How would you play this one against the other big stack?

[UncleRemus]

Hopefully not like this...


No reads, Party 30+3...

Total number of players : 5
Seat 2: Villain (2613)
Seat 3: xx (1005)
Seat 4: yy (868)
Seat 6: LimpGoat (2824)
Seat 7: zz (690)
xx posts small blind (100)
yy posts big blind (200)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to LimpGoat [ 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif ]
LimpGoat raises (500) to 500
zz folds.
Villain calls (500)
xx folds.
yy folds.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif, 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T /images/graemlins/diamond.gif ] (POT: 1300)
LimpGoat bets (800)
Villain calls (800)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif ] (POT: 2900)
LimpGoat checks.
Villain bets (300)
LimpGoat calls (300)
** Dealing River ** : [ 4 /images/graemlins/club.gif ] (POT: 3500)
LimpGoat checks.
Villain bets (500)
LimpGoat folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: 4000
Board: [ 6s 9d Td 6d 4c ]
Villain balance 4513, bet 2100, collected 4000, net +1900
xx balance 905, lost 100 (folded)
yy balance 668, lost 200 (folded)
LimpGoat balance 1224, lost 1600 (folded)
zz balance 690, didn't bet (folded)


Would a preflop push have been better? I planned on calling any RR from anyone but Villain (wanted to give myself an opportunity to fold if he went all-in (most 30+3ers, in my experience, won't exploit this) ... mistake #1?) I was torn between betting out 800 and pushing on the flop. In the end, I figured if the push was called, I would be in quite deep trouble. I figured most hands that would lay down to the push would lay down to a bet out of 800, and decided to go for it and shut down if called/reraised.

Kinda wish I just pushed preflop...
Comments?

[poboy]

First I would actually limp this pf, you've got plenty of chips and there's no reason to be stealing at this point. Second with the other players very near going out, there is no reason to go to war with the other big stack. This may seem weak-tight but it's more a case of why risk it?

[tigerite]

Ah.. LimpGoat.. thought you might be a 2+2'er.

[UncleRemus]

Hmm I guess I didn't really give much thought to limping. Maybe I'm completely wrong with this (and I would love to hear, I'm always looking to implement new things into my game), but I find I very rarely limp as the big stack with blinds worth stealing.

On this situation, assuming noone raises, I'd have a very difficult time playing my 7's after the flop if I don't hit a set. It'd be very difficult to determine where I was against random hands from desperately stacked blinds after the flop, and I lose any respect I would have gained with aggression.
I also see a MUCH better chance of someone raising/pushing me. If I'm one of the blinds here and I look at something like Q9s with a limper to me, I'm pushing that without hesitation. If I do decide to call these pushes from the blinds, I think I'll be in a lot of coinflips that could have been avoided.

The more that I think about this, the more I see it as a hand where no line is looking to great. I'm still thinking a preflop push may be the best course of action, but everything seems so close.

Would love to hear more opinions.

[UncleRemus]

Hahaha indeed. Not too surprised to see you're a member as well, had some good games today. . .

But...
wait...
ok, now I *KNOW* you're stalkin' me!!!

[tigerite]

Heh, indeed /images/graemlins/laugh.gif I find it pretty hard to play the lower pairs from UTG, too, when you're big stacked. It is easier to limp with them in my opinion, if one of the blinds pushes so be it, I'll just fold and wait for a better spot. It's "only" 77 after all. Plus, I've lost less than 1/10th of my stack in doing so. Sometimes I even fold 7s from here, certainly with 5s and below I often do, in this position because they're so crappy to play. Unless short stacked of course, but that's a different matter..

[eastbay]

Limp. Shut down when shown strength after the flop. No reason to go to war with big stack with marginal holdings.

eastbay

[knucklehead]

Maybe this is stupid but I wanted to post anyway. Seems like whenever I'm trying to understand mistakes I've been making, I can find a post here that helps resolve the problem. I thought I was playing small pairs too strong, and now I realize when I've had problems with them, it's because I'm out of position...

[tigerite]

Sometimes I will raise UTG with small pairs though, if I have enough of a stack to bother anyone who wants to re-raise me. Especially if I'm chip leader in other words. Happened today with 66, someone decided to get cheeky and raise me back, so I called with now huge pot odds. Flop 6 6 J. Heh /images/graemlins/laugh.gif