down to 3-handed...JT off in SB

[tripdad]

this is my first post in quite a while in this forumn...thanks in adveance for any responses.

this is a 44 person tourney, and we are down to 3 handed. this is a weekly tourney ($55 buy-in)...live, and i think the following may be pertinent to the situation: each week, $100 of the prize pool is taken out for an end of year freeroll. the top 2 players each week get a seat in the freeroll at the end of the year. the freeroll will have a total prize pool of $5000. there should be around 45-50 players in the freeroll (guess).

here's this weeks situation: 1st pays $800, 2nd $475, 3rd $275. i am in the SB (T36400), the player in the BB has T20000, and the button has T18000. myself and the BB already have a seat in the freeroll. button does not yet have a seat. button has not played a hand since we went to 3 handed, about 8 hands, i guess. the BB has not played against any raises by me yet, either.

blinds are 2K/4K. i am dealt JTo in the SB. button folds, i raise to T12000, effectively ensuring the BB will fold, or play for all his chips. dumb play? would a limp be better? fold?

cheers!

[handsome]

The "freeroll" entry is worth ~$100 but it's irrelevant.

Anyway, the blinds are way too big for your opponent to fold, but why not increase your fold equity by raising to T20,000? There's a psychological aspect of your opponent being put all-in (gambler's ruin) rather than having him choose. You can't fold JT 3-handed and I only like limping if opponent is extremely passive.

[betgo]

Raise, although I would just push. In terms of chip EV, you should probably push with any two. The blinds are just too big. JT is a good hand heads up. I don't see that any of the strategic concerns should keep you from raising. You need to pressure your opponents with your big stack. Maybe you will lose a hand and no longer be a big stack, but you can't afford to play tight at this point.

I don't see the point os limping at this point. Any of the three of you should open push at any opportunity with almost any hand. The blinds are that big.

If the other guy is playing tight to win a seat in the freeroll, he is playing incorrectly. The prize money is worth a lot more than the freeroll entry.

[-Oz-]

100% agree. Blinds are big enough that all three of you should be pushing preflop. JT is more than big enough to do that in a SB vs BB situation, *especially* if he's been playing tightly.

The other important aspect when considering your play is to look a couple of steps further into the hand. If you raise to 12K and the BB goes all in, you will be getting 32:6 or over 5:1 on your call, which should be automatic with any 2 cards. If you are going to put 20K in the pot anyway, do it before the big blind acts and get as much folding equity as you can.

-Oz-

[tripdad]

thanks guys. the BB and had a disagreement over the validity of my play on this one. he contends that i shouldn't bother playing against him, a more aggressive player, when the button had folded every hand. that i was getting free rounds against him because he wanted to move into the top 2 so he could get a seat in the freeroll.

my point to him was that, since he was in 2nd chip position aleady (though not by much), that he would fold a lot of good hands, waiting for me to fold my button so he could steal the blinds of the other guy.

anyway, the SB pushed on me with A-8 offsuit. i won the hand when the board gave me a Ten.

normally, the top 2 split the winnings in this game, though with such a big lead in this case, i turned down a chop initially, and ended up winning outright.

cheers!

[Drizztdj]

If the villians are intent on making it to that freeroll definitely bully them with your stack.

Push.