but since you're almost committed, a push seems fine here

Headtrip · #5 08-25-2006, 07:46 PM

Yeah that's what I figured. I was feeling an A9 for the SB, but I thought AQ, AJ and A10 were also possible.

Result: Hero pushes all in for 4k, SB calls and shows A9. It holds up to win and hero is out in 13th place :/.

TakenItEasy · #6 08-25-2006, 07:50 PM

Looks like either AQ or 33. Dry boards can be good set detectors. I just call and reevaluate with position.

TakenItEasy · #7 08-25-2006, 07:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Looks like either AQ or 33. Dry boards can be good set detectors. I just call and reevaluate with position.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Hero pushes all in for 4k, SB calls and shows A9

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn, missed that one.

Spee · #8 08-25-2006, 07:55 PM

As others have indicated, you probably have to go here. You might be way ahead of a weaker Ace, but don't be surprised to find yourself dominated by an A3 or A9 or little set.

These hands are like the guy who is all pissed off because he has just carded a double bogey after missing the six footer to save bogey. He has totally forgotten the out of bounds drive that had him hitting three off the tee.

CO limps to make the pot 1100. You put in a meaningless raise of 900 to make the pot 2000. This offers SB more than 3-1 and BB more than 3-1 and more than 4-1 if SB calls. With implies odds considerations, you are just simply giving SB and BB too good of a shot to outflop you. Almost anything they can call with is a good play on their part, meaning you allowed them to make the right play as opposed to making them make a mistake by calling.

Allowing the blinds to see the flop cheaply in these kinds of situations is a cardinal sin, unless you have an extremely powerful hand. AKo with one player in the hand and two yet to act is a good hand, but not an extremely powerful hand.

Headtrip · #9 08-25-2006, 08:02 PM

[ QUOTE ]
As others have indicated, you probably have to go here. You might be way ahead of a weaker Ace, but don't be surprised to find yourself dominated by an A3 or A9 or little set.

These hands are like the guy who is all pissed off because he has just carded a double bogey after missing the six footer to save bogey. He has totally forgotten the out of bounds drive that had him hitting three off the tee.

CO limps to make the pot 1100. You put in a meaningless raise of 900 to make the pot 2000. This offers SB more than 3-1 and BB more than 3-1 and more than 4-1 if SB calls. With implies odds considerations, you are just simply giving SB and BB too good of a shot to outflop you. Almost anything they can call with is a good play on their part, meaning you allowed them to make the right play as opposed to making them make a mistake by calling.

Allowing the blinds to see the flop cheaply in these kinds of situations is a cardinal sin, unless you have an extremely powerful hand. AKo with one player in the hand and two yet to act is a good hand, but not an extremely powerful hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't think the odds were especially important in this situation. One thing I didn't mention was that the SB stack was just slightly bigger than mine, leaving him with a below average stack like me. Calling off almost 20% of your stack to a tight player OOP with very marginal hands seems like a big no no to me. Maybe that is a leak in my game? Would a raise of 1200 or 1500 be correct here?

Spee · #10 08-25-2006, 08:37 PM

The point is that you aren't going to win 1st place with this hand, you aren't going to reach the money with this hand, but you sure as heck could get knocked out of the money with this hand.

So the objective is to keep the situation manageable and hopefully add some chips to your stack. At the very least, if you happen to lose some chips or get knocked out, then you want it to happen with your opponents having the worst of it.

What is more manageable?
a) You head up with cutoff.
b) You multiway with 3 or 4 opponents, of which two you have no idea of what range to put them on because you have given them huge odds to call with.

You min raised and got 3 callers, all of whom almost surely made the right play by calling.

What happens if you jam? You might get three folds and add 20% to your stack without a challenge. You might get head up against a hand that you are favored against. If you are favored and they call, then you have gained, maybe only a little and maybe a lot.