$55+5 Turbo @ Stars - A8 on Bubble

[housenuts]

i really don't like the way i played this. did i commit myself? should i just push or fold? any sense in making this raise and then laying it down? BB has been very active as he is using his big stack on the bubble to pressure the rest of us.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (4 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

SB (t2457)
<font color="#C00000">BB (t6472)</font>
<font color="#C00000">Hero (t2042)</font>
Button (t2529)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8/images/graemlins/club.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t600</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to t6472</font>, Hero calls t1442 (All-In).

[Nick M]

don't like the call here. Not with those blinds. I say the raise wasn't that bad, but you could have just folded too. Or you could have made it 550 instead of 600.

If there was an ante someone could argue that a push was correct, instead of a raise. But don't call. You'll never be enough of a favorite to make this right.

[Freudian]

If you are going to call a push, why not push to start with to maximize your folding equity?

And please don't say it's because you have more than 10xBB. Then I have to rage on you.

[housenuts]

i just don't see how i could give away over 1/4 of my stack and then not call.

A8 4-handed is quite strong. I feel if I pushed I'd only be called if I was a big dog so I didn't want to do that for 300 chips.

but on the other hand i felt it was too strong to give up in this situation, hence the raise. i also figured that because BB was active he may come back over the top. now, if he did this it could be with a much wider range of hands than would have called my an all-in. a range wide enough that would include hands i was ahead of, or at least flip with. thus making it a great oppurtunity to double up.

really i can't see raising and then folding. so the question is should i raise, or just fold?

[Nick M]

i think Freudian answers this question perfectly. On the bubble, with your stack size, i don't think there should be any reason to just raise and THAN call an all in...unless of course you have QQ, KK, AA...one could argue JJ and AKs i guess. If you are going to call the all in then just push. With QQ, KK, AA you're not trying to max your fold equity, you're trying to get chips.

Playing A8 against a bigger stack is not +EV $$$$. So why risk such a low percentage winning hand for no money? The best you could hope for is to be up against A2-A7, and even those hands are split a lot of the time.

[housenuts]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are going to call a push, why not push to start with to maximize your folding equity?

[/ QUOTE ]

that is my general rule. with hands like JTs or 88 or KQ you can often get a better hand, or a hand that is a flip to fold.

but with A8 this isn't the case. a better hand isn't going to be folding here. but as i stated in my other reply, with the BB being active a worse hand might be coming over the top.

just something to think about

[valenzuela]

ouch, that hand is painful. There is absolutely no pot manipulation by you. Thats why I rather fold or push on that spot. I prefer pushing.

[Marc Ingenoso]

I agree with Freudian re pushing. I think the last thing I would do is raise 3x or 4x for the reasons you describe.

[Kristian]

I see your point about getting a worse hand to come over the top, but I don't think this situation is right for this argument. When the race for 2nd and 3rd is so close, and your hand is not that strong, you much prefer to just take the blinds than to to seek out a preflop all-in against another marginal hand.

[Sciolist]

If you feel you're committed after raising for 1/4 your stack, then you should simply be going all-in.

That said, 25% your stack doesn't commit you, you don't have the odds to call hands that are going to reraise you here.

[bennies]

[ QUOTE ]
I see your point about getting a worse hand to come over the top, but I don't think this situation is right for this argument. When the race for 2nd and 3rd is so close, and your hand is not that strong, you much prefer to just take the blinds than to to seek out a preflop all-in against another marginal hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. Except for A2-A7 and 8x there are no hands you would like to come over the top.

[bawcerelli]

it sounds like you WANT to get involved in a 60/40 for your tourney life. with the blinds this low, just pass and wait for a better opportunity.