Comments on SNG play...

[blk911]

Details: SNG, 4 players left, 100/200, chip leader 3300 on the button, me 1200 sitting to his right...

I get AK and bet 200, thinking I want to see the flop to ensure my strong raise post flop. He spins it on me, goes all in...I contemplate for 20 seconds because 1) I am 1 out of the money, 2) I hate SNG all in play w/o seeing the flop (burnt toast too many times with good openers).

I go All In, he drops 5pair. I catch air, nada...done. 4th.

So, comments?

I think I made the right call. Short-handed game, I am a better than average 1 on 1 player, I had top pair w/top kicker possibility, top trips with top kicker should a pr of A or K hit the table. Conversely, med chip count could have played another 10 hands minimum if I would have folded to his strong bet?

comments...thanks!

[sabre170]

4-handed, AK is a monster. Pushing or calling his push are both fine. You have a win a coinflip now and then to make the money, but you did not make a mistake by calling all in.

Sabre170

[hummusx]

I think you probably should have just pushed pre-flop. He may have called anyway, but as the big stack there are surely a number of hands that he folds to your all-in that he would call a mere 200 chips for. 2/3 of the time you are going to miss the flop completely - are you going to push on the flop? With only 6BB left and looking at AK, I think you should be trying to take his 200, not get fancy.

[hummusx]

Oops, yeah forgot to say that calling the all-in was a no brainer. He could be doing that with a very wide range of hands, and anyway if I'm counting the chips right there should be his 1200 + your 400 = 1600 to your 800 to call. That makes this an easy call every time.

[valenzuela]

U have to push, maybe he would have folded those 5s.

[blk911]

[ QUOTE ]
...With only 6BB left and looking at AK, I think you should be trying to take his 200, not get fancy.

[/ QUOTE ]

So you are saying that an All In to steal the 200 is the better play? I can get that because I did that with hole Q's about 5 hands earlier but on that play, I was in front of the BB (left of).

[boedeker]

im all in here ever time if i accidently hit the call button im slobbering when he moves in.

after the hand i would probably say a few choice words about never winning a coinflip then open 4 knew sngs.

[blk911]

[ QUOTE ]
im all in here ever time if i accidently hit the call button im slobbering when he moves in.

after the hand i would probably say a few choice words about never winning a coinflip then open 4 knew sngs.

[/ QUOTE ]

hahahahahahah! hahahahahah!!!!

4 new SNG's! Thanks! that is encouraging!!! SERIOUSLY!!! I was pissed but my post stomped head noise was 'could I have played it differently and won'...

...gotta go...the screens are popping up and I need to arrange them on my flat panel...! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[EnderFFX]

[ QUOTE ]

So you are saying that an All In to steal the 200 is the better play? I can get that because I did that with hole Q's about 5 hands earlier but on that play, I was in front of the BB (left of).

[/ QUOTE ]

From my experience, if I push with AK, i often get people to fold 22-55 but people will call with dominated hands such as AQ, AJ, and sometimes KQ. If the flop misses you with AK, you have a tough decision to make. I'd rather not make that decision late in the game when I had the best hand pre-flop.

With QQ it is completely different, I don't push this 4 handed because I can get tricky. I want all the low pairs to call so I don't push. If an A or K spikes on the flop, I have a decision to make. Anything other than an A or a K and I am planning on trying to take the maximum from my opponent. Flop comes 952, and an opponent has TT, JJ, A9, AK, and he is pushing in all those situations and in all of those situations you are way ahead.

[hummusx]

I agree, with QQ UTG what I really want is 1 caller with a weak hand, lower PP is perfect but I'm not going to be too picky. It's tough because you have the '10BB or less' rule, but AA,KK,QQ I'm probably going to violate that in hopes of winning a few more chips.

[Tilt]

My advice:

Push this preflop.
Push lots of hands preflop if folded to you. A8+, 55+, KQ is a good range if people call often. If they fold often push many more hands.
Do not minraise or call at this point. The only exception might be AA. If you only push hands they are just as likely to call you when you have a monster as when you do not.

Oh and if you get all in, suckout on them. Spike your ace. Send him packing. Don't let 55 hold up. Thats a coin flip and you should win every time. I cracked aces 3 times last night with garbage. If I can do that, you ought to at least make AK a winner.

[valenzuela]

I dont get tricky pre-flop is an image thing, if a good player realizes u dont push aces and u push K3 ure in trouble for the rest of ur life against him. Even avg.players will realize ur not pushing ur stronger hands(short-term image). Even so if uve been pushing a lot lately & suddenly u min-raise good players( even though their one or two on each loow buyin sng) will know u have a monster.

[11t]

You played this hand terrible, push preflop.

[Van Strummer]

According to tournament poker for advanced players, it is usually correct to move in with AK if your stack is 2-5 times what is already in the pot. I think you should have pushed here, probably avoiding some 50/50 situations.

[MSUcougar]

You need to increase your aggression around the bubble. Your ONLY plays preflop at this point in the tourney should be push or fold. In my opinion, limping on the bubble is never the correct play.

With AK in this spot I am pushing preflop 100% of the time. I'd be very content to pick up the 300 in blinds, or even better get a call from a smaller A.

In this particular instance, big stack would probably still call you with 55, but that's just how it goes.

[blk911]

Thank you all for the varying perspectives.

My take away is the quasi-limp-in w/AK needs to be ratchetted up to aggressive; particularly in a 4 hander...

Point taken...and implimented last nite. Much more successful in getting out the marginal high card callers and the PP players. One occasion grabbed a few chips, the other grabbed all his coins (holding suited junk...he's obviously not a 2+2 reader /images/graemlins/smile.gif )

blk

[luckyplayer]

I don't think anybody has commented on this yet, but if you hate the all-in play, maybe these things are not for you. The whole point of winning strategy with these things is knowing when and when not to push/call pushes. This is essentially a push game with a little no limit holdem thrown into the first 3-4 rounds.

Ring games and/or multi table tourneys may be more of what you're looking for.