QQ UTG Home Tourney

[2planka]

This was from a home game tonight, but I prefer to post it here.

8 players left. Final 3 are ITM.

Blinds are 400/800 with ante of 50.

Hero (UTG)has T6600
Villain (UTG+1)has T6800. He is weak-tight but has just busted another player nearly doubling up.
Big stack is T10K
Small stack is T1500

In 1 minute the blinds increase to 500/1K with a 100 ante.

Hero is UTG with Q /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
Hero bets T2600, Villain calls, 6 folds.

Flop is 9 /images/graemlins/club.gif 4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif
Hero?.....

Thanks in advance.

[TheAmp]

I would move all-in.

1) He is likely to have at least one over card. If you check, he can give himself a free card.

2) The flush draw. Same as (1).

3) If he bets you would call. So take control of the pot. If he has KK AA or a set, there is nothing you can do about it.

[2planka]

I'm looking for feedback on two things: 1) the preflop raise (is it enough, too big, too small) and 2) is this an easy push?

FWIW, with the one caller before the flop, I told myself that I would push on any flop if no Ace or King flopped.

[Mikey2k4]

I think it's an easy push. The raise is fine. You're UTG, you have to raise a significant amount to define your hand and thin the field. It's risky, but it sucks that you got that hand with no position at all. You have to bet a good amount and know where you stand. (Although let me ask you this - if he pushed on your raise, what would you have done?)

When you say "weak-tight", what do you mean? It has different definitions for different people. Do you mean that he's easy to fold flops when they miss? Do you mean that he's LAG? If you check, is he going to try to buy the pot right there, or is the type of player who will check and get free cards? If he's going to try to steal it, you *MAY* want to trap, although the stacks are too small relative to the pot anyway. If he's going to get free cards, then you have to bet, and if you're going to bet, you may as well push.

I doubt he'd call your pre flop raise with something that would give him an open-ended. You're probably against a (nut) flush draw. Again, what range of hands would this player be calling you with? Is he only going to make a call with Axs, or even something like 78s? If it's 78s and it's clubs, he's got 15 clean outs.

[TheAmp]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking for feedback on two things: 1) the preflop raise (is it enough, too big, too small) and 2) is this an easy push?

FWIW, with the one caller before the flop, I told myself that I would push on any flop if no Ace or King flopped.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pre-flop : raise is fine. you want to be called incorrectly.
flop: see my first answer. yes, I would plan like you did. I think its routine.

[BillyKGB]

easy push for me..

and if hes so weak as u say, he might as well have like KJo..

[2planka]

I push the flop, Villain turns over AA and I'm out.

Bad luck for me, but another player questioned me afterwards. He said that I should have known villain had Aces by the smooth call preflop. This is weak, IMO.

I said before that my plan was to push any flop as long as it contained no overcards. This is the correct play, I think. I'm only concerned about two hands preflop, and if I run into one of them, well, good for the villain.

I had a read on villain. He was playing scared through most of the event to that point. Weak tight is a standard description of someone who plays solid values, but fears "mosters under the bed." Search the archives for a better definition.

My point in posting this is that QQ can be a trickier hand than we often think. I had lousy position, so I made the play that I thought gave me the best chance. It didn't work out for me this time, but you all are correct in stating that this is the "standard play."

Discussing WHY this is the standard play has merit, especially with a lot of new posters to this forum.

In this situation, late in the tournament with the blinds really starting to hurt, and facing 1700 in blinds and antes over the next two hands, against a weak opponent, the only play is to push any flop not containing overcards. Had this been earlier in the event, then the correct play is completely different.

[lorinda]

FWIW, with the one caller before the flop, I told myself that I would push on any flop if no Ace or King flopped.

I like this plan.

Another option, depending on what you like, is to raise a little more, maybe to 3400 and pot commit yourself to pushing any flop.

Lori