In the money - what's your play?

[dlw1912]

NL Texas Hold'em $10 Buy-in + $1 Entry Fee Trny:14465561 Level:6 Blinds(100/200) - Monday, August 01, 22:54:59 EDT 2005
Table Table 12919 (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 5: AlwaysPlayin ( $785 )
Seat 6: wareagle3402 ( $4285 )
Seat 3: HERO( $2930 )
Trny:14465561 Level:6
Blinds(100/200)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to HERO [ 5h 5d ]
wareagle3402 raises [800].
HERO...

I have only been playing about a month. In this game I'm already in the money and typically I like to play for first. But in this situation the third player only has 785 chips. How would you play this hand against the bigger stack? Thanks.

[lastchance]

I think Button is somewhat laggy. I've got 55, which is awesome 3-handed, and there's a lot of chips in the middle.

All-in, over the top.

[dlw1912]

Thanks for the reply. I went all in, he called with Ad9d and caught a 9 on the flop to win.

[curtains]

Folding this should be fine. Depends on some things, but my normal play would be to fold. It's a close enough call where you can fold and try to secure 2nd place.

[Maulik]

I like what curtains said best. But I'm very aggressive so I may push over the top.

I play a lot of $11 single tables. To me it seem like a fold. The big stack (wareagle) had a good enough hand to try to knock out the short stack (Always). The blinds aren't really high enough in comparison with wareagles stack for it to benefit him by trying to buy them with such a large bet. Its very likely the best you could be looking at is a coin flip, so I think you fold here, hope Always calls and loses, otherwise he has less than 8 hands left and you have 2nd.

[tigerite]

Yeah, a fold is okay here. However 77+ I believe I'm pushing back at him. Certainly 88+.

I think that these are the three options in the best order:
1)Fold: 55, while likely the best hand is just too weak to risk busting out third when short stack has only 3 or 4 bb left. Even a hand as weak as A6 or any two overcards is a coinflip.
2) Call: I know this seems like a weak play, but if you're in the bb (which I think you are), it's only 600 more to call. This leaves you with 2100 or about 3 times the small stack. If you flop a set you just need to figure out how to maximize. If you miss, but it's a safe flop, you may want to try a stop and go and take down a 1600 pot. If you decide that you just are done with the hand, you are still in a strong position to wait out the shortstack, and you gave yourself an opportunity to take the chip lead.
3) Push all in--The only way you are happy is if he makes a terrible call with a lower pp. This makes the shortstack's day.

[danger_mouse]

Considering the very small stack, it is best to fold in this situation. The only time I'd come over the top with 55 is when the small stack is much larger in comparison to me, AND the big stack had showed a propensity to steal my blind.

[Isura]

[ QUOTE ]
2) Call: I know this seems like a weak play, but if you're in the bb (which I think you are), it's only 600 more to call. This leaves you with 2100 or about 3 times the small stack. If you flop a set you just need to figure out how to maximize. If you miss, but it's a safe flop, you may want to try a stop and go and take down a 1600 pot. If you decide that you just are done with the hand, you are still in a strong position to wait out the shortstack, and you gave yourself an opportunity to take the chip lead.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think calling is the worst option. You have to be really confident in your postflop play to call here, and still it's very marginal imo.

[ QUOTE ]
3) Push all in--The only way you are happy is if he makes a terrible call with a lower pp. This makes the shortstack's day.

[/ QUOTE ]

No. I am very happy when the big stack folds to my push too.

[playtitleist]

I have never done this (no gonads and just too newb to know when to/not use it), but would anybody consider a stop-n-go here?

[mmbt0ne]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
I have never done this (no gonads and just too newb to know when to/not use it), but would anybody consider a stop-n-go here?

[/ QUOTE ]

Here, no. Why bother? Sure, talk about playing for first all you want, but small stack is really small (&lt; 3BB if he folds here) while you have more than 14BB if you fold in the SB here. You can be almost assured 2nd so long as you don't take any unnecessary risks. Playing 55 too strong here is an unnecessary risk.