Some SNG Newbie questions

[Big Bend]

Howdy ya'll wondering about these SNG situations...All these take place in round 1 of a SNG 10/15 blinds.

1) Middle position 1 limper I have QQ raise 5x BB, everybody folds to big blind who goes all in 800, limper folds what do I do?

2) I have AA UTG and raise 5x BB 75 get 2 callers. Flop TT3. Should I check here? I bet the pot appx $250, someone raises $300 more, I have $425 left. Call, raise or fold?

3) I'm on button with AK os. Early player raises to 30, middle player reraises to 60, everybody else folds. My play?


Thanks for any replies.. Allen

[Slim Pickens]

I'm assuming this is low buy-in.

1) Call. A lot of the time you're shown a lower PP or AQ or lower. There's only 2 hands you absolutely don't want to see and about 20 you do that fall into people's all-in range.

2) Push the flop. After you bet the pot and were raised, you have to go all-in anyway.

3) fold.

[beggars]

All answers assume you're playing with solid players. Don't know what $ level you're playing.

Situation 1 is an easy fold. Hard to imagine you are ahead at that point. It is a huge overbet which is always a tempting call but you don't have a lot invested and it's way too early.

Situation 2 is a tough call. A10s, J10s, and 10-10 are the only hands I'd be worried about - and you have 2 of the Aces. Most players would not call an early raise with A10s or J10s. I put the player on an overpair, maybe Jacks, and I'd push all-in. Without a good read, you can't fold that hand. Too much invested. Too likely you've got the best hand.

Situation 3 is a call. A big enough raise could take the hand right there but the pot is small and the game is early. Not worth the risk. Noone will have you on AK and it could set you up for a nice pot. You can also lay it down a lot easier than if you raised.

[Slim Pickens]

My answer to #2 was stupid.

[unfrgvn]

1. Assuming you are playing 5-20's, I call. I'm shown AJ or PP's j's or smaller enough to make it worthwhile.

2. Hate this flop. Here's the thing, if you flopped a 10 you aren't going to lead out at the pot, right? Everyone else assumes the same thing, so by leading out you set yourself up to get bluff raised. My line would be to check and then either call or raise if someone takes a stab at it. This looks a lot stronger, IMHO.

3. It's early, assuming you haven't lost a lot of chips on another hand, just call and see if you can flop a nice hand that you can get paid on.

[Big Bend]

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My answer to #2 was stupid.

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Why's that? Cause the huge reraise makes it likely someone has a T and I'm beat and its early and with $425 chips I should live to fight another day? I agree I think the push on the flop was prob the best move anyway.

FWIW these questions are from $22 SNGs on a Party skin. Thx!

[unfrgvn]

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My answer to #2 was stupid.

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Why's that? Cause the huge reraise makes it likely someone has a T and I'm beat and its early and with $425 chips I should live to fight another day? I agree I think the push on the flop was prob the best move anyway.

FWIW these questions are from $22 SNGs on a Party skin. Thx!

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Pushing the flop ensures that you will be called only when you are beat. In my opinion pushing is the worst play.

[Deuce2High]

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My answer to #2 was stupid.

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Why's that? Cause the huge reraise makes it likely someone has a T and I'm beat and its early and with $425 chips I should live to fight another day? I agree I think the push on the flop was prob the best move anyway.

FWIW these questions are from $22 SNGs on a Party skin. Thx!

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Pushing the flop ensures that you will be called only when you are beat. In my opinion pushing is the worst play.

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1) Just because you are going to be beat when you are called doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't push.

2) You are going to get called by worse hands about half of the time anyways in a 20+1 SnG.

[RobGW]

1) I'd call. Only 2 hands have you beat. One hand AK is a coin flip. Any other hand you have dominated. I see fools pushing all in with medium PP often enough to make this a call.

2) You are pot committed. Call this. Again, I think you will be surprised at some of the hands you'll get shown. I would consider this a good flop for me. The chances of 2 opponents hitting this flop is low. You can check or bet out on this one. If you check, do it with the intention of check-raising all in.

3) I'd call if I thought the EP player wouldn't raise again. It would also depend on how many chips you have. I suppose one could argue folding, calling, or re-raising here. I'd call with position though.

[Slim Pickens]

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My answer to #2 was stupid.

