Getting 2-1 risking 1/2 your stack

[DP388]

$50/90 on Stars with about 20 left. Top 9 pay. My image has been tight, but I've been a little more active recently.

Villian is relatively passive pre-flop but will limp into pots with some weird hands like K3os and seemed to chase draws and make flop calls with bottom pair.

I had raised his BB the previous orbit, but purposely did not the last hand just my image in tact.

Before he pushes here, he thinks for a while and my gut says his range is KQ, A5-AJ, 33-77. Obviously he could be making it look like he had a big decision and have a monster, but he was pretty straight forward with how he acted before. No tricky stuff.

Blinds will raise to 200/400+25 in about 5 min.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 +25 ante(7 handed)

SB (t2040)
BB (t16870)
UTG (t5715)
MP1 (t2445)
Hero (t3940)
CO (t1795)
Button (t8045)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t600</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises to t2015</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>,

Hero?

I don't have pokerstove on this computer, but the odds look right for a call here based on his range. However this is more a strategic question of stack size and the stage of the tournament.


Oh, and I can't download Pokerstove. Are there any links other than pokerstove.com?

[Geoff Lightning]

The problem here is that you're about 2-1 against two over cards, and right now, that's probably the best you can hope for. You don't think the villain would play this way with 88 or better? Here, I wouldn't rule out anything and make the range as wide as conceivable. All things considered, this should probably be a fold unless this player was a much more aggressive player.

[DP388]

I guess I felt that 88+ would have been a much faster push with less of a decision to make. But true, when giving ranges I can't rule out hands on the outer parts of the range.

[nath]

sure, call if you want, but why are you raising this in the first place?

[SuperUberBob]

Fold preflop.

Given your preflop bet, I end up feeling sick as I call the all in, knowing that the odds are right despite being very behind in the hand for half my stack. I then run to the nearby trash bin and purge myself for raising with trash.

[DP388]

[ QUOTE ]
sure, call if you want, but why are you raising this in the first place?

[/ QUOTE ]

Changing gears/blind steal. Blinds are about to go up to 200/400 and at minimum, I'd like to maintain my stack to preserve fold equity. I can obviously wait for better hands, but even though I'm raising into the big stack's BB, he's played a pretty tight game.

Are you thinking my stack size is too small to be coming in on a pure steal?

[jus_nutz]

i would also not raise in that spot for picking up 300. That doesnt make your stack look much better with those extra chips if blinds increase to 200/400 soon. my play is to wait for stronger hands and keep pushing them into weak players and from late position or overbet them with the intention to go all in if reraised.

[rppkoz]

Stealing is bad with 86o here because the SB is short.

[DP388]

[ QUOTE ]
i would also not raise in that spot for picking up 300.

[/ QUOTE ]

Although there are antes, so pot is 475. But with antes this small, I think your point is still valid.

[diebitter]

fold preflop.

Don't fall into the trap of feeling the need to steal a little because of rising blinds, when what you win is a small bit of the coming blind. You trap yourself into proper odds to call a short-stack's all-in. Better to save it for better fold equity/double-up when you get to the imminent pushbotting stage.

If you do need to steal at this stack/blinds, hold something to give yourself a chance, and don't fold to a reriase.