Small Blind

[Becks77]

I tried to search for this but i couldnt find it.

Anyway, what is everyone's hand requirments for completeing the small blind. What's the lowest you will go if you know that the big blind will not raise it up.

[meep_42]

Any 2 suited (just about) any 2 broadway, but not any ace.

Situational, of course, bigger fields mean more of the first and less of the second.

-d

[Becks77]

Not any ace? How come. What about ace 5-10 off?

[andyfox]

A great discussion from Josh W:

a decent amount has been written about playing "Any two" in the SB of a 2/3 chip game. And, yet, I feel that not enough has been written.

See, the problem is...you are getting like 14:1 on your call. Even if the BB never ever ever ever ever raises preflop, that's not enough.

Sure, you'll win the pot more than 1 in 15 times against 4 opponents. But hands like this make the second best hand waaaay too often.

A friend of mine once asked me what hands I won't play in a situation like this. My response was "weak unsuited face cards". I'd seriously rather have 73o in this spot than K4o. Yeah, K4o will win more often, but K4o will also lose many bets waaaaay too often.

I was talking with a friend in Vegas during the WSOP. he's new to poker, and asked about 'seeing the flop' in the SB w/ specifically Q6o (very similar). My discussion went basically like:

Alright, you may flop quads. That's a good flop. And, you may flop trips. Your trips will win pretty frequently (when nobody else flops trips, and any/all draws miss), but when they lose, you'll be barbequed. And then there's all the times you flop two pair.

You have Q6o, and the flop comes Q86 with two clubs. The only reason you saw the flop was because it was 6 or 7 way action. It's still 6 or 7 way action. What do you want the other two cards to be? You'll have to pound the bejeezus outta the flop and turn, and hope that nobody improves by the river.

Same with K4o. Gimme 94o instead. Then I can't flop top pair as easily, and i can get away from it except when i get a good flop (qauds). But with weak unsuited face cards, you make the second best hand waaaay too often.

ANd what if you flop just one pair. If the flop was KQ3 two-tone. MP bets, and zero or one person calls. now what do you do? Check/call the whole way? Push your weak hand? Nothing looks too good. And yet, if its heads up, you gonna fold top pair? That can't be a good habit to get into. And you're committed to being out of position.

I guess what I'm saying is, throw the crap away. Look, you even said that your 'timing' is off now. You seem uncertain of yourself (perfectly normal and expected). Well, make life easy on yourself. don't put yourself in a situation where there are no easy decisions.

Poker is easy right now. don't make it hard. playing K4o out of position is hard.

[meep_42]

Because many people will limp with Ax anyway, you're either going to win a smallish pot (where no one else has an A) or lose a big one (where someone has a better A than you). You're out of position the entire time, so if you're bet/called the whole way you have no idea where you're at. ATo i'd complete, as I would limp from late position. A9 and lower offsuit, i'll pass with a large field. With a 1 or 2 limpers I may complete or raise A9/A8, depending.

-d

[joeboe2001]

More succintly, crap at half the price is still crap.

[daryn]

i don't care if it's hard. i am completing with 73o getting 19-1. also any other 2 cards.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
More succintly, crap at half the price is still crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

You missed Andy's point entirely.