$5: 8 Players Left. Too aggressive?

[grayhawk]

Stacks:

Hero: 760
UTG: 1350
UTG+2: 2400

Blinds: 40/80

Preflop: Hero is in BB with K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
<font color="red">UTG Raises (t160)</font>, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls (t160), 3 folds, Hero calls (t80)

Not the greatest hand in the BB, but I am getting 5.5 to 1 and I am closing the action here, so I call.

Flop: (t520) 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif, 2 /images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5 /images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, UTG+2 checks

Nobody likes the flop much, it appears.

Turn: (t520) 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks, <font color="red">UTG+2 bets (t480), Hero raises All-in for (t680)</font>, UTG folds, UTG+2 calls (t200)

UTG has shriveled up since his preflop min raise. I have him on 2 overcards and finding a reason to get away from this hand cheaply. UTG+2 looks to be making a stab at the pot with an almost pot sized bet with a fairly ragged flop and turn (except for the potential 4 flushes out there.) He does not appear to want action. I think my pair of fives may be the best hand here and decide to make a stand.

How's my line? Was I too aggressive, or did I read the situation correctly and make the right play? Thanks for all comments.

Facing a min-raise and a caller in the BB with fewer than ten big blinds, this is either a push or a fold, which will depend largely on how you've played recent hands.

If you haven't been stealing, you probably get away with a push here. Also, if the blinds are going up soon, definitely push.

I realize that, as you say, you're getting good pot odds and closing the action, but given your stack size, this is still an easy pre-flop fold for me. It's for over 10% of your stack, and the number of flops that hit you is miniscule. the only really good flops are two pair, which will still be very beatable, and trips, which may not get you any action. Maybe if it were suited I'd call, but I doubt it.

With eight players left, you have several hands until the blinds hit you again, so pushing PF here would be silly. You still have time to find much better spots with more fold equity.

[grayhawk]

This was a very close call for me preflop. I am generally very conservative this early in the tournament, but I just felt the 5.5 to 1 pot odds were too good since I was closing the action. With anyone left to act, this would have been a clear fold. Going all-in preflop did not seem to be a good move to me. I had a big enough stack left to find a better spot.

How about the rest of the hand?

I hope you're not calling all-ins on the bubble just because you have pot odds to do it.

[grayhawk]

[ QUOTE ]
I hope you're not calling all-ins on the bubble just because you have pot odds to do it.

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I have no idea what that has to do with this hand. Completely different situations.

I think you should have let it go. If he is bluffing let him have it and wait for him to bluff at you again. With a pair of fives and your stack size I feel that there will be a better place to make a move. Also you probably should have folded preflop, especially if your are playing a conserviative way with a small stack.
I say pick another battle to win /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[bluef0x]

Fold preflop, since you didn't and you hit a flop that helped you and probably missed the raiser push the flop. That turn move is awful- you have no fold equity. why check the flop and push the turn?!

You said you made this decision based on pot odds so I thought you might be making more this way. What kind of flop were you hoping for? Even if you had flopped your king it could have easily been dominated. You put in another 10+% of your stack to see the flop.

[grayhawk]

I agree about pushing the flop. Given the texture of the board and my positional disadvantage, 2nd pair was a good reason to go all-in. This was the far better play than the check/raise on the turn. I pushed the turn because my read was that he overbet to steal the pot. I honestly thought my fives were good at that point.

[bluef0x]

Just be aware of your own chipstack, you don't have enough chips to c/r. You're gonna end up giving him the odds to call with all kinds of crap.

[grayhawk]

[ QUOTE ]
You said you made this decision based on pot odds so I thought you might be making more this way. What kind of flop were you hoping for? Even if you had flopped your king it could have easily been dominated. You put in another 10+% of your stack to see the flop.

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Actually, I got an almost perfect flop but did not realize it at that moment. Now, if a K comes I likely have someone reverse dominated. It is clear to me now that pushing the flop was easily the best move.

[ QUOTE ]
Just be aware of your own chipstack, you don't have enough chips to c/r. You're gonna end up giving him the odds to call with all kinds of crap.

[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed.

[grayhawk]

Here is the result: UTG+2 turns over pocket fours and my fives are good. Final pot: 1880. I more than double up and eventually go on to win the SnG. Thank you all for the responses. I definitely learned something from this.