Bubble: Playing for first or spewing? ($22)

[pokergrader]

PartyPoker - NL Texas Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee Tournament | Level: 7 - 4 players (Converter: PGC (http://client.pokergrader.com))

BB is 17/7/1.6 (59)

Chip Counts:
Button: 1610 Chips
<font color="red">Hero: 2660 Chips</font>
BB: 2240 Chips
UTG: 1490 Chips

Hero is SB with T/images/graemlins/heart.gif Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif
Blinds are 150/300

PreFlop
<font color="blue">UTG folds</font>, <font color="blue">Button folds</font>
<font color="green">Hero Calls</font>, <font color="green">BB checks</font>

(2 players) FLOP: 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif J/images/graemlins/heart.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif ( Pot Size: 600 Chips )
<font color="red">Hero BETS ($500)</font>, <font color="red">BB RAISES ($1000)</font>
Hero is All-In, BB is All-In


2 Questions:

1) How is this preflop?
2) Is this played properly on the flop with 4 people left in the tourney?

[Myst]

I think you played it fine.

A more interesting discussion would result if you had 2100 chips and your opponent 2600.

[11t]

Push preflop.

Push the flop.

By not getting your chips in first you are taking an unnecessary risk.

[11t]

I think willingly taking a coinflip here is terrible.

[Slim Pickens]

I'm very tempted to push this preflop. It's fairly similar to the KJs SB hand I posted yesterday (where I like completing rather than raising), but differs in two aspects. One, QTs doesn't have the high card value KJs does. That extra pip is going to be big heads-up against a random hand. Two, BB has 7.5BB instead of 10BB. There's really not enough room left pot-odds-wise for you to fold to a reraise. I push this preflop.

I push the flop for the same reason. Never leave your opponent the illusion of having foling equity when he actually doesn't, unless you're begging for a call.

[pokergrader]

[ QUOTE ]
Push preflop.

Push the flop.

By not getting your chips in first you are taking an unnecessary risk.

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand pushing the flop, and I'm not quite sure why I didn't do that here, but why exactly am I pushing pre-flop? Im only called by hands that beat me.

And this is the only opponent where losing the hand really crippled me.

[Myst]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm very tempted to push this preflop. It's fairly similar to the KJs SB hand I posted yesterday (where I like completing rather than raising), but differs in two aspects. One, QTs doesn't have the high card value KJs does. That extra pip is going to be big heads-up against a random hand. Two, BB has 7.5BB instead of 10BB. There's really not enough room left pot-odds-wise for you to fold to a reraise. I push this preflop.

I push the flop for the same reason. Never leave your opponent the illusion of having foling equity when he actually doesn't, unless you're begging for a call.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dunno, but pushing all in looks pretty conspicuous if you ask me... 2500 in a 600 chip pot?

[ChuckyB]

He could have as many as 21 outs here. This doesn't smell like a coinflip.

[jgunnip]

[ QUOTE ]
but why exactly am I pushing pre-flop? Im only called by hands that beat me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That fact that you will only get called by hands that have you beat is not the point here since the majority of the time you push preflop you will win the pot uncontested. This coupled with the percentage of times you win when called make this play +EV

[lastchance]

Push preflop.

Barring that, check-raise all-in on the flop. Extra chips on the semibluff is always good.

Barring that, 3-bet all-in, cuz there's no way you're folding 15 near-nut outs, combined with 3 overcard outs.

You are picking up t450 chips a lot of the time here by pushing preflop. This is not a value bet. It is a semibluff. Most of your equity is coming from BB laying down, which against an average enemy player should happen 80% of the time.

[Karak567]

Push preflop, problem solved.

[pokergrader]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
but why exactly am I pushing pre-flop? Im only called by hands that beat me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That fact that you will only get called by hands that have you beat is not the point here since the majority of the time you push preflop you will win the pot uncontested. This coupled with the percentage of times you win when called make this play +EV

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand this, and use this heavily in levels 5-7 in STTs, but in this situation I've got:

1) A very healthy chip situation, considering im on the button next hand, and have 2 hands to push and scoop both the blinds (as opposed to just the BB here)
2) A decent but not great hand

It seems to me like in this situation, pushing the flop gives me everything pushing PF doesn't. If I push the flop, I not only have the FE of winning the pot right there, but I'm a favorite against most hands.

Is completing from the SB so wrong in this situation?

[lastchance]

Yes, because this flop is a great flop for you. Most of the time, it could be a 753 flop that completely hit your opponent.

Completing in the SB allows some random junk hand that would have quickly folded preflop to hit on the flop and call bets.

You need to push preflop.

Pushing the flop is a bit of an overbet for me, and I really like the check-raise all-in line.

Being on the bubble I'm assuming the table has tightened up a bit. I would have raised especially cuz only the BB is left.
He'll play any two cards for free could be 23 of hearts or ak o hearts.

[ilya]

Push preflop,

but given that you didn't, I don't like betting out like that on the flop. Couple problems:

1, he flat calls, turn is a blank, now wtf do you do?
2, he raises just like he did, you have to 3-bet all-in, but you've gotten him way too involved in the hand &amp; have little folding equity on the 3rd bet.

I'm not a huge fan of pushing here as it looks pretty weak, so I think the check-raise-all-in is a good line. Good balance of looking strong &amp; getting some extra chips &amp; leaving villain lots of room to fold.

[pokergrader]

[ QUOTE ]
Push preflop,

but given that you didn't, I don't like betting out like that on the flop. Couple problems:

1, he flat calls, turn is a blank, now wtf do you do?
2, he raises just like he did, you have to 3-bet all-in, but you've gotten him way too involved in the hand &amp; have little folding equity on the 3rd bet.

I'm not a huge fan of pushing here as it looks pretty weak, so I think the check-raise-all-in is a good line. Good balance of looking strong &amp; getting some extra chips &amp; leaving villain lots of room to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Alright, I got it now. Push pre-flop it is. And I see how the CR line on the flop beats pushing.

[fisherman112]

calling preflop isnt terrible, but definitely check raise all in on the flop. it looks like a much strong hand than the way you played it. a c/r gets him to dump a 9, this way he's committed.

[pokergrader]

[ QUOTE ]
calling preflop isnt terrible, but definitely check raise all in on the flop. it looks like a much strong hand than the way you played it. a c/r gets him to dump a 9, this way he's committed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just for closure, he was playing 94o, with the 4 of hearts.

[45suited]

1) Push pre-flop

2) I really don't like the C/R on this flop. Granted we have a huge draw, but on the bubble, I'd rather just take the pot down than have villain catch a piece of the flop and feel pot committed to call my push.

If pushing the flop smells like an overbet, fine, then I'll rely on my huge draw if he wishes to call. But I'm not really into squeezing every last chip out of pots during bubble play, especially when I still do not have a made hand. Taking down the 600 on the flop after pushing is not a bad result here.

Keep in mind that the 600 already in the pot represents 1/4 of hero's stack. I don't see why we are trying to encourage so much action while on the bubble.