3-handed tournament hand..

[trumpman84]

I am the short stack with 3 left with 34k, other short stack has 45k and the chip leader has well over 100k. $20+2, multi...3rd gets 450, 2nd 700, first 1150.

2nd short stack folds and I am small blind with Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif. A pretty good high hand, but no low. blinds are 3000/6000 and I call hoping to see a cheap flop with this hand. Big stack has been bullying the entire table since he's gotten the chip lead (like he's supposed to) but I have seen him check the big blind before, so I figure the limp was worth a shot.

Anyway, the big blind pots it. I'm the short stack and decide I need to gamble somewhere to try to get back in this thing and decide to re-raise all in. I figure I have a higher pair than him and better high drawing possibilities and he probably has an A2xx, A3xx or A4xx hand. Should I of waited for a better spot?

[Nick709]

I like the push here.
However I would have liked a raise preflop more.

[FeliciaLee]

I agree. Why wait? What are you gonna wait for, Christmas? LOL /images/graemlins/wink.gif

You have not even six big blinds left, you are going to be all-in in a few hands anyway. Why not try to double through the chip lead and actually go for the win, instead of wimping out and praying for 2nd place? Unless the other two are just playing completely stupid, I'd go for the win. How did it end up?

Felicia /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Buzz]

Trumpman - What's the rush?

Do you think your 4K raise into a 60K pot will scare BB away? Is there even the chance of a snowball in Hell of BB folding to your 4K all-in raise?

If instead you call, see the flop, and then bet your last 4K, all-in, do you think BB will not call with 60K (or whatever) already in the pot? Indeed, all you have to do is check the second betting round and BB will probably put you all-in.

Suppose there is some miracle flop, say QQJ, you bet, and BB (amazingly) folds. If you hadn't gotten all your money in before the flop, you would finish the hand with 64K instead of 68K. Is that extra 4K going to substantially increase your chances of winning the tournament?

Raising all-in before the flop here, even if you had a better one-on-one hand than you actually have, is no advantage to you whatsoever.

On the other hand, if you keep the 4K and the flop is something horrid, say A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif, you have the option of checking and then folding to a bet.

I'll agree that if you call BB's bet you don't have much of a chance of avoiding going all-in on this hand, and if you do fold to a bet after the flop to avoid going all-in, your chances of surviving (with only 4K left) are slim.

But they're better than if you voluntarily push all-in before the flop.

It's hard to give up here. You don't have a great hand for one-on-one play, but neither is it absolutely horrid. I imagine it's better than a random hand, but probably not better than a random hand with an ace. I can see calling. (I also can see folding).

But raising is a nullo play (a play that can gain nothing and lose everything).

Just my opinion.

Buzz

[trumpman84]

oooh I might've misled here. I was in the small blind and what I meant was...I called the small blind in hopes of seeing the flop cheap and when the chip leader (big blind) raised,...yea of course thats push or fold. No way I just call with 4000 left. I was just asking if you guys wait for something with 2 way potential before getting your chips in. Big blind had A38x I think with 3 clubs. An ace came on the flop along with 2 clubs and a club came on the river to give him the nuts. Oh well..I'm still relatively new to O8, and wonder while I had a decent omaha high hand, if I should always be playing for both parts of the pot..even short handed.