$20+2 Calling a push with A3s

[Freudian]

Read on SB. Solid player. Had been pushing from button and SB the two orbits before this. It was getting pretty old.

Autocall or autofold?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (6 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

SB (t1025)
Hero (t2490)
UTG (t1240)
MP (t1170)
CO (t1150)
Button (t925)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, SB pushes [t1025] , Hero calls t875.

[junkmail3]

I don't mind calling, given the circumstances.

[johnnybeef]

keep on making calls like that and you will be doomed at the 22s for forever

[Freudian]

Alternatively he will be doomed to the 22s if he keeps making pushes like that. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[jcm4ccc]

I've been doing this kind of call a lot lately and it hasn't been working out for me. I'm interested in what others say. Maybe it's just a small sample size.

Given your read and stack size, however, I think it's an autocall. I would say that there's a 90% chance that your Ace is higher than his highest card and your 3 is lower than his lowest card. So you're about 60-40 to win this pot, I think.

Without your read, I don't know. Probably a fold. The majority of people on the $22s would only push in this situation if they actually had something.

[Freudian]

What he had:
<font color="white">JTo

After this I was big enough to dominate the table and I had 6k chips with 3 left</font>

[pooh74]

regardless of your read, how could you call this? There are no hands you are a huge favorite over barring K3, A2, .....23o

even mid suited connectors are a coinflip...if the blinds were 100-200 I would still fold this. 200-400? call

Your odds are just no good with 75-150 blinds and even if you can put him on any two, my hunch says this call is a bad one...ICM be damned (im sure the math will agree given even a loose push range).

Think about stack sizes here too, let the blinds go up another level and take that decent stack of yours (the one you didnt lose to the SB because you called with A3) and make back 3 fold with just a couple of steals...they WILL fear you.

[Freudian]

I don't need to be huge favourite. The pot is laying me good enough odds.

I think it is a leak of the forum pushbots to have gigantic pushranges but still maintain their supertight calling ranges despite knowing what pushing ranges the other players have. Why focus on only one part of the equation?

Perhaps I would get more support for this line if I claim I did it to gain a "block".

[11t]

I love spite calling.

I'd like to have AT+ to call here but if he is obviously pushing any 2 I might call here if I had like 500 more chips. I would be surprised if he pushes your BB the next few orbits.

[pooh74]

I don't want to address your ulterior motives here for that reply bc it has nothing to do with me. But it does seem you question was less of a question and more of an argument seeker perhaps...?

Its a simple gap problem you have above. Him pushing with "bad hands" is relevant here but not last word...the pot is NOT laying you good enough odds IMO and if the blinds were higher then I would call. At his point of the tourney I really want to save my FE for the meaty blinds which arrive shortly.

[junkmail3]

$20+2

-plus-

Had been pushing from button and SB the two orbits before this

-plus-

SB (t1025)
Hero (t2490)
UTG (t1240)
MP (t1170)
CO (t1150)
Button (t925)

-plus-

SB pushes [t1025]

-equals-

CALL.

It's obvious villian is stealing. It's likely he has no Ace and no piar. This makes you a favorite.

T2490 is not enough to win with after the bubble.

If you lose, you're practically tied for second with everyone except villian. And there's a good chance you can still make the money.

So, I like calling, being a favorite (however small), and positioning myself to be able to concentrate on first place.

Without these situations, I'd probably fold. But these situations are here. If you're not calling this, you're telling me that you don't rely on reads.

[Freudian]

You need to win this 42% of the time. And A3s is definately doing that against someone who pushes a wide range.

Other considerations. Folding all the time will only tell people that they can have my blinds anytime they want. After calling this my blind was attacked once throughout the whole game (my big stack was a deterrent also of course).

I think there is a weird symbiotic relationship solid players have. You push, I fold. Snapping them off is something that has worked great for me. Sure, sometimes they win with their K6 by catching something. But that is a risk I take when pushing a wide range also.

Not adjusting to their pushing range is a leak. The gap concept still applies of course.

[lastchance]

Yeah, except no one pushes this range at the $22's (or very few people). I really think he needs to be pushing a lot of hands for this to be profitable. He's probably pushing that.

[Shillx]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't need to be huge favourite. The pot is laying me good enough odds.

I think it is a leak of the forum pushbots to have gigantic pushranges but still maintain their supertight calling ranges despite knowing what pushing ranges the other players have. Why focus on only one part of the equation?

Perhaps I would get more support for this line if I claim I did it to gain a "block".

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. Folding this hand is pretty bad against the player you describe. If he knows how to play this game at all, he will be pushing with T9/J8+/Q5+/Kx/Ax since it is +EV for him to do so...even if his cards were face up. Against this range you are over 50% to win so you pretty much have to call here. It would be different if your tournament was over if you called and lost, but since you would still have plenty of chips you have to take a stand here with the read that you have. Save these kinds of folds for when the pusher either bust you or do significant damage to your stack. Take a stand here.

Brad