Risking my stack preflop on level 1 with mediocre hand

[act]

$215 tournament. Third hand of the torunament, one player has busted out but the players remaning in this hand all have stacks of 1000. Blinds are 10/15.


I have no reads on the players yet.

4 players limp to me in late position and i find 99. I consider just limping in hoping to flop trips, but decide that a decent sized raise should get me the pot (which i dont mind) or get me heads up agianst what is probably a lower pair or two overcards.

I raise to 125 - app 8*bb.

To my dislike the button calls. Now the two first limpers fold, but the third limper goes all-in!

WHAT???

I just couldnt belive he had a big pair. I would never limp after two limpers with a high pair. I thought maybe AK who was hoping for a raise behind him so that he could go all - in or maybe 22-TT who for some reason didnt put me on a high pair.

What about mr. button then? I was worried about him. He could have a very high pair, hoping to trap me if everybody folded to my raise, or he could have AK, AQ or maybe a lower pair.

What to do? I decided to call.

What would have been my best move? Flame away.

Results in white below.


<font color="white"> I grid me teeth and call. Button calls. Early raiser turns over AK and button turns over AQ. Early raiser wins with a straight. </font>

[lastchance]

I like limping and flopping sets very much here. I don't like the raise preflop.

If you can't fold 99 to a cold-call and raise all-in, you should not be playing the $215's.

[curtains]

act - I just call preflop. Raising here is an extremely volitile play, and this isn't usually something you're looking for in sit and go's.

[curtains]

Also, you should work on manipulating the game to make it easier. Raising to 125 with 99 on hand 3 and calling an allin is just absurd IMO. Just limp preflop and you have no headaches and still a very +EV situation.

[freemoney]

thats really bad advice. u played the hand ok, i play aggro and will occasionally find myself in same situations, each decision you made had sound and correct reasoning, its not a great situation, but if br is not a concern and u can jst fire up another 1 then no big deal.

[lastchance]

[ QUOTE ]
thats really bad advice. u played the hand ok, i play aggro and will occasionally find myself in same situations, each decision you made had sound and correct reasoning, its not a great situation, but if br is not a concern and u can jst fire up another 1 then no big deal.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, you're right. I read things a bit too quickly... A lot of people go apeshit when you raise after their limps with nothing. AK-AQ are all good here. I don't see how you don't get shown TT or JJ here though, and unless Villain is a big donk, I doubt you're seeing 77-22. Plus, when Button could always have a really good hand.

[freemoney]

i dont think hero played the hand well at all either, i often raise pre with hands like this to like 75, i almost always fold to the push unless im running really good that day and say [censored] it lets gamble.

[curtains]

btw I didn't even read that one of the limpers pushed /images/graemlins/smile.gif I just saw that someone pushed and you called. Of course this makes it more reasonable, but okay I just don't like the original raise. However this stuff is often a matter of style. Mine is to not build giant pots early on with medium strength hands.

[act]

Thanks for the replies.
I am experimenting with different styles. I grew up plying limit hold'em and i am still trying to find my NL style. /images/graemlins/confused.gif

I dont like the posters who seem to always reply "you shouldnt be playing at this level if you...". I know im probably losing at this point, but i am willing to pay to learn. Maybe one day i can win the $215's.

I think it is true that raising here makes it more volatile which is probably not a good thing (but not as bad as it would be in a tournament where my expected roi was actually positive lol). It would have been an easy fold for me if it was the button or the first limper who went all.in, but the fact that it was the third limper made me confused.


Not raising in the first place would have kept me out of this mess /images/graemlins/blush.gif