$5 - A bad push?

onnel · #1 08-07-2006, 08:31 AM

This is on Cryptologic full table. Blinds at 100/200 but going to 150/300 in a few hands. I had been playing tight (and had the image), but just hadn't seen many good hands (and the one I saw I got drawn out on).

Hero: 800
Button: 1000
SB: 4200
BB: 4000

I see a 77 and push.

Thoughts? Obviously, I don't like pushing UTG in to two big flops who can call me easily. Am I better of just calling or betting 3xBB?

Results were the button calling me with AA and of course winning. I mention this because this is exactly the case you'd like to avoid UTG and what got me thinknig about alternatives to just pushing. what's the optimal strategy here?

Onnel

AJGibson · #2 08-07-2006, 08:39 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Obviously, I don't like pushing UTG in to two big flops who can call me easily. Am I better of just calling or betting 3xBB?

[/ QUOTE ]

four handed UTG isn't such a bad position. You only have four BB left so betting anything less than all in is pointless. This push is fine, just bad luck to run into AA. You are the big blind on the next hand and your stack will be crippled I'd push with a lot of hands worse than 77 here.

onnel · #3 08-07-2006, 08:40 AM

OK, that was my thought as well. as a mainly limit player, I was wondering if there was a better alternative (in terms of protecting my chips) to just pushing. I figure AA was destined to get my money either way though.

thanks for the feedback!

Onnel

AJGibson · #4 08-07-2006, 08:46 AM

Having 4BB is a serious low stack, you need to start thinking about pushing when you have anything less than 10BB left. In such a postion any raise will pretty much commit you to the hand anyway, open push has a lot of FE and the blinds are big enough to make the a push profitable with a lot of hands. I feel you must have missed a few such pushing opportunities to get yourself in this position in the first place.

onnel · #5 08-07-2006, 08:51 AM

You're right, I passed up a few Ax (where x = {2o,3o}) and a lot of what seemed to me marginal hands (The best might have been 78s or the like). I didn't have the heart to push with any of those.

If I'm going to play more STTs I'm going to have to learn when to feel comfortable pushing with a semi-marginal hand. I imagine SnGPTs is excellent for analyzing this sort of problem, or?

Onnel

AJGibson · #6 08-07-2006, 08:55 AM

SnGPTs is perfect for this analysis, go and download it now, have a look at the free tutorials. I think you'll find it extremely helpful.