QQ Preflop- long description.

[tolbiny]

The past few days i've started playing NL live (and some 25$ max buy ins on party). I played for the first time on thursday and at the end of a +280$ night (200 max, 1-2 blinds) the guy who runs the game (and plays when there is a seat) says to me- "you play a good game" as i am walking out the door.
I play in the 5-10 game the next night, and show up for the NL game on saturday. While we are waiting the guy who runs the game and i area talking, and hes asking me how long i've played, and what books i've read ect ect. So i tell him about my three years of limit play, and my fondness for S&M and ed's book. But there aren't enough players to get the game going, so we play a couple of 5-6 handed 10 dollar winner take all tournies with small stacks/blinds. During the first one i am short stacked and go all-in a couple of times for 8-9 chips with 1-2 blinds from UTG. The guy who runs it is in the BB and finds a fold both times. But he is real suspicious and talks about how he thinks i am putting moves on him because i know he can fold ect ect.
Fast forward to tonight- 7 handed 200 max 1-2 NL game. Im in the 1 seat hes in seat 4. He open raises for 15$ and i bump it to 50 when it gets to me with QQ.
He thinks for a long time, and prattles on about how he's only afraid of 4 hands, and how he had warned me last night not to get to liberal with stealing his blinds/bets.
And eventually he mucks AQo face up. But he doesn't like it.
After another couple of rounds of play he comes out for 15$ again UTG. Its folded to me and i see QQ again.

What do you want to do here?

[TheWorstPlayer]

Call. You can almost feel that he is going to push, and I hate getting all-in preflop with QQ.

[JoshuaD]

[ QUOTE ]
Call. You can almost feel that he is going to push, and I hate getting all-in preflop with QQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just realized you're a gimmick.


Push. You've got a great hand and he wants to pay you off. You're only behind two, and he's likely to call with alot more than just those two.

[PoBoy321]

I say raise it to $50 again. Let him think that you're putting a play on him and if he got frustrated and reluctantly threw down the AQo last time, expect him to call with worse this time. You're only a dog to 2 hands, AA and KK, and if he calls with AK, he's making the wrong call but he still has a chance. I think that in this situation, you should not have a problem letting him push you all in pre-flop.

[creedofhubris]

How big are the stacks, are they $200-ish? If they're $100 or less, you can push, otherwise, I STILL like the raise to $50, and you can gauge from his reaction what to do with it.

Smooth calling is pretty weak since you've got him set up like this, and you're out of position for the hand, so it's only a matter of how much to raise.

[TheWorstPlayer]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Call. You can almost feel that he is going to push, and I hate getting all-in preflop with QQ.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just realized you're a gimmick.


[/ QUOTE ] /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[JoshuaD]

[ QUOTE ]
How big are the stacks, are they $200-ish? If they're $100 or less, you can push, otherwise, I STILL like the raise to $50, and you can gauge from his reaction what to do with it.

Smooth calling is pretty weak since you've got him set up like this, and you're out of position for the hand, so it's only a matter of how much to raise.

[/ QUOTE ]


What he said. I assumed stack sizes handn't changed much since your push earlier.

[tolbiny]

Both of our stacks are in the 200-300$ range.

I bumped it to $60. I made it a little higher as i thought he might call with a weaker hand if he thought i was over betting it to push him around.
He folded.

Follow up- Now that i have done this a couple of times, and he has been vocal about noticing how it happens against him (it was just coincidence, but i think he is convincing himself that i am oiut to get him) how do you react? WE will probably be in the same game a lot.
1. I can keep playing it straight up, only three bet him with my premium hands, let hm keep guessing when it does happen.
2. I can Play it straight up, only three betting untill i actually show him a premium hand once or twice and then switch to stealing his raises sporadically with a three bet.
3. Three bet more liberally- choosing seats to do this from, and taking down his open raises, but doing so on occasion- untill he catches me- then go back to only doing it with premium hands untill he respects them again rinse wash repeat.
4. Three bet basically every time he open raises that i can untill he calls me once.

Any other ideas, and which would you go for?

[tolbiny]

I am bumping this as it is very important to consider how we should be treating our common opponents Before we get into thses situations. Its much easier to make th e correct decision now, than at the table in two days.

[soah]

If he genuinely respects your play but not others at the table, he probably doesn't want to tangle with you out of position in a big pot. I would think it more likely that his apparent "near tilt" is merely an image he is projecting to keep you in line with your reraises than an actual indication that he is going to start calling you down with marginal hands. (If that were his plan, then why say anything at all?) Once he decides to make a stand, I'd be extremely cautious.