Limp-theft.

[nothumb]

You know what I'm talking about. Four or five limpers to someone on the button, or more often SB / BB. This is at least 3rd level or so. They push and 95% of the time take it down then and there.

What do you think of this play? Do you ever use it? Do you make notes on players who do it? What hands do you suspect people push here?

I think that most players do it more to steal chips, with big cards or medium pairs, or with less if they are LAG.

I made this move with AKo for the first time today in the SB. 10+1 on Paradise, I am chip leader with 1500 or so, no others over 1200 or under 700. Blinds are 15/30, five limpers to me and I pushed. Is this worth doing? I figured I'd rather not play AK in a big multiway pot out of position, I had good table command and didn't expect a call.

Obviously not SOP but it got me thinking, what's the consensus on this play, by others or by yourself?

NT

[Apathy]

In the first few levels this is a play that you should stay away from, but it can be great after level 4 against known players that limp weak hands.

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
You know what I'm talking about. Four or five limpers to someone on the button, or more often SB / BB. This is at least 3rd level or so. They push and 95% of the time take it down then and there.

What do you think of this play? Do you ever use it? Do you make notes on players who do it? What hands do you suspect people push here?

I think that most players do it more to steal chips, with big cards or medium pairs, or with less if they are LAG.

I made this move with AKo for the first time today in the SB. 10+1 on Paradise, I am chip leader with 1500 or so, no others over 1200 or under 700. Blinds are 15/30, five limpers to me and I pushed. Is this worth doing? I figured I'd rather not play AK in a big multiway pot out of position, I had good table command and didn't expect a call.

Obviously not SOP but it got me thinking, what's the consensus on this play, by others or by yourself?

NT

[/ QUOTE ]

Any type of play can be effective in an SNG -- that is one of the magical things about them, there is a time and place for just about every tactic out there.

In this situation I do not like an allin as I don't want to risk a lot of my stack vs. a pp. I'm not sure many weak A limpers are prepared to call you while I think there are quite a few middle/low pp that would at your level. I do like raising at least a bit though for value.

You shouldn't be in too much of a hurry to accumulate chips. I'd see a flop and try to take down someone's stack if possible and/or bail if the risk is too high post flop.

Yugoslav

[nothumb]

But I have a 100% success rate with this play!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Perhaps I'll keep it that way by retiring it.

In these middlish levels I tend to stop wanting to play poker for a while. The table gets all gunky and slow and pots are getting bigger in relation to stack size but not so big that players are gambooling as much. I think some of the worst plays are in these levels, because people haven't really started pushing chips around and call off a lot of their stacks.

Anyway, I often just want to take a few hundred chips with my big hands and be done with it. Not saying this is right or anything, but it made me happy this time.

One nice side effect of this move was that an otherwise sluggish table woke up a bit and the chips did start to move. I ended up busting two players with AA and 22 respectively when the flop came 642, turn came 6. Player with AA didn't raise preflop. I had 44. Fun hand. (Low content.)

Anyway, I don't intend to start using this play, I was more interested in what people think of other players who do this. If I see a guy do it once I just figure he's above average in aggression and looking to get some chips / bully a bit. More than once and my gambool alarm goes off.

NT

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
But I have a 100% success rate with this play!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Perhaps I'll keep it that way by retiring it.

In these middlish levels I tend to stop wanting to play poker for a while. The table gets all gunky and slow and pots are getting bigger in relation to stack size but not so big that players are gambooling as much. I think some of the worst plays are in these levels, because people haven't really started pushing chips around and call off a lot of their stacks.

Anyway, I often just want to take a few hundred chips with my big hands and be done with it. Not saying this is right or anything, but it made me happy this time.

One nice side effect of this move was that an otherwise sluggish table woke up a bit and the chips did start to move. I ended up busting two players with AA and 22 respectively when the flop came 642, turn came 6. Player with AA didn't raise preflop. I had 44. Fun hand. (Low content.)

Anyway, I don't intend to start using this play, I was more interested in what people think of other players who do this. If I see a guy do it once I just figure he's above average in aggression and looking to get some chips / bully a bit. More than once and my gambool alarm goes off.

NT

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It's not that the play itself is flawed. I'm just not sold on it given your situation. That being said, I'm sure it's +EV in one of dem $11s (although I've never played PokerRoom) -- I just imagine your +EV gained by pushing is slimmer than playing it out via other methods (and conserving chips on unfavorable post flop play).

But, hey, AK is a monster hand ..... I'm the one who folds AJ on the cutoff and 55 on the button preflop to limpers...

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Yugoslav