Taking account of M

[lexchess]

First post here. I am fairly new to poker and am trying to develop a solid understanding of how to vary my play. One of the things I am trying to understand is M, which I understand is basically a measure of how much time you have left before you die. I have read the recommendations in Harrington's book but applying them in real life is obviously more difficult. Take these three situations:

1) QQ UTG +1. M=7.5 Tight table -- it is just before the bubble in a decent size tourney and people are folding to anything. Is it best to open push or raise this 3-4xBB?

2) Same question with KJo UTG instead. Is my position desperate enough to push this or should I fold and wait for a better spot

3) KJo UTG w/ M=5. Early in the tournament this is an obvious fold, but with the tightness of the table, is this a hand you can legitimately steal with in this situation?

4) Generally, at what M do you guys generally think things become officially desperate, justifying much wilder play.

I apologize if these questions are too elementary for this board. Thanks in advance.

[Mcot]

1.) Easy shove with 7.5 M

2.) If the table is still insanely tight and on the bubble also an easy shove with KJ and 7.5 M The key to the open shove is to be the first one in for fold equity so UTG is perfect.

3.) M of 5 is getting very desperate. Probebly a shove with no action in front of you.

4.) Less than 8.

[holdem17]

1. Need to go all in
2. Still a push here. If you think the table is so tight you are considering not pushing QQ b/c you wont get called why not push KJ for the same reason of most likely not being called. You need chips
3. All in once again
4. I can wait till around 6

[DiscipleAA]

1. Shove
2. Fold, players above are advocating a tight table shove, which I dont mind, but generically I dont like a push here..
3. Shove
4. Probably 4-5, basically when you lose the ability to take a hand into a flop for a Stop N Go, is when you officially get desperate in my mind...

[FlyingCarpet]

1- Standard raise, your hand is a monster and can stand a caller and flop. No reason to shove with M=7.5. I also like to limp/reraise if you think somebody behind with raise.
2-Push only on the tightest tables, generally fold this.
3-Push
4-<M=10 I'm open/pushing top 20% hands in mid-late positon, <M=6 I'm open/pushing top 30% from any positon, <M=4 I'm pushing any two from any unopened position.

[arod18]

[ QUOTE ]
1- Standard raise. I'm probably pushing any flop.
2-Push
3-Push
4-<M=10 I'm open/pushing top 20% hands in mid-late positon, <M=6 I'm open/pushing top 30% from any positon, <M=4 I'm pushing any two from any unopened position.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Fiksdal]

I push all these situations

[glass_onion]

i push with everything you listed. m=8 i'm desperate. And understand relative M, when your table gets 8 handed, etc.

[That Foreign Guy]

[ QUOTE ]

1) QQ UTG +1. M=7.5 Tight table -- it is just before the bubble in a decent size tourney and people are folding to anything. Is it best to open push or raise this 3-4xBB?


[/ QUOTE ]

You want a call. To get a call, it helps to appear that you don't want a call. This suggests you push.

To raise preflop commits half your stack now. What do you do if you get called and it's a horrible board? You are committed, your opponent might not be. You don't want to give him a chance to make a correct fold on the flop. This suggests you push. Playing legit hands like this is also necessary to give credibility to playing steal hands like this.

[ QUOTE ]
2) Same question with KJo UTG instead. Is my position desperate enough to push this or should I fold and wait for a better spot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without reads / stack info I push. You don't want a call, and despite what I said above, the best way not to get one is to make it as expensive as possible for your opponents.

[ QUOTE ]
3) KJo UTG w/ M=5. Early in the tournament this is an obvious fold, but with the tightness of the table, is this a hand you can legitimately steal with in this situation?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Same reasoning as above

[ QUOTE ]
4) Generally, at what M do you guys generally think things become officially desperate, justifying much wilder play.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will open push ATC from about M=5 but will become progressively looser before that. It shouldn't be a sudden switch from fold fold fold to [censored] you all I am all in blind

[BGnight]

I push everything w/ a M of 8 or less.
Of course I might get tricky w/ monsters. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]