Does anybody like this push?

[octaveshift]

So I am dissecting a few HHs and I came across this hand. My thought was that the blinds are nearly on me, and the SB+BB were both tight. I think getting desperate before I really need to panic is a huge leak for me, but I think this one might be OK. Does anyone else push here? (I had decided to push regardless of my hole cards, BTW.)

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (5 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

SB (t2741)
BB (t1619)
UTG (t1740)
MP (t755)
Hero (t1145)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t1145 (All-In)</font>

[Bigwig]

If the blinds are going up again before they hit you, I like this push a lot. Regardless of that, I think it's fine.

[Rootabager]

Get it in there! I would rather have 26 than k2.

[kyro]

yeah, it's good.

[kyro]

[ QUOTE ]
Get it in there! I would rather have 26 than k2.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's no wonder you're running at 210%

[octaveshift]

[ QUOTE ]
If the blinds are going up again before they hit you, I like this push a lot. Regardless of that, I think it's fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the feedback. They actually weren't set to jump for 6 hands. Out of curiosity, would you push any 2 here, or are you more inclined to do it with Ax?

(Just curious how other people play.)

[Bigwig]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If the blinds are going up again before they hit you, I like this push a lot. Regardless of that, I think it's fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

They actually weren't set to jump for 6 hands. Out of curiosity, would you push any 2 here, or are you more inclined to do it with Ax?

[/ QUOTE ]

If they aren't going up for 6 hands, I'm not in push any 2 mode yet. Perhaps this is a leak of mine, but I prefer to get a minimally favorite hand over the remaining random hands at this point. K2 is a minimal favorite here, BTW.

[MastiffPaul]

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps this is a leak of mine, but I prefer to get a minimally favorite hand over the remaining random hands at this point. K2 is a minimal favorite here, BTW.

[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience, many players at lower limits are willing to make loose calls with any ace. Though OP is at that tricky twilight moment between comfort and panic, with the blinds threatening to raise and with his stack threatening to diminish, OP can afford to wait--in my opinion--for a better hand. It is likely enough that he will be called by a better hand that it is not worth it to steal the blinds here.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
In my experience, many players at lower limits are willing to make loose calls with any ace. Though OP is at that tricky twilight moment between comfort and panic, with the blinds threatening to raise and with his stack threatening to diminish, OP can afford to wait--in my opinion--for a better hand. It is likely enough that he will be called by a better hand that it is not worth it to steal the blinds here.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree 100% if this game is at the 11s.

Then again, Mr. 210% says push, so now I'm not so sure... /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[sahala]

[ QUOTE ]
Get it in there! I would rather have 26 than k2.

[/ QUOTE ]

Explain?

Edit: nevermind I saw the other thread you started. nh.

[joeboe2001]

Hmmmmmmm...

SB and BB are tight. Note who is leading the tournament.

There may be somethng to be learned here.

Your push may well earn you 300 TC. A smaller bet--about half your stack--is just as likely to do the same thing, and if it does not (just an A will give either of your opponents both good cause to call you and a clear advantage over you) you will still be in the game.

Perhaps more important to whether you should push here is information about your play to date--if you have been playing tight, your chips will carry much more weight.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
A smaller bet--about half your stack--is just as likely to do the same thing, and if it does not (just an A will give either of your opponents both good cause to call you and a clear advantage over you) you will still be in the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yuck... I don't like this at all. /images/graemlins/frown.gif Push or fold, depending on my read of the blinds. I lean toward folding here, but would not argue strongly with pushing.

[vinyard]

[ QUOTE ]

Yuck... I don't like this at all

[/ QUOTE ]

Good. You shouldn't like it. Its crap.

[vinyard]

I will reiterate what others wrote. I think the K2o push is a good one (and with, say K5 or K6 should be a reflex) but I would not be pushing any two here. I don't know where my cutoff is to be honest but its not an any two situation to me.

[curtains]

You should push here.

[Scuba Chuck]

OP, I have a question for you.

"What is your reason not to push?"

Also, what calling hand ranges do you put villain(s) on? In your OP, you said that villains were both tight. I'm sure some math will answer your question(s).

[octaveshift]

My playing style is 99% straightforward TAG at the 10s and 20s. As such, I rarely (if ever) get caught showing down junk on the first 4 levels.

I keep close tabs on my opponents, and I am *usually* the tightest at the table, seeing about 15% of flops.

Unfortunately, I don't think most players at the low levels are observant enough to even notice. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[curtains]

btw against almost all opponents you should be pushing with any 2 cards here.

[octaveshift]

[ QUOTE ]

"What is your reason not to push?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Great question. I don't really have one.

1. I can't expect to find a better spot, considering both of the tighties are on the blinds, and it's just me VS. them.

2. Waiting for someone to bust before making a move is a bad idea, because I don't like going to the bubble with no FE.

[ QUOTE ]
Also, what calling hand ranges do you put villain(s) on?

[/ QUOTE ]

99+, AT+ if I had to guess.

[ QUOTE ]
In your OP, you said that villains were both tight. I'm sure some math will answer your question(s).

[/ QUOTE ]

I really need to buy Eastbay's program now that I have switched to PC from Mac.

Thanks for your input Scuba.

[vinyard]

So I just did some messing with SnGPT and it looks like this is a clear push even with 72o unless you put the SB on a really wide range. The BB has to fold all but premium hands to your push (I can't see him calling with worse than 66+, ATs, AJo, etc)

I am a little shocked to be honest.

[DasLeben]

This seems standard to me. You have good position with two tight players yet to act. I'm sure that the math will say that pushing any two is the correct course of action here. The reason I don't like waiting is that you're going to be taking t300 worth of blinds coming up shortly. If you don't snag a good hand before the blinds, you're going to lose a large portion of your stack. That doesn't sound fun at all.

If this isn't correct, well, that'd explain my recent downswing. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[joeboe2001]

Assuming you are playing one tournament at a time and trying to maximize your winnings in the long run AND that you give your remaining opponents some credit for the skills and/or luck that got them where they are, I would still recommend raising to about 3 BB versus pushing, or, better yet, folding.

K-2 is only about a 60% favorite over the worst starting hands, 50-50 against even a 9-7. It is dominated by many, many hands, and here you have at least two chances of that being the case.

If your push is called and you lose here you are out of the tourneament. If your raise is called here and you lose you are still in the tournament. Better yet, if you just fold the K-2 and play as tightly as the 2 tight opponents who are ahead of you, the likelihood that you will, before you are blinded out, have a better hand to push with is high.

Yes, you may be blinded down to nothing once in a while, and even your better hand may lose. But this strategy (pushing any two) is going to fail about half of the time, probably more often if the SB and the BB have you covered, as they do here.

[DasLeben]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, you may be blinded down to nothing once in a while, and even your better hand may lose. But this strategy (pushing any two) is going to fail about half of the time

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, it fails about 11.9% of the time against tight players. Actually, considerably less than that, since even 72o doesn't always lose to bigger hands. Against the 66+, ATs+, AJo+ calling range, 72o wins roughly 22.5% of the time. So, this move conceivably works more than ~90% of the time against tight players.

[tminus]

i push if (1) they think im tight and (2) i haven't done so within the last two hands

you have folding equity in SB and BB plus MP is probably waiting for his turn at the button to steal

i can see why you posted this...i hate being midstack like this 5 handed