Is my HU play flawed at SNGs?

[DougI]

When I get to the final 2 at an SNG, I am usually very aggressive with PP unless I am the large stack and want to trap.

There are situations that happen a lot in HU play, and I can sense what will happen more often than not when I push all-in (a classic coin flip or close to coin flip race).

The scenario is this:
My opponent and I have about the same amount of chips. The opponent raises me about 1/3 of my chips. I am staring down at PP 77, 88, or 99.

Do I call, re-raise to 1/2 his chips, or go all-in?

I find that I am very aggressive and tend to go all-in when I sense the opponent is probably playing Ax.
Is this too aggressive? Should I wait for the flop to see if all is clear with Aces and then go all-in?

What is your course of action?

[willie]

not flawed play at all

if i have 77 and have someone relatively short, they're outchipped 6k to 2k, i'll open for half their stack- gives them the chance to fold, if they call i'm all in on any flop and if they push preflop i'm calling

it's solid aggressive strategy and i don't think that folding a mid pp to a raise headsup is good at all- you'll find a lot of aggressors with A (under) openraising you so they'll only have 3 outs. it's just not a bad place to get your money in and try to end the game.

[DougI]

If I have my opponent 2 to 1 in stack size, I definitely will re-raise him all-in.
But if we are both about the same stack size, and a confrontation occurs like this, should I consider raising his bet to about half our stack size and see if the flop comes out innocent enough?
I usually want to end the HU play as quickly as possible. (Especially when the antes are at 150-300 or higher)
But I think I may be too confrontational and that I might be better re-raising him enough to see if he does go all-in or giving him the chance to back down.
If he does take the bait and goes all-in, then fine... its a possible coin-flip and I'm all-in also. But if he just calls my re-raise and I see an Ace on the flop, I have a chance to back down if I feel he was playing Ace rags against my PP.

What are your thoughts on this strategy?

[Big Limpin']

How do you "sense" that your opponent has Ax?

[KenProspero]

[ QUOTE ]
I usually want to end the HU play as quickly as possible. (Especially when the antes are at 150-300 or higher)

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? If I think I'm better than the other player, I'd rather grind it out, unless I think I have a clear advantage.

[DougI]

After several hands where he re-raises about the same amount and I call him down to the river... I start to see that he plays Ax real strong consistently. Also, a consistent raiser usually means that he must be playing a wider range of hands in order to make such a strong bet.
He'll bluff every once in a while, but often plays strong with any PP or Ax. Not that I fault an opponent for playing like this (I like to do this alot myself).
So, when I hold an above average PP (77 or greater), I have to believe that the odds are on my side versus an Ax or low PP holding. So, why not put him all-in? That is my question.
I just want to know if anyone else feels that it is best to go all-in (regardless of stack size) in scenarios like this, or to just call a large raise or make a small re-raise under certain circumstances.
It might just be that I hate HU play and this is my way of forcing someone to play for all their chips immediately /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
My opponent and I have about the same amount of chips. The opponent raises me about 1/3 of my chips. I am staring down at PP 77, 88, or 99.

Do I call, re-raise to 1/2 his chips, or go all-in?

[/ QUOTE ]

You have two options.

1. Reraise all-in
2. Stop N' Go all-in

With a pair like 77-99 I prefer option 1, because you're often giving too many marginal hands that could easily beat you (JTs, QJ0, K9o) free flops HU when you just call.

So PUSHHHHHH.

[willie24]

[ QUOTE ]
should I consider raising his bet to about half our stack size and see if the flop comes out innocent enough?

[/ QUOTE ]

no. you are pot committed. don't think about folding. get your money in now.

[willie24]

[ QUOTE ]
I just want to know if anyone else feels that it is best to go all-in (regardless of stack size) in scenarios like this,

[/ QUOTE ]

it depends on the blinds. that said, the blinds are almost always high enough when you get HU in an SNG to warrant consistently going allin with garbage. if the BB is 400, and you stack is 5000, I can't think of a situation where you could ever fold (or not go allin with) 77.