A couple of hands from my last tourney i want to discuss (vol 1)

[SS810]

What's up. I've decided to try to make it a habit to post hands where I have a big decision to make and I'm not sure the right play. I eventually pushed on the first hand and called on the second hand. As of now I cannot get (find) the convertor to work thats in the faq so I am going to have to do raw copies of the HH. If anyone has a working link to it i would greatly appreciate it. Anyways.

Hand 1. Call, push, or fold.

Full Tilt Poker Game #4041165882: $24 + $2 Sit & Go (30712141), Table 2 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:47:56 ET - 2007/11/02
Seat 2: bets14 (3,125)
Seat 3: SmokeMorePot (1,335)
Seat 5: Geewiz333 (210)
Seat 6: briscrew05 (1,495)
Seat 7: noah888 (2,350)
Seat 8: hawkins33 (1,770)
Seat 9: bettfeder (1,475)
briscrew05 posts the small blind of 20
noah888 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SmokeMorePot [Js Ah]
hawkins33 calls 40
bettfeder folds
bets14 calls 40
SmokeMorePot calls 40
Geewiz333 raises to 210, and is all in
briscrew05 folds
noah888 folds
hawkins33 calls 170
bets14 calls 170



This next hand is a classic problem example that I thought really hard on after requesting time. This is the final table of the same tournament. We had 8 players left with 5 fighting to make the bubble. The Villian in this hand is generally a conservative tight player playing about 18% of his hands. But the blinds are so high his pushing range has to be higher. Anyways,

Full Tilt Poker Game #4041502342: $24 + $2 Sit & Go (30712141), Table 4 - 400/800 - No Limit Hold'em - 5:14:06 ET - 2007/11/02
Seat 1: SmokeMorePot (6,605)
Seat 2: double_KyAN (11,748)
Seat 3: swiftmcdeal (6,560)
Seat 4: Qolom (9,205)
Seat 6: mariahdin (8,950)
Seat 7: Boroberim (13,851)
Seat 8: david vlado 111 (4,220)
Seat 9: BronxBombr2 (6,361)
SmokeMorePot posts the small blind of 400
double_KyAN posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SmokeMorePot [Tc Td]
swiftmcdeal raises to 6,560, and is all in
Qolom folds
mariahdin folds
Boroberim folds
david vlado 111 folds
BronxBombr2 folds

[yNnOs]

Hand 1: Call. After limping behind two limpers, your hand is obv not great (in their eyes). Pushing isn't a great play here IMHO, although its probably the best you can do to isolate if that's what you want. Also, your getting around 4.3:1, only if you think your hand doesn't win more than 19% should you fold.

Hand 2: instacall. If antes, the starting pot is around 1800 right? You aren't exactly nice and tidy with that stack either. Opp can be doing that with a range more than wide enough to make this a profitable call.

[SS810]

There were no antes, Not in the Full Tilt 45 man. If there were antes i would of instacalled.

I decided the chances of him having a lower pair were about 40% compared to him having a higher pair or 2 high cards.

I suck at math though.

[yNnOs]

With no antes, I'd say opp isn't to the point where he has to move with very marginal hands. If you read opp as a somewhat competent player, I think we can rule out AA-QQ here, because he should be taking a line that would make most of these, rather than scare everyone away, which he'll do most of the time with this play. IMO, most likely its 77-JJ, or AK/AQ, maybe AJs. I'd still say a call should be good, if that range is precise.

[TheBenfer]

Hand 1 - Call. I thought about the push, but I think it is likely that one or both of the first two callers has a small pair. At this point, you can see the flop and make a play if you pair your hole cards, otherwise I let this one go.

Hand 2 - Fold. You mention he's a generally tight player, and while the blinds are catching up, I don't think he's desperate yet. I don't think he's making this move with 88 or less, which means you are very likely up against a higher pair or two overcards. This is the classic "slight favorite or huge dog" scenario, and I don't think it justifies a call. Wait for a better spot.

[yNnOs]

[ QUOTE ]

Hand 2 - Fold. You mention he's a generally tight player, and while the blinds are catching up, I don't think he's desperate yet. I don't think he's making this move with 88 or less, which means you are very likely up against a higher pair or two overcards. This is the classic "slight favorite or huge dog" scenario, and I don't think it justifies a call. Wait for a better spot.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to disagree. I think its fairly clear that AA-QQ are much less likely than if he'd raised to 2K or so. Unless, of course, opp has been raising all-in frequently, hence moving all-in is likely to disguise a monster. This is more a case of slight to huge favorite, where JJ, and MAYBE even QQ are the only plausible hands that beat you.

[hamnegger]

no1: definitely shove it. deadmoney overlay and a decent hand if called by midpair=+ev

hand2: i instacall 10-10 ahead of his range. if im short and only 4 hands crush you how do you fold?THINK WIN not survive

[Pokerfarian]

Hand 0: 49.564% 48.64% 00.92% 334841712 6331746.00 { KK-88, AJs+, AQo+ }
Hand 1: 50.436% 49.52% 00.92% 340841004 6331746.00 { TT }
Excluded AA because AA=KK=QQ here & he does it less often with those. I think that range is about as tight as I could possibly give him respect for, & we're a favourite! It's a definite call.

[ssnyc]

1: fold or push
2: easy push