QQ hand near the bubble

[Marcotte]

$10+1 on Poker Room
Seat 6 and 7 have been away for a long time, so in effect we are 5 handed.

Seat 2: Marcotte [ Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gif,Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif ] ($885 in chips)
Seat 3: ($4,585 in chips)
Seat 4: ($1,110 in chips)
Seat 5: ($2,495 in chips)
Seat 6: ($1,165 in chips)
Seat 7: ($2,660 in chips)
Seat 9: ($2,100 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
Seat 4 posts blind ($50), Seat 5 posts blind ($100).

PRE-FLOP
Seat 6 folds, Seat 7 folds, Seat 9 folds, Marcotte ???

With almost 9 BB, is this an auto push? Is this a stupid question?

[wjmooner]

well, you aren't folding obviously. I suppose the question is whether you are content with taking down the blinds or want to gambool to try to double up.

But yes, this is usually a straight forward push.

WJ

[Marcotte]

I've always pushed in this situation in the past (and with much worse hands (~AT,9o e.g.). I did in this case and took down the blinds which I should have been happy with (but I wasn't).

I guess the deeper question is, if you have a fairly short stack and 5-6 players left, should you ever try to "trap" with hands like QQ, JJ, TT, AQs? (Perhaps AQ and TT don't belong on that list.)

[slickterp]

can't trap w/ those hands. maybe QQ, but to easy to lose. i push here and hope someone calls based on the fact that you are short stacked.

[pshreck]

You have to push here. No other play makes any sense. Raise less, hope you get called by a QJ who wouldnt have called an all in? No. Push this every time.

[Avgard]

I don't think push is automatic.

I have read on this site, if you are betting 40% or more of your chips it is better to just push. I like, and agree, with this basic rule of thumb. Maybe debatable, but I agree.

It seems making a standard 3xBB raise is a good play. But I will say that other factors could come into play. Namely, how have you been raising the rest of the game. Has it always been 3xBB, have you seen the SB or BB call all-ins with a mediocre hand. If so than a push might be the best thing.

You are sitting here with the top 3 or 4 best starting hands. I believe you play it for max value. I don't mean slow play it. You must raise. But I think you want a caller. If your feeling of the game is that you probably will get a caller by betting all-in, then do it. If you feel that all-in gets two folds, then you need to raise 3xBB or so. I feel in this situation (after the folds, you are three handed) you play this hand as you would AA or KK, to double up. You obviously shouldn't worry about a big hand (AA, KK or AKs) because they are calling your all-in anyway. I think you play for an overcall. If you feel that overcall will come with an all-in bet (see above) than do it, otherwise, raise only 3xBB and hope for an overcall.

To summarize, it seems that the feel of the game dictates all-in or not. I don't think it is an automatic all-in bet.

Since my opinion seems to be of the minority (at best, if not on an island by myself), you may all commence bashing this fish. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[texasrattlers]

I bet 3xBB here and hope for a caller or 2. If I get callers I am probably all in on the flop no matter what. So, I would treat this like AA given your stack size. I would push hands like AJ here to steal blinds hoping mainly not to be called, though if I am called I should be in pretty good shape. But with QQ I would like a caller or two for an extra couple of BB each since the fact that it is a made hand lets me take a little more risk for the reward which my stack size desperately needs.

Just the way I currently see things.

[zaphod]

If your standard raise has been all in at this table lately, i think you have to make the same raise.
Othewise a 3xbb might be ok, but i still think all in is better to go all in.(You don't feel happy when an ace or a king flops and your opponents bets into you).

[skirtus]

I had QQ in the same situation last night. I pushed and got called by 44. I took down the pot and he said "Thought you were on a steal. Hoping you had A-something." If you get called and show down QQ you will get alot of mileage from that for the rest of the game. Plus I would hate to raise 3x BB and get called only to see and A or K flop. What was your read on SB and BB. Were they really tight?