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Why's that? Cause the huge reraise makes it likely someone has a T and I'm beat and its early and with $425 chips I should live to fight another day? I agree I think the push on the flop was prob the best move anyway.

FWIW these questions are from $22 SNGs on a Party skin. Thx!

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Pushing the flop ensures that you will be called only when you are beat. In my opinion pushing is the worst play.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right on. Pushing is the absolute worst play that you could make here. I hate these situations. Don't worry so much about figuring out if someone has a ten here. If you bust, you bust. The real problem with pushing is that it doesn't allow you to win anything if your hand is the best, but lets you lose it all if it's not, so the reward doesn't justify the risk. Check and hope somone makes a second-best two pair on the turn, or feels like semibluffing a flush draw or something. In any case I don't think it's possible to fold this given the chances a ten is out against you after your preflop raise.

[MSUcougar]

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My answer to #2 was stupid.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why's that? Cause the huge reraise makes it likely someone has a T and I'm beat and its early and with $425 chips I should live to fight another day? I agree I think the push on the flop was prob the best move anyway.

FWIW these questions are from $22 SNGs on a Party skin. Thx!

[/ QUOTE ]
I'll almost guarantee that you're ahead on #2 in this situation. I'd be much more concerned about a call on that flop than a raise. I put him on a PP all the way down to like 77 in this situation. I reraise him all in and expect to win this pot 95% of the time. Do not fold AA here.

[lastchance]

I like CRing all-in with #2.

1 is a call at the low limits, a fold when you get higher up.

3 is a reraise from me personally, but calling isn't horrible.

[Slim Pickens]

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Pushing the flop ensures that you will be called only when you are beat. In my opinion pushing is the worst play.

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1) Just because you are going to be beat when you are called doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't push.

2) You are going to get called by worse hands about half of the time anyways in a 20+1 SnG.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) That doesn't apply here. There is no better hand that you could get to fold by pushing, therefore, don't push. Simple.

2) not on this flop you won't. Give people a chance to make a hand.

[pooh74]

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1) I'd call. Only 2 hands have you beat. One hand AK is a coin flip. Any other hand you have dominated. I see fools pushing all in with medium PP often enough to make this a call.

2) You are pot committed. Call this. Again, I think you will be surprised at some of the hands you'll get shown. I would consider this a good flop for me. The chances of 2 opponents hitting this flop is low. You can check or bet out on this one. If you check, do it with the intention of check-raising all in.

3) I'd call if I thought the EP player wouldn't raise again. It would also depend on how many chips you have. I suppose one could argue folding, calling, or re-raising here. I'd call with position though.

[/ QUOTE ]

What he said...

#1 is the only close one IMO...

To fold #3 on the button with those sized raises is just horrible. You can always get away from the flop, and you act last. I would not reraise here, but easy call...if raiser 1 pushes, oh well, 60 chips wasted...but this doesnt happen often enough to warrant laying down AK on the button.

[Paul2432]

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Pushing the flop ensures that you will be called only when you are beat. In my opinion pushing is the worst play.

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1) Just because you are going to be beat when you are called doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't push.

2) You are going to get called by worse hands about half of the time anyways in a 20+1 SnG.

[/ QUOTE ]

1) That doesn't apply here. There is no better hand that you could get to fold by pushing, therefore, don't push. Simple.

2) not on this flop you won't. Give people a chance to make a hand.

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What hand are people going to make? If people call a PFR it is frequently with pocket pairs trying to flop a set. A bet here gets these hands to fold. The only hand that they make beats you. Granted it is rare that a PP will spike on the turn, but often there is no upside to giving a free card.

Paul

[Slim Pickens]

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To fold #3 on the button with those sized raises is just horrible. You can always get away from the flop, and you act last. I would not reraise here, but easy call...if raiser 1 pushes, oh well, 60 chips wasted...but this doesnt happen often enough to warrant laying down AK on the button.

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Folding #3 is only horrible if you're smart enough to get away from a flop like [KT5]rainbow with action to you. AK can only win a lot of chips off worse aces, and even then the board has to be such that you only have TPTK.

The redeeming quality this situation has is that your hand is disguised. If people put you on AK after a preflop raise, you get no action when your hand is good and get cleaned out when they have it beat.

