$11: Wired 9's UTG

#Game No : 2962687101
***** Hand History for Game 2962687101 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $10 Buy-in + $1 Entry Fee Trny:17043009 Level:3 Blinds(25/50) - Tuesday, November 01, 02:11:41 EDT 2005
Table Table 67542 (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 6
3rd to act: sexogil ( $585 )
UTG: emptyseat20 ( $700 )
BB: Nomercygang ( $375 )
2nd to act: AMadden6 ( $1760 )
SB: Laxflax ( $1755 )
Button: SuitedPears ( $2825 )
Trny:17043009 Level:3
Blinds(25/50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to emptyseat20 [ 9c 9d ]
>You have options at Table 67405 Table!

I this a push hand? I didn't think it was because i was out of position and had more then 10 bb's, but I didn't want to just toss it away either. Is this just a cold call...

[kyro]

This is probably my least favorite decision in all of SNGs. Seriously, I hate this spot you're in. That's all I have to add, really.

Yes I feel the same way, it's hard to muck it because in all probability you have the best hand, but picking up the blinds here isn't worth risking 700 chips either if everyone folds, and calling in 1st position you could possibly face a big raise behind you, and then what options do you have? I didn't like the idea of coinflipping here either considering I still may have time to find a better spot. I still had 7 or 8 hands until the next level.

[nyc999]

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously, I hate this spot you're in.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the truth. I probably push because BB is short-stacked and may widen his calling range. What I really hate is when I raise to 150, get a caller and then the BB pushes his 375 in the middle. Then you probably have to push anyway.

[tigerite]

I think I would push here, but I don't love it all that much

[pineapple888]

Insider hint: Don't say "Wired". Just say 99 or Nines.

Anyway, there's no reason to push. Six-handed, I raise to $175. If anyone plays back, then I have a decision to make. This saves money if you get a ton of action, or a tight big stack decides to push, since you can just fold.

Ten-handed, I most likely fold here, FWIW. It's a spot where you should be conservative, as you indicate.

[Rduke55]

Ugly position but do you hate a standard raise here of 3-4xBB? People will probably know that the BB may push, which we call of course, and the others may assume we know that as well.

[tigerite]

If you raise 175, then that's about 30% of your stack out there. I'm pretty sure by ICM if you push here it's +EV. I'm not sure how you can get more +EV by just raising considering you'd be OOP on the flop unless the blinds only called.. plus there's always the chance of a big stack coming over the top, and making my decisions a pain in the arse.

[bluefeet]

Aw, come on. One little BB wouldn't be the end of the world here /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Pushing 14 BB's UTG 6 handed could be.

We've seen a few of these in the past several months. I think a viable option went something like...

PF: Limp, push over a "standard" raise (push over if/when a shortie pushes)
Post (assuming we got here w/ the limp): Open-push an undercard flop*, check-fold otherwise [*leaving a flopped set up to your own creativity]

We have a hand we wouldn't mind taking on a shortie with. We have moderate FE after limping, to hopefully scare the ba-jesus out of a LP 3x'r in quest for a decent pot...if not, meh-a pretty nice hand to flip.

The benefit is that we are not putting all of our chips in the middle, unless the potential reward is worthy of the risk (a start-stop-go of sorts). Open-pushing for a pot roughly 10% our stack doesn't quite cut it IMO.

Proceeding post-flop with our own 3x sucks the big one OOP. We're basically looking to risk 1BB or all of them, but we don't reach the point of the latter until we get someone else's chips in the pot first (or get our favorable flop).

[pineapple888]

Well, we just seem destined to disagree on these forums.

Here goes...

[ QUOTE ]
If you raise 175, then that's about 30% of your stack out there.


[/ QUOTE ]

So?

[ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure by ICM if you push here it's +EV.


[/ QUOTE ]

Under what assumptions? Anyway, this isn't push-or-fold poker yet with the blinds so low, so ICM is of limited usefulness.

[ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure how you can get more +EV by just raising considering you'd be OOP on the flop unless the blinds only called.


[/ QUOTE ]

It's not always about upside. You lose less than if you push against a monster or two.


[ QUOTE ]

plus there's always the chance of a big stack coming over the top, and making my decisions a pain in the arse.

[/ QUOTE ]

I see this all the time... so many posters hate uncertainty and therefore love to push, but poker is about making decisions under uncertainty... unless you are a total pushbot, in which case, you are folding anyway at L3.