Vee Quiva
04-19-2005, 10:46 AM
I don't agree with this strategy in the hand example 2-6 starting on page 75. Here is the text:
You are on the button with $3440 in chips and the chip leader in single table tournament. You have Ace-Queen offsuit. Blinds are $50-100.
First 2 players fold. Player C with $1600 calls 100. C is an aggressive player. Player D with $630 calls 100. D is a conservative player. Action is to you.
Harrington recommends raising and I agree. Here is where the advice becomes debatable.
He assumes that you just raise 2x the blind to 200. The Small Blind who started the hand with $320 goes all in for his last $270. The Big Blind folds. Players C and D call the additional $220. The pot is now $1260 and action is to you. It costs $120 to call. What do you do?
Here is Harrington's answer:
[ QUOTE ]
"The small blind is now in the main pot with whatever he has. Players C and D have both been given two opportunities to raise, and neither has done so. Few players have the patience and sheer cold-bloodedness to slowplay a big pair through two raises at the table. You have to assume that both are nursing small pairs or drawing hands.
Now is the time to strike and go all-in. You'll almost certainly knock out Player C. Just because you've characterized a player as "aggressive" doesn't mean he has a death wish. Your're forcing him to put his whole stack in jeopardy against a player who has raised him twice. That's not likely. Player D might call you in the side pot since he'll have only $300 left if he folds. But that's all right, since you're a favorite if he holds a drawing hand, and at worst you're a slight underdog if he holds a small pair.
If you can knock out both Players C and D with this move, you've gained a huge amount of equity. At that point you'll have invested $325 for a shot at a pot of $1,275 where you're almost certainly a favorite."
[/ QUOTE ]
Here's my opinion on this:
First of all I would give the small blind a little more credit for a good hand here. He has seen a raise in front of him. If he wants to he can wait 5 more hands for free for a better opportunity to go all in.
Also you know a raise will be called by D and he only has $300 more to win left in his stack. Why risk getting called by player C?
I think the better strategy would be to call the raise and hopefully check down the hand. You have one player all in and another player is will be all in if another bet is made. There is nothing to win in the side pot so why bother betting to create one?
Plus going all in is only going to narrow the field by 1. Not much of an advantage.
You are on the button with $3440 in chips and the chip leader in single table tournament. You have Ace-Queen offsuit. Blinds are $50-100.
First 2 players fold. Player C with $1600 calls 100. C is an aggressive player. Player D with $630 calls 100. D is a conservative player. Action is to you.
Harrington recommends raising and I agree. Here is where the advice becomes debatable.
He assumes that you just raise 2x the blind to 200. The Small Blind who started the hand with $320 goes all in for his last $270. The Big Blind folds. Players C and D call the additional $220. The pot is now $1260 and action is to you. It costs $120 to call. What do you do?
Here is Harrington's answer:
[ QUOTE ]
"The small blind is now in the main pot with whatever he has. Players C and D have both been given two opportunities to raise, and neither has done so. Few players have the patience and sheer cold-bloodedness to slowplay a big pair through two raises at the table. You have to assume that both are nursing small pairs or drawing hands.
Now is the time to strike and go all-in. You'll almost certainly knock out Player C. Just because you've characterized a player as "aggressive" doesn't mean he has a death wish. Your're forcing him to put his whole stack in jeopardy against a player who has raised him twice. That's not likely. Player D might call you in the side pot since he'll have only $300 left if he folds. But that's all right, since you're a favorite if he holds a drawing hand, and at worst you're a slight underdog if he holds a small pair.
If you can knock out both Players C and D with this move, you've gained a huge amount of equity. At that point you'll have invested $325 for a shot at a pot of $1,275 where you're almost certainly a favorite."
[/ QUOTE ]
Here's my opinion on this:
First of all I would give the small blind a little more credit for a good hand here. He has seen a raise in front of him. If he wants to he can wait 5 more hands for free for a better opportunity to go all in.
Also you know a raise will be called by D and he only has $300 more to win left in his stack. Why risk getting called by player C?
I think the better strategy would be to call the raise and hopefully check down the hand. You have one player all in and another player is will be all in if another bet is made. There is nothing to win in the side pot so why bother betting to create one?
Plus going all in is only going to narrow the field by 1. Not much of an advantage.