99 hand, didn't know what to do!

[xJMPx]

I'm sure I played this hand poorly and I'm looking for some comments. I think I should have just folded and looked for a better spot to get my chips in. I don't like pushing here because it's just too likely that I'll get called and be 50/50 against two overs or killed by a higher pair.

50/100 TOURNEY TEXAS HOLD'EM GAME TABLE (NL) (TOURNAMENT 15091997) - TUE AUG 23 13:19:51 EDT 2005
Table Table 35330 (Real Money) -- Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: IvanTheCrazy (300)
Seat 2: Puselus (655)
Seat 3: freewill_420 (1950)
Seat 5: TooCold21 (1050)
Seat 7: Briggy9 (1260)
Seat 8: DevinLake (645)
Seat 9: unkel78 (680)
Seat 10: Zed___ (1460)
TooCold21 posts small blind (25)
Briggy9 posts big blind (50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to DevinLake [ 9c, 9h ]
DevinLake raises (150) to 150
unkel78 folds.
Zed___ raises (650) to 650
IvanTheCrazy folds.
Puselus folds.
freewill_420 folds.
TooCold21 raises (1025) to 1050
TooCold21 is all-In.
Briggy9 folds.
DevinLake folds.
Zed___ calls (400)

[ZeroPointMachine]

Don't raise this UTG. Limp and play for set value. If you get raised let it go. As it played out there is no way you can call here.

[Isura]

Pushing this is usually never -EV. But limping is okay too I guess.

[ZeroPointMachine]

Blinds are only 25/50 and there are 8 players. If blinds were 50/100 or there were 6 or fewer players I would probably push. Can't see running it through this big of a field for 75 chips.

[xJMPx]

Thanks guys.

For some reasing limping and playing for set value never entered my mind, might be because that was my first decent hand of the SNG. But I certainly think that would have been my best option.

As for calling the pushes, it was an easy decision when the second guy pushed. But, I wasn't giving the first guy much respect as he had been playing a large range of hands and I was thinking about calling his all-in.

[xJMPx]

Oh, and if you're interested. First all-in showed 88, second had AA.

[multifast1]

Who are you calling "first all-in" and "second all-in" ? You got re-raised by one guy, then another pushed allin. You then folded before the first re-reaiser called the all-in. I'm confused...

[AliasMrJones]

Given your stack size, I'd push rather than 3xBB raise. With the action after you this in an insta-fold.

[multifast1]

This was an easy limp situation and see what happens behind you. Fold to a big raise from a decent stack but call a small stack's push-

[AliasMrJones]

[ QUOTE ]
This was an easy limp situation and see what happens behind you. Fold to a big raise from a decent stack but call a small stack's push-

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think limping is terrible, but by doing so you're inviting a multi-way pot. If you get more than 1 other caller, which is likely, you're really playing for set value (or a low flop) and I don't think you have enough chips for the payoff to be big enough when you do hit.

The awkward stack size, imho, moves this to a push. If hero had more chips, I'd like the limp better.

[xJMPx]

Sorry for the confusion, looking back at the HH I realize that Zeb raise putting me all-in, but was not all in himself. So, when I said first all-in, I'm was incorrectly referring to Zeb's raise.

[Uppercut]

[ QUOTE ]
The awkward stack size, imho, moves this to a push. If hero had more chips, I'd like the limp better.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pushing 99 UTG into 7 other players to win 75 chips when your stack size is 13BB? I don't think so.

[xJMPx]

Thanks for all the input.

As soon as a made the raise, even before ZEB's raise I told myself I should have folded.

Now, after reading these posts, I think limping was aslo a viable option. But, as someone else pointed out, I do not like limping with my stack size where it is. Usually, at this point, I'm pushing or folding. The set will only hit about 12% and for the most part I would be just throwing t50 away.

So, I guess in the future some times I'll limp, other times I will fold...depending on my mood and the how the table is behaving.

[bluefeet]

At a near full table, in early position, when you can't 'afford' to limp, and it isn't appropriate to open-push, there is no shame in folding.

I'm not advocating you fold 99 here, but similar 'sticky' situations are posted regularly regarding 33-66, A-something, whatever. I have no problem folding when I'm in this window of questionable opportunity.

As your starting hand strength creeps to the outer limits of a hand 'fold worthy', keep in mind that there are 'best hand I've seen in a while' hands, where folding is simply the correct play.

[AliasMrJones]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The awkward stack size, imho, moves this to a push. If hero had more chips, I'd like the limp better.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pushing 99 UTG into 7 other players to win 75 chips when your stack size is 13BB? I don't think so.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it is partly dependent on how soon the blinds are moving up to 50/100. Would you push 99 into 7 other players with 650 chips and 50/100 blinds? If the blinds go up in 2 hands, now do you push?

Hero has an awkward stack size. Not so big that I like limping much and not so small that I think pushing is mandatory. But, I like push and fold better than limp.