I love the Stop and Go, but I still suck.

[Chaostracize]

2600 in a qualifier for something on PP, don't really remember what for. Anyway, pretty close to second break, blinds at 75-150. Villain has me covered.

Villain has shown down some pretty abysmal cards. Limped with Q6, and simply loved any ace. Sucked out a few times to get his stack.

I was CO-1, and I decided to steal with K3. Maybe this was stupid in and of itself, seeing as how if I just waited for cards, I could still get paid off. So many fishes still left even after more than 2/3 of the field was gone!

Oh well, I wanted to steal anyway.

I put in a 3BB raise. Villain calls me, and the rest fold.

Now, as soon as he called me I put him on a weak A. I figured any pair he most likely would have raised with, and it just didn't feel like a pair. We all know how strong 'feel' is on online poker. (I'm so dumb).

Flop comes Q84. I push for the rest of my chips. Villain instantly calls with AT, and I'm out with no improvement.

Now, I know what I did was stupid. But what was the most stupid:

A) Trying to steal against LAG fish.
B) Pulling a stop and go against a LAG fish.
And I guess C) Playing a semi-qualifier to begin with.



As a side note, does a stop and go work better with poor players, good players, or very good players? And why?

[The4thFilm]

stack sizes?

[Zinzan]

I'm pretty sure that's not a stop and go.

-Z

[remen]

The stop and go works better against strong players. This is because better players are capable of laying down decent hands (such as middle pair) that beat yours.

[AlmightyJay]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't he have had to raise you preflop for that to be a stop and go?

[Chaostracize]

This isn't a stop and go. What the hell am I talking about.

[tigerite]

You shouldn't have been so quick to push all-in on the flop. What's the need? That shows weakness not strength.

[jslag]

This is a better flop to just fire out a good sized bet (2/3 pot or just pot it). And often you may get a call there if he is the type of player that will look you up. That's when you have to "fire the second barrel" as they say... if you get called again, then you can insta-muck your hand to any river bets unless you improve.

Another option is to just check behind and try to hit pair up your K.

Usually the stop and go is better to use when YOU are in the blind and suspect a steal or don't have many chips left.

You didn't really mention stack sizes (I assume the 2600 number refers to the field size not your stack size). If you did have 2600 to begin with then pushing on that flop is a bad idea when the pot is only about 975.

Try to steal from smaller stacks that are waiting for premium hands, don't go after the LAG chip leaders, most of them think it's their duty to call and eliminate you.

J.

[Cry Me A River]

At low buy-ins, do not steal from chip leaders unless you know they can fold (ie: against rocks or big stacks folding into the money). Most low buy-in players with big stacks will call steals against their blind with any two.

You can use this effectively when you actually have a hand (ie: disguise big pockets as a blind steal then if he checks a flop you like min-bet hoping for a big reraise) but generally, unless you know a player, assume the big stack will call you 100% of the time.

[Lurshy]

From your description, he doesn't sound like a LAG, but a calling station. A calling station limps in, hugs pockets and tries to draw out. A LAG, may raise with those same hands. A LAG, may also fold to aggression.

So why am I saying this? you can't bluff out a calling station. You can't buy the pot. You need better cards to beat them. K3 are not the cards to make him 'pay to draw on', as you are the one likely beat, and as I said, you can't buy the pot from him.

Bluffing only works against someone 'smart enough to fold'.