Pocket Pair vs. Overcards Question

[jace]

Played in a NL Tourney a few days ago. I hadn't played in a while, so I was a bit rusty, but I think I played ok. About 60 players and I got knocked out about halfway through. Anyways, I have a question for you tourney experts.

In the middle stages of the tourney (no more rebuys) and I have a slightly above average stack of 3500. Blinds are 100-200 with 25 ante. I open raise 700 with 77. A MP with about 2500 chips reraises to 1500. It's folded back to me and I put MP on two overcards. I decide to go all-in. He calls with AQo and catches a Q on the turn and I lose.

I later build my stack back to about 2000 and someone open raises for 1000. I have 55. Once again, I read this player for two overcards and I push all-in. Once again, I lose to AQo when a Q hits the turn and I'm busted out.

In both situations, I made the right read, was a slight favorite, and lost. I think in the second situation, I needed to get chips and had to make a move. But in the first situation, did I play correctly? My feelings are that I need to get a lot of chips and take a gamble if I'm going to make the final table and have a chance to win. I guess my question is:

In the early and middle stages of a tourney, is it correct to make this type of gamble when you are only a slight favorite?

[ohkanada]

In the 1st hand with your stack I am not sure I am raising in early position with 77. When your opponent re-raises to 1500 and he only has 1000 left, he certainly is not going to fold pre-flop. So does he have a big hand or only overcards. I would be worried about a big hand but your read was deadon.

In the 2nd hand I would dump the 55. Again you made the correct read but it would be better to be the one betting 1st instead of making a raise that will be called.

Ken Poklitar

[slogger]

On the first hand, I would not raise in EP with 77. I'd limp with intention of calling a small raise or fold.

Assuming the raise, I'd have to think I'm behind when MP comes over the top like that given the size of his remaining stack. What does MP reraiser think you are raising with in EP? I would have been slightly off on my read, but without any further info, I could not put him on just overcards (save AK). I think he's very happy with his hand and hopes that someone puts him all in.

Also, given your stack, mucking here doesn't kill or even disable you that much. 2800 sounds like enough chips to defend against overly aggressive play at this stage, and you have plenty of time to wait for a better hand than 77 to get 5/7 of your stack in with.

As for the 55, it would depend on what the blinds were at and how many chips the raiser had for the hand in question, but assuming blinds had reach the 200-400 range, I don't mind your all-in. If the raiser had 2500-4000 chips to spare, he might be willing to muck to your all-in, and you're at least a bit of a favorite if he calls with overcards. Would be a nice spot to get healthy again by doubling up.

That said, you'd probably be better off waiting to re-pop a smaller raiser.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

You need to remember that getting knocked out is particularly bad in a tourney, so you must weigh that when making a decision. You might not want to play in a situation where you have a slight edge, because you'll be gone and on the rail if you lose. Now in a ring game, I'll take a 53%-47% advantage all day long, because I can just buy more chips if I get busted. But in a tourney, the extra 6% really isn't worth it because I don't want to go bust. When you make the ol' pair vs. overcards play, YOU should be the raiser, and there should be a good chance of getting them to fold, thus winning right there. Now sometimes you can't be the aggressor, as in when you raise and get reraised by overcards. In that case the pot odds are too great when it gets back to you, and you must call and take the near 50-50 chance. But if you can avoid this situation, it's worth it to stay alive.

al

[fnurt]

Everybody always reads the opponent for overcards. Even online, somehow they know it's overcards and not a pair. How do they do it? Do the eyebrows narrow at a different angle when the cards are unpaired?

To me, getting all-in with a low pair is one of those small favorite or big dog situations, but maybe I'm just not as good at reading hands as everyone else...

[Copernicus]

Overplaying small pairs was the biggest hole in my game, and I have gone totally the other way. If I cant get in for 1 or 2 big blinds I fold them (except in the end game of course). If I do get in and dont hit a set or Im not top pair/overpair WITH a draw, I fold them.

In tourney play you are facing big cards and pairs more often than in a ring game, and not as many draws, so small pairs are much less likely to hold up. Bleeding away chips only to be raised out of the hand on the turn or river is not the way to build a dominant stack!

If you are in with a pair against two overcards, as you know, you are in a coin flip. Do that twice and you are almost a 3/1 favorite to get knocked out.

[BuffaloSoldier]

actually, assuming you win the first time, you have doubled up, making it harder for others to knock you out.

[Copernicus]

In the context of your comment, a second all in not only might have an uncovered stack (so losing doesnt knock you totally out), but it is independent from the first, so you are back to a coin flip.

I thought it obvious that I was referring specifically to a strategy that has you going all-in with small pairs and the probability in advance of only two of those plays. They could be at very different times in the tournament, as long as you are covered for both calls and committed to that strategy regardless of the results of the first play.