Button AQo vs a raiser

[theghost]

10+1

Forgive me if this post is boring or simple. I am trying to find my footing coming from limit, and need to get opinions on some basics. This felt like a "big fold" to me. Raiser has been making their share of raises in position, but was showing down some big hands (AKs, for example).

I lost this tourney. Doubled up to 1500 early with KK, then went card dead and got blinded away. Any time I had a decent stealing hand (almost never in this particular game), this guy had already raised it up so I was screwed.

This AQ was quite literally the only playable hand I saw, but it seemed like there was a good chance I could lose a lot with it in this situation. I also had no way of knowing that I wouldn't get any hands after this one, obviously.

I think this fold was very tight, especially against a minraise, especially on the button. I don't think I like it. Your thoughts appreciated.

This hand was early in stage 4:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (8 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP2 (t1490)
CO (t1305)
Hero (t1410)
SB (t1130)
BB (t570)
UTG (t825)
UTG+1 (t640)
MP1 (t630)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises to t200</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>.

Final Pot: t350

[Rosencrantz1]

I think this is a really bad fold here. You are in position and very likely going to be playing this heads up.

The min-raise may very well just be a steal attempt or perhaps a marginal hand (suited connectors, that kind of thing) which you are ahead of.

I would re-raise here, 3-4xBB. The re-raise will likely push out the blinds and help you define CO's hand. You may win the pot right here if he was stealing with something poor or, at the very least, get a better sense of his hand.

If he plays with you, your position will really help you after the flop.

[Raiser]

Call

200 chips isn't going to kill you and you have a very good hand and position to decide what to do on the flop.

[Rosencrantz1]

[ QUOTE ]
Call

200 chips isn't going to kill you and you have a very good hand and position to decide what to do on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the problem with calling is it won't help define CO's hand and it won't help push out the blinds...

[pipes]

All in.

[theghost]

[ QUOTE ]
All in.

[/ QUOTE ]
Are you serious?

[pipes]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
All in.

[/ QUOTE ]
Are you serious?

[/ QUOTE ]

IMO Yes, because around 80% of the time it results in a fold and you pick up 350 chips easy. But most of the time, I do this from the blinds. But I play the 100s, so people lay down more hands here, specifically the medium pairs, which you want.

But I like a fold more than a call or reraise that is not in.

But even when I'm called, I'm surprisingly ahead alot of the times.

[kyro]

What I would do in order...

1) Call. The problem with this is you've got the blinds behind you left to act.

2) Fold. Blind/Stack ratio is awkward. AQ isn't a monster 8-handed and just moving on can't be all wrong.

3) All-in. Pushing can't be either. I think what separates this from the fold is your read on CO. If he's done this a couple times or has been a little loose, I like the push better. If he's been tighter, I lean towards fold.

4) Raise. Yuck. Raising to 400-500 doesn't do much because I can't see him folding for a couple hundred more since he's already raised it up. Any more you raise basically pot commits you. This is the worst of the 4 IMO by far.

The first 3 are very close and would depend on many factors (as it always does.) Your fold may not have been "optimal" but I certainly don't dislike it.

[theghost]

Yeah - a non all-in raise doesn't leave me with enough to work with postflop.

Calling entices the blinds to play, so I'm not in love with that one.

Fold is a fold.

I guess I like the all-in too. I hate to risk my whole stack on a hand like AQo, but I think in this situation I was probably either ahead or in coinflipsville *if* he called.

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

Raise, you might pick up the pot right there. if he calls, bets on the flop, and flop does not help you... fold. you still would have an ok stack. If he re-raises preflop, fold. you also have position after the flop, another big advantage.

[Atropos]

I would push all-in because:

a) Calling entices the SB/BB to play as well. With these shallow stacks its very difficult to play postflop, at least for me. One bad beat and you cant fold top pair hand types anymore, which sucks.

b) Reraising small only leads to autguess yourself. If he pushes he probably has you beat and you can fold, or not? If he pushes the flop, was it a stop-n-go to extract value or a pocket pair or weaker ace trying to get tricky? For me this is very difficult to see.

c) Pushing all-in is very effective when done for the first time, he might fold hands like small pocket pairs.

[apples]

You have a strong hand and position against a minraise. I don't see a fold here at all. I call and play position. I think if you don't play stuff like this you could get blinded out a lot.

[11t]

I don't like the fold, the min raise from the CO is typically a sign of weakness or extreme strength.

I push here almost 100% of the time and shrug it off when they show down AA.

[pipes]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah - a non all-in raise doesn't leave me with enough to work with postflop.

Calling entices the blinds to play, so I'm not in love with that one.

Fold is a fold.

I guess I like the all-in too. I hate to risk my whole stack on a hand like AQo, but I think in this situation I was probably either ahead or in coinflipsville *if* he called.

[/ QUOTE ]

The all in vs fold decision is based on your read and risk tolerance.

Like a poster down below says a min raise late is either weakness or a monster.

But be very careful of a larger raise, like 300 or 350. Basically what the player is 'telling' the table that he is playing for all of his chips there if someone comes over the top. Hands like JJ or QQ likely here.

[curtains]

I would go allin. Of course it's never pleasant to move allin with a healthy stack to win something that doesn't seem so signifigant. However your hand is just too powerful here. Calling for 1/6th of your stack is incredibly weak and I hate it. I don't think this is at all a close decision btw. You will be called rarely, and when you are, you will sometimes be either a coin flip or ahead. Folding/Calling is too weak tight.