UB $30 MTT hand

[sirtimo]

Ok feel free to rake me over the coals for this one...

UB $30 MTT. 280ish entrys, 75 left, 40 pay. Blinds 300-600. I have 5600, which is about average. I have a very tight table image. There are 2 big stacks (12k)in MP that I have mixed it up with and think are good players. LAG (4000)in CO who has raised with poor hands and has drawn out several times.

I limp with AKs UTG. This is the first limp I've done in over 1 hr, so I'm thinking it will look out of place and not get action from the 2 big stacks. Everyone folds to the LAG in the CO who min raises. Fold to me, and I quickly reraise to 3600. I'm thinking he would raise with quite a wide range of hands, but would lay down because my limp/reraise should look very strong. He calls with 99, I fail to improve and thats it.
Comments?

regards,
Tim

[Pepsquad]

Why did you try pushing a LAG off his hand pre-flop? I don't get it. This is aa opponent (and a hand) you want to get to the flop with. Needless push IMO from what you described.

Pep.

[profitman]

i would've just pushed all in UTG instead of limping. He may fold his 9-9, and you pick up 1400 or 1150 chips depending on the antes....i think they are either 50 or 25 at that stage of the blinds in a UB tourney. If he doesn't fold, you're still a coinflip. You have under 10 BB's. Next time push....that's what I think.

[drewjustdrew]

I didn't think UB had antes? But I agree. Go allin preflop. If he calls, then, same result I guess. I would be happy to increase my stack by 17% if it goes uncalled (if there are no antes). Most people will not put you on such a big hand at this point, even with your tight image. You have a good chance of catching an AQ calling here or a smaller pocket pair. In that case, you may double up and get into a better comfort zone. Seems like the average stack size is pretty small for the blind level. Tight play going on?

[sirtimo]

Thanks for the comments...

I do think that the preflop push could have worked, but I have generally seen that that move tends to get called only by a hand that would dominate me.(???)

I have to disagree with your comment that most people would not put me on such a big hand. Of course this is hindsight but I would venture a guess that the average player at the table there saw my reraise as saying I have AA-TT, AKs at the lowest.

In looking at it today I'm thinking that since I didn't push preflop, a better line would have been to smooth call the LAG's raise and see the flop, then go from there??

Anyone think about a more standard 3BB raise preflop?

This is the first hand I've posted on 2+2. I've been reading the forums for a few months and have learned alot! I typically play UB $5-$20 MTT's and do well into the later stages (bubble) where I tend to make errors like this one.

regards,
Tim

[drewjustdrew]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone think about a more standard 3BB raise preflop?


[/ QUOTE ]

The problem I have with this is you are raising to 1800 and essentially pot-committing yourself. You are facing a minimum of a $3900 pot if only the BB calls and you have just $3600 in your stack. A rule of thumb that a lot of people work with is that if their standard raise is going to be 30-40% of their stack, they should just push all-in and put the rest of the field to a tougher decision.

I am usually satisfied to pick up just the blinds in your position.

[KUjayhawk08]

I don't think it really matters whether you open the pot all-in or simply raise pot (or around there). A loose player with only 4000 in chips is definitely going to put his chips in with 99 whether its 2000 to him or his entire stack. I'd call with 99 in that spot for sure. Generally speaking, you need to win at least 1 coinflip for all your chips to win a tournament. You just got unlucky that time.

[patrick dicaprio]

i dont think it would have made a difference, he is calling here for all of his chips preflop anyway so if you go all in he still calls. cant win em all but i dont think you could have played this one differently. i think you played it correctly you just got action from teh one guy who didnt understand what you were doing.

Pat