Explain why i am wrong in my theory here please!!!

[ordinaryboy]

I played 2 hands and this guy told me that i played them horribly, now i had my reasons but what this guy was saying was also sound reasoning.

1st scenario

I am in a pot with 1 all-in and 1 other guy who raised pre-flop.

flop comes AQx pre-flop raiser checks to me and i have 33.

Now because the all-in was a small stack i believed his range of hands to be wide. The pre-flop raiser had obviously missed the flop or he was slowplaying me, i believed him to have missed so i made a 2/3rds pot sized bet, which the pfr'er folded to and the small stack won with his Aq.

Now my logic was that if small stack had missed the flop i was in the lead and i didnt want the pfr'er to get free cards to beat my vulnerable pair, i can see how this logic may be flawed but if someone could explain a little bit better i would appreciate it. Incidentally i did the same an hour later and the small stack had missed the flop and this time my pocket 8's stood up. with the other guy moaning about how he would have won on the river.


2nd Scenario

6 handed blinds are fairly large 100/200

i have 600 in chips get dealt 99

big stack is SB with 3500 chips and there is no BB due to a player just leaving tourney.

I go all-in with my 99's and big stack calls with his 88's
and hits hit trips on turn.

Now the same player slated me for this play saying that it was stupid to go up against big stack for only 100. But i was gonna be hit by a 200 BB in 2 hands time. Also i find it good to go up against big stacks as they are more loose with hands they'll call as they have so many chips.

In the end i was a massive favourite, was my play good and/or should i continue to do this if it happens again.


thanks all

[Vetstadium]

As for the nines I push there easy for me. For the pocket threes I don't know why you are in the pot to begin with, without knowing stage of tourn etc I can't see calling a raise and and all in with threes. If the raise is small and early in tourn if I don't hit set I am out of there.

[pokerlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
Now because the all-in was a small stack i believed his range of hands to be wide.

[/ QUOTE ]

That "wide range" you are talking about should, in your mind, include any ace or any queen. (FYI, aces are a HUGE red flag, and as a general rule I assume that the all in short stack has an ace and give him credit for a pair if one flops)

If he has either paint card, your isolating play is futile, since your 3's are beat. Further, you want the field to widdle down. Elimination - especially early - is good for the most part. Assuming this is a low buy-in S&G, i would 1) not have played the 3's; 2) if in the hand, would have checked out until i setted or until the other player makes a bet that I believe is a bluff to get me out of the pot.

In the latter case, raise him and take his bluff bet as your side pot/insurance against losing to the all-in. GL

PS - The push w the 9's is fine by me.

[ordinaryboy]

i'd already called the raise before the small stack went all-in for another 50 odd chips but as soon as i called it i realised myself it was a mistake.

i think that the guy was generally correct in 1 but you seem to agree with me on 2 which is good.

I like your point of many 'wide' hands having an ace or queen, altho i do think the play still has it's merits but is based on flop texture.

Do you agree?

[ChrisV]

On the first hand, people tend to get mad when you bet them out of pots where a player is allin. However, quite often this is justified if it increases your chances of winning substantially. The risk you take by betting is that the other guy has a hand and will call or raise you.

In this instance, the short stack probably has an ace, queen or higher pair. Your chances of winning are therefore almost no higher if you bet the other guy out. This is up against the substantial risk that your opponent is one of those "check it down" types who has checked an ace but will call if you bet.

The time to bet another player out of an allin pot is when there is a good chance you are beating the other player. If the flop here was J9x, a bet would be more reasonable.