would you shove or fold?

[hamnegger]

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $25/$50
9 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $1235
UTG+1: $1520
MP1: $2543
hamnegger: $775
MP3: $2233
CO: $3816
Button: $5513
SB: $1890
BB: $3740

Pre-flop: (9 players) hamnegger is MP2 with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
UTG calls, 2 folds, <font color="#cc0000">hamnegger ?

[wulfpacker21]

table image... any reads on the players to your left? i prob. fold if you get called your prob. beat and all u pick up is 75$

[ItalianFX]

I'd probably just fold. You're not getting desperate yet, blinds don't help your stack that much, and you're probably only getting called by a hand that beats you.

[Doofus]

Definate fold

[bobbycharles]

Is limping along just god awful out of the question? You're second level and still not desperate yet and limping along may entice other weak holdings into the pot as well. Granted A9s is not exactly a great hand, but why not see a cheap flop, hopefully in a multiway pot and try to get back some of your chips if you catch your flush or spike an ace with no other shows of strength.

What range would you put UTG limper on in the second level of a tourney? What about subsequent over limpers? Maybe this is a big leak of mine, but if we can get in cheap and out play the others or get away from it for cheap.

[ItalianFX]

Aggression is the key to these tournaments. Limping in won't win you many chips. There are hands that are good for limping, like suited connectors, and sometimes any two cards when you have enormous pot odds, and there are times when raising is the way to do it. Pick up your aggression and start raising preflop when first in, and you'll see how many times you take down the pot preflop with a hand like K8s.

The reason why A9s is a bad hand to limp is because you let drawing hands in, or random odd hands that can really punish A9 when you hit only a 9 or an Ace. People might put you on an Ace, but they won't give you credit for AK, AQ, AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, and other hands that people fear after a raise preflop. As soon as you limp, people automatically think you have a weak hand, so they will play on further and try to draw out on you.

Limping and letting overlimpers also builds the pot, which you don't want to do with most hands. Multiway pots are good for drawing hands because alot of the time you might get the right pot odds to call.

Limping in also brings in the problem that someone might see your weakness and then come over the top. If you limp A9s, and get 2 limpers and then a raiser, does the raiser have JJ+, AQ+ or a hand like 88 or QJs because he's playing on the weakness. As soon as you raise, first-in, people fear big hands.

Limping is ok sometimes, but know when to do it and when not to.

[Mackerel]

[ QUOTE ]
The reason why A9s is a bad hand to limp is because you let drawing hands in

[/ QUOTE ]

I just wanted to point out here that A9s IS a drawing hand (or a pushing hand, of course, as you get more desperate).

If the OP's stack were twice the size it is, then limping along and letting others come is a reasonable play, assuming that you can refrain from losing a bunch of chips when you don't flop the flush (or at least a draw to the flush).

Sure, you will win a few odd flops when nobody is interested in a 9xx flop and such, but you aren't going to put in a large % of your stack without the nuts, 2 pair+, or a good draw to the nuts. Of course, as you pointed out, you will have to toss to big raise behind you.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate raising this hand sometimes from the hijack deep stacked, but it's tricky to play if you get a couple of callers and a big pot. Limping with it has the advantage of getting a cheap chance to possibly win a huge pot if you flop the nuts and somebody else flops good, without all of the difficult decisions on the flop.

If OP's stack was half what it is, this could be a ridiculously easy push (depending on what is currently going on at the table), but I fold here.