[beggars]

Interesting perspective as far as just calling. I probably don't call as often as I should but this just seems like an obvious push. I suppose the logic could be the end result is going to be the exact same regardless (he has a 10 and you bust or he doesn't and you bust him) so why push. I still don't like giving free cards if I think I'm ahead - and this a hand where you have to think you're ahead, though at at $20 sng, A10, K10, J10 are all definite possiblities.

[Slim Pickens]

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What hand are people going to make?

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1) Flush or straight draw as a semi bluff. KQs or KJs come to mind as hands people might play to a PFR.

2) Two pair. Jack or higher on the turn could very easily make someone two pair with a playable hand.

3) A PP lower than tens might think they're good if the turn comes nine or lower.

[EarlCat]

1) Easy call. I can't see higher than JJ here. With everyone else folded, I think KK or AA is more likely to just call and let you hang yourself.

2) I would have checked the flop. Given that you bet and got raised, I think you're probably pot committed. Did you have a good read on the raiser? What did the other caller do after you bet? If he called too I'm out. If not, I could go either way. Depends if the reraiser is loose, if you're seen as tight, etc. etc.

3) Call. You've got a great hand on the button. I hope you flop a K.

[pooh74]

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To fold #3 on the button with those sized raises is just horrible. You can always get away from the flop, and you act last. I would not reraise here, but easy call...if raiser 1 pushes, oh well, 60 chips wasted...but this doesnt happen often enough to warrant laying down AK on the button.

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Folding #3 is only horrible if you're smart enough to get away from a flop like [KT5]rainbow with action to you. AK can only win a lot of chips off worse aces, and even then the board has to be such that you only have TPTK.

The redeeming quality this situation has is that your hand is disguised. If people put you on AK after a preflop raise, you get no action when your hand is good and get cleaned out when they have it beat.

[/ QUOTE ]

You HAVE to be smart enough to get away from it and Im sure we've all overplayed our TPTK before and walked away with our tails between our legs to understand when is the time to push the envelope and when is not..(I actually lost this way mid SNG the other day and realized how long it had been since it had happened).

Anyway, lets assume that OP IS smart enough as he is posting here (not that this means anything, I am posting here too)...laying down AK to a t60 raise early just on principle is wrong...as well as very weak...
flame away...

[Nacarno]

[ QUOTE ]
2) I have AA UTG and raise 5x BB 75 get 2 callers. Flop TT3. Should I check here? I bet the pot appx $250, someone raises $300 more, I have $425 left. Call, raise or fold?

[/ QUOTE ]

Bet less on the flop. The pot is ~225 so I bet 150 here. At this level the players are thinking mainly about their own hands so a 150 bet does the same thing as a 250 bet. If someone comes over the top of you it's time to fold, but by betting less you have a more playable stack than if you had bet more.

[RobGW]

There is an upside. By checking you let people with a lower PP hang themselves when they bet after you check. Even if they check behind, when you bet out on the turn, they may think it is a bluff with AK because you checked the flop. Now they call with pocket 66 and you double up. The risk is a 2 outer busting you. The reward is doubling up.

[Big Bend]

[ QUOTE ]

1) Middle position 1 limper I have QQ raise 5x BB, everybody folds to big blind who goes all in 800, limper folds what do I do?

2) I have AA UTG and raise 5x BB 75 get 2 callers. Flop TT3. Should I check here? I bet the pot appx $250, someone raises $300 more, I have $425 left. Call, raise or fold?

3) I'm on button with AK os. Early player raises to 30, middle player reraises to 60, everybody else folds. My play?


[/ QUOTE ]

Howdy everybody and thanks for all the great replies!! Here is what happened.

#1 Big Blind had AA (doh!) so I lost with my QQ hand. I still like the call tho. If I had JJ or worse I fold.

#2 Middle player called my 5xBB raise with AT suited (idiot fish) and flopped trips, so I lost with my AA hand. I like the idea of checking then calling when someone takes a stab at the pot, thinking most times they'll have a lower pair and not a T.

#3 I folded my AK os to a raise then a reraise before it got to me. My thinking is I NEVER cold call raises.. either my hand is good enough for another raise or its folding time. With two raises ahead of me the thought is some of the As or Ks might already be out thus weakening my AK even more. Still, with it costing only 60 and best position and the ability to make a good laydown, I suppose it was worth a call.

L8r.. Allen