How should I have played this hand

ACR NLH freeroll. average 3100, I have 2200. Blinds are 200/400. I have not seen a flop for about 25 hands. A fellow with a pretty big stack (about 9,000) is raising all in nealy every hand and taking blinds. Twice, he showed down cheese and took both of them with 2 pair, etc.


I am on the button with AcQc.


maniac fellow makes it 400 to go UTG, one guy next to him cold calls (? - this is the guy I should probably worry about).


I raise to 800, maniac makes it 1200, UTG +1 cold calls both bet. i call (?) and see the flop. Flop comes down


2s Ah 3s.


UTG maniac bets his stack, UTG +1 calls, I call my last 1000.


turn comes 5 river comes 9 no spade.


I get the click of death to show my hand - AQ no good. Maniac takes it down with Ks4s.


Should I have not even seen this preflop - since - especially with the cold caller. Once I got committed, I couldn't let go - especially with the ace on the flop.


Flames welcome.


Thanks,

Kevin

I think you should have moved in preflop. Raising small is by far the worst possible play as you won't drive anyone out and with only T1400 left you will be committed anyway. By moving in you will often get it heads-up as a favorite with T1000 of dead money in the pot and you have a small chance to win it right there.


> one guy next to him cold calls


Unless you have some read, I wouldn't be too concerend about the caller. If he also knew that UTG is loose, he probably would have tried to isolate with any strong hand. Worst thing I'd expect from him is a smallish pair which he might fold if you move in.


cu


Ignatius

Your only move preflop was all-in or fold, with all-in being the better move. When you say the maniac UTG made it 400, you mean he limped in since the blinds were 200/400, right?


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Greg,

I mis-spoke - limits were 200/400 blinds were 100/200. I really laid an egg on this hand as I have heard that Ace Big doesn't play especially well in no limit (is this correct?) and I was indecisive and not sure if I was committed to the hand... In the end he wouldn't have dropped - he was pushing his stack around and would have probably played 72o the same way - but I want to get the process right and let the results happen as they will happen.


I went out 53rd - saw the results and he went out about 10 places later so someone caught up with him...


Thanks again for your feedback.

Kevin

OK, but you don't mean 200-400 limit right? Because it's no limit?


The answer is the same. 100-200 blinds, UTG raises to 400, player calls, you have 2200 in your stack. The play is either fold or go all-in. In fact, it doesn't even matter what your hand is, with almost no exceptions you should fold or go all-in, with no hands being played here for a call or a less-than-all-in raise.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Yep - No limit 100/200 blind (blinds structured as if it was 200/400 if it were limit, he doubled the blind to 400 UTG... I will shut up now lest I get something else wrong...lol) Thank you for the feedback - When someone has me covered and keeps pushing the stack in - I am never sure which hands call the stack. Is it only AA-JJ, AKs, AQs maybe AKo? I guess that is the bigger question - (I probably need to get TPFAP sooner rather than later)

Kevin

There is no specific list of hands. It depends upon your read of the player, and what range of hands you put them on. Early and middle of the tourney, you should play whenever you have the best of it, even if it's only a little the best. Any edge more than 5-10% should be pursued. If you're below average (and can admit it; few of us can) for the field, then any edge should be pursued, no matter how small. In fact, even big gambles where you're taking slightly the worst of it should be pursued.


Only when you get into or near the money do you really worry about avoiding close gambles. At this stage, you can sometimes get into the money or make more money simply by sitting there and watching other players go broke. The counter to this is doing so means your chances of finishing very high and especially of winning go down.


So, don't think about things like "I'll only go all-in preflop with AA, KK, and AK." That isn't the issue. The issue is do you have an edge, and how big is it?


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

this is a late post but.... sounds like you got impatient. AQs isn't that strong a hand. if you go all in with it, you likely will only be called by hands that are favorites to beat you, i.e., AK, or any pp.