Smallstack halfway through $1100 satellite into the World Poker Finals

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I'll preface this post by saying I absolutely suck with this size chip stack and feel like I vacillate between being too loose and too tight. I know I need help with this part of my game.

44 runners, 19 left, table is 9 handed. Blinds 400/800 100ante. Blinds increase to 600/1200 150 ante in about 10 minutes. Top 4 players get seats, I think 3 get their buyin back.

I have been playing tight, played about 2 hands in last 2 and a half orbits, one I folded on turn after a c-bet on flop and turn check. Other hand I trapped an LAG w/trip aces and showed down a full house. However, many of those who know me in the Foxwoods tourney crowd generally considered me LAGGY (false perception in my mind, but w/e).

Villain in hand is one of tourney chip leaders (has maybe 45-50k) but has been playing pretty tight. I start the hand w/13k.

The hand: Folded to me in highjack and I look down at As7c and raise to 2500 (standard for the table at this blind level, maybe a little small in fact). Villain calls, all else fold. Flop is 10 7 6 rainbow. Hero....



Please comment on PF as well as flop play. Also, any general advice for how to play this stack size (esp in a sat) would be greatly appreciated.

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bump. Is this situation really that simple and/or uninteresting?

Also, I had 15.5k starting the hand, not 13k.

[locutus2002]

What position is villain in?

[ImNotSoGood]

In a satellite like this it's all dependent on how tight the villain is playing. Some villains play so tight in this spot that I will just check back here and try to show down/improve if possible.

If I was up against someone reasonably aggressive I would Bet 3.5k/Call, but against your standard live player I would probably just check behind here because you are almost never getting it in good bet/calling here.

[locutus2002]

I'm assuming he's OTB. You need to bet. with T7200 in the pot and T13000 in ur stack there is an argument for just moving in.

IMO ur raise with a7o is a little lite from the hijack (esp w/ a big stack to ur left), but ur image is clean and people are less likely to reraise u live, so i'm ok with it.

The good news is that there are very few hands that villain could have that contain a T if he's tight (an occasional TJs or something emotional to mix up his game). I'd want to know how he plays middle pair (if uv been watching) because 88,99 are going to be hands he might call with.

I'd probably move in because u may hav some FE against 88-99 because he might take his position in the tournament into consideration and fold more marginal hands. A standard c-bet is going to provoke 88,99 to doing the right thing.

I think he raises JJ++,ak, sometimes aq pf. So ur ahead of most of his remaining range (except the odd T, and the flopped set)

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[ QUOTE ]
I'm assuming he's OTB. You need to bet. with T7200 in the pot and T13000 in ur stack there is an argument for just moving in.

IMO ur raise with a7o is a little lite from the hijack (esp w/ a big stack to ur left), but ur image is clean and people are less likely to reraise u live, so i'm ok with it.

The good news is that there are very few hands that villain could have that contain a T if he's tight (an occasional TJs or something emotional to mix up his game). I'd want to know how he plays middle pair (if uv been watching) because 88,99 are going to be hands he might call with.

I'd probably move in because u may hav some FE against 88-99 because he might take his position in the tournament into consideration and fold more marginal hands. A standard c-bet is going to provoke 88,99 to doing the right thing.

I think he raises JJ++,ak, sometimes aq pf. So ur ahead of most of his remaining range (except the odd T, and the flopped set)

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Sorry about missing position. Villain is indeed OTB.

I wish I knew more about villain to say how he plays mid pairs. The onyl thinkg I was going by was about watchin 3 orbits of play where he only showed down two hands, both high range starting hands. I figured much like you did that most villains playing like him would re-raise 10-10 - AA (maybe even 99 or 88 depending on how he likes to play pairs) as well as AK. I figured flat call was indicating A9 - AQ, maybe any two broadway cards, middle to small pocket pairs (he may fold small pp, not sure).

Is this range reasonable?

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[ QUOTE ]
I'm assuming he's OTB. You need to bet. with T7200 in the pot and T13000 in ur stack there is an argument for just moving in.

IMO ur raise with a7o is a little lite from the hijack (esp w/ a big stack to ur left), but ur image is clean and people are less likely to reraise u live, so i'm ok with it.

The good news is that there are very few hands that villain could have that contain a T if he's tight (an occasional TJs or something emotional to mix up his game). I'd want to know how he plays middle pair (if uv been watching) because 88,99 are going to be hands he might call with.

I'd probably move in because u may hav some FE against 88-99 because he might take his position in the tournament into consideration and fold more marginal hands. A standard c-bet is going to provoke 88,99 to doing the right thing.

I think he raises JJ++,ak, sometimes aq pf. So ur ahead of most of his remaining range (except the odd T, and the flopped set)

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Another thing, I though about pushing at the time as possibly maximizing FE aginst 88 or 99, figured I was screwed if he flopped set or had overpair anyway so why not. But then I really started to think, does average villain who probably plays reasonably well (and solid) really fold those hands here? I am really not sure.

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[ QUOTE ]
In a satellite like this it's all dependent on how tight the villain is playing. Some villains play so tight in this spot that I will just check back here and try to show down/improve if possible.

If I was up against someone reasonably aggressive I would Bet 3.5k/Call, but against your standard live player I would probably just check behind here because you are almost never getting it in good bet/calling here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Makes sense, but unfortunately I have seen villain play 3 orbits at most. He is tight, not all that aggressive after flop but he had aggressive players behind and seemed to be trapping them. The best I can tell is he is a capable player. So if this is villain's image, you check and he bets, you let it go?

[locutus2002]

If he has 8s or 9s AND calls, there is always plan B.

This is a great flop for u; And I'd recommend moving in with most hands given the stack sizes whether they hit the board or not. I'd be much more inclined to do this live than online.

The fact that u hit the board probably means that u r not going to lay this down anyhow; so the 88-99, flopped set is only 21 hands out of his calling range. (maybe even discount TT)

Your never going to know how much FE u hav; so this is ur job at the table (managing ur image too). I'm just pointing out that this is a spot where u might hav some. I would have moved in pretty quickly after the flop 2 (no delay).

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Your never going to know how much FE u hav; so this is ur job at the table (managing ur image too). I'm just pointing out that this is a spot where u might hav some. I would have moved in pretty quickly after the flop 2 (no delay).

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I was admittedly unprepared for this situation and waited for a little while before I shoved. I think you are right that it was important to shove quickly. Not that they delay would have mattered in this case, as he had A10.

As I replayed the hand in my mind, I couldn't decide if I misplayed or not. Cannot decide if I never should have opened PF. Once I have openened and I hit 7 on this board I have to be good most of the time or facing 88 and 99 is what I thought. I felt I couldn't really bet anything and fold (well, I could be it would suck bad) so I took your reasoning and shoved hoping to fold mid pairs.