Final Table Bubble

[eMarkM]

Here's the situation. I'm in a 117 person field in a $50+5 PLHE tourney on Stars. We're in the money (~$75) and down to the last 11 players. 9 go to final table. We're five handed on this table. Everyone's tighter than hell. All blind steals. In this hand blinds are 600/1200. BB has 5250 before posting 1200 blind. SB has 23K before posting. UTG has 6K, I'm next with 14K and button has 12K. Shortest stack at 3K is at the other table.

UTG raises to 4200. I have 88. What now?

[Mike Gallo]

UTG raises to 4200. I have 88. What now?

He has T1800 left. If you put him all in, you will have T8000 if you lose ( if nobody else comes along).

I would most likely wait for a better opportunity.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Given the tightness of the table, it's unlike UTG is trying for a blind steal. He has a hand. Also, you're on the bubble. That makes folding sound like the best play to me. You have enough chips to survive the blinds till the final table, so wait for better situations before playing. If you do choose to play here, it's obviously a max reraise tho. Folding is still better imo.

al

[DougBrennan]

My response would either be fold or all-in, depending on the range of hands you can put UTG on. I lean towards a fold here, as I wouldn't want to risk up to 6K on a coin flip with 88.

In fact, the more I think about this, the more I lean towards fold. The only hands he can have that you like are 22-77, or Ax with x being 7 or less. So unless you think that UTG could make this raise with nothing, I'd leave this hand alone, myself.

But for sure, if I bet, it would be all-in, and hope the big stack stays out of it.

[William]

UTG raises to 4200. I have 88. What now?

He keeps a small stack of chips to bet on the flop?
This stinks of a monster and milking a looooooooong way, I would fold.

Take care,
william

[eMarkM]

It's Pot Limit.

[ohkanada]

I think I raise all-in unless UTG is unusually tight.

Ken Poklitar

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Given the tightness of the table, it's unlike UTG is trying for a blind steal. He has a hand. Also, you're on the bubble.

[/ QUOTE ]

Although I agree w/ the conclusion to fold, doesn't the tightness of the table make it more likely he is stealing blinds?

[William]

It's Pot Limit

Ups, too much scotch allready /images/graemlins/grin.gif
Hurry to the NLHE at stars 12:00, I'm up for grabs... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Al_Capone_Junior]

[ QUOTE ]
Although I agree w/ the conclusion to fold, doesn't the tightness of the table make it more likely he is stealing blinds?

[/ QUOTE ]

Although someone like me might try that (gap concept and all), as a general rule I give an UTG raiser much more credit than a cutoff or button raiser. If you have noticed a pattern to his play tho, or noticed that he's a skilled tourney player, you might make adjustments accordingly.

al

[eMarkM]

I thought about it for awhile. At this table The Gap was The Chasm. So he really could have anything here. OTOH, he was pretty tight given his chip situation. I didn't think he was going to make this move and let himself bust out with the two stacks smaller than his very close to blinding out. I figured I was a coin flip at best and didn't think this was the spot to take a shot. I also didn't want one of the other players behind me to wake up with a hand and cripple or bust me before the final table. So I mucked it. He took down the blinds.

And that's how this table played. There were NO confrontations at this table, every hand was a raise taking down the blinds. We were all pretty even for the most part and no one wanted to risk anything. All five of us made the final table when two got busted in one hand at the other table and we started the final 8 handed.

I doubled up with AKs at the final table to jump to 2nd chip position and basically survived the small stacks until we were four handed. At that point chip leader had 120K and the other 3 of us were around 20K. I busted one short stack with the same 88 and another one with AJ to get HU. Still down 2-1 to the leader, I chipped back at him until I evened it up and we eventually chopped it up.

[Mike Gallo]

eMarkM,

Great fold.