just won my first $10+1 sng. thanks to this site

[rybones]

Thanks to all who gave me gread advise the past few days since joining 2+2. I just played a $10. sng a paradise and won!!!! special thanks to Lori, ilya, stupidsucker and others, Esp AleoMagus who's strategy for low limit sngs I found as part of a thread on faqs.

Anyway, the had that really gave me the edge was a three way hand I won and nocked out two other players. I am happy I won, but I still don't know if my play was correct. any thoughts (note hand is from memory, I still have not received the hand history in my e-mail).

5 handed. two limpers and then me in the big blind. I raise 3xBB with Ah, Jh. SB and BB fold, other two call. we are all within $300 of eachother in terms of stack size (I had one covered by $200 and the other by $300), but they have been playing really loose.

Flop: A, K rag rainbow. First bets 100, second calls, I raise to pot. First guy re-raises all-in, second calls. I know neither has the A,K as neither raised pre-flop. but I am worried about 2 pair with both playing A and or K little.

do I call? I called and won so good for me. but was this good poker?

[ilya]

Congrats man! Many more to you.

Re: the hand, it's hard to answer without knowing the blind sizes and the absolute & relative sizes of all the stacks (both the ones in the hand and the other two). For example, if you're under 8xBB, I think you should just push preflop. If, however, you and the two limpers have around 15xbb while the other two are severely short-stacked, you might just call and see a flop. With two limpers, I lean towards calling anyway.
Also, were you actually on the button? (you write you were in the big blind, but then you say the BB folded when you raised)

[rybones]

sorry,

you are right, I was on the button. I think I was so happy I just can't focus. Blinds were 40 & 80. The three in the hand were in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. I was about 1,000 down on the leader. Anyway, sorry for how this is written. I need to look at some other posts and follow the format of how to write these up.

thanks /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[ilya]

Do you remember how many chips you had? I mean, not relative to the villains.

[stupidsucker]

[ QUOTE ]
First guy re-raises all-in, second calls

[/ QUOTE ]

Once into this situation, this is almost always a fold for me. You have only top pair, and not even the best kicker. I would call one of them, but not both of them. I am glad you won the hand. I have folded 2 pair in situations like this (different board). Often you are up against a set.

I am glad some of my posts have helped you. Its my goal to give back to the community what I get from it, and I have a lot more giving to do. I am not always right, but Id like to think I can create some valid points even when I am wrong. Thus we all can learn more about WHY its right or wrong.

Keep reading, keep posting, always be open to constructive criticizmzmzmm ..um ya.

[rybones]

after reading the history here is the hand as it really played:

Paradise Poker No-Limit Hold'em sng Big Blind is t30O (5 handed)Hero is on the button

mp1 (2,490)
mp2 (2,190)
hero(2,685)A /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif
sb (220)
bb (2,415)
noodle130: Post Small Blind (150)

Preflop:

mp1 call 300
mp2 call 300
hero call 300
sb call 70 all-in
bb checks

FLOP: K A 2

bb check
mp1 Check
mp2 Bet 300
Hero Raise 600 (actually hoping for only 1 to call)
bb fold
mp1 Call
mp 2 Call

TURN: 7
mp1 Check
Mp2 Check
hero Check

RIVER: 9
mp1 bet 300
Mp2 Call
hero Call

SUMMARY
sm show 6,3 off
mp1 shows K 8
mp2 shows A 4
hero collects 4,120, net +2,920

any thought would be appreciated.

[stupidsucker]

Well this is completly different then calling all in after 2 people went all in with near equal stacks.

I cant say I would have played this the exact same way, but the blind structures are different then what I am used to. All in all I dont think it was bad at all. limping with AJs is good after 2 other limpers IMO. You flopped top pair with a decent kicker, you threw in a min re-raise for value , and to gain the lead. You dont want to be too aggressive because with 2 other significant stacks in the pot you can go bust.

I dont think getting too fancy or too aggressive is a good idea, so all in all I think this played out fine.

[ilya]

Looks good to me. I would have raised more if the flop weren't a rainbow, but as it is I think the minraise is fine. With that board, if neither of them is ahead of you already it's not likely that they'll overtake you by the river.