Basic questions

[twolf]

Playing in Party's 20+2 tournament

I get dealt 77 in MP1, nobody has called yet, what should I do?
Very next hand, I get 55 in UTG+2, nobody has called yet, what should I do?
Very next hand I get 77 UTG+1, nobody has called yet, what should I do

Blinds at the time were 25/50 and my stack was a little over 3k, average stack a little less than 2k. I do try to utilize the gap concept at all times and thought most of these were raise or fold hands. Thank you for any input.

[salty]

Id say call,this early in the tourney if you limp and make a set its happy days because someone else with TPTK is likely to over play their hand if you hit a good flop.Just as I write this I limped and then called a min raise with 66
flop came 6 A 3 rainbow,BB (raiser) bets the pot i smooth call,9d (2 x d on board) again he pot bets I go all in he calls with AJo river is a 4,I double up,yihawww.

[davidross]

I like to limp with these hands if the limp is a small portion of my stack, as it is in your example. Later in the tournament, I think they are all folds.

[gojacketz]

How is most of the preflop activities going? Are most pots raised preflop? Are there many instances of the field limping around?

Very hard to say without being there. Depending on the table, I might open raise with the first one, fold the second one and limp with the third one (perhaps planning to represent aces after open limping UTG+1). There are tables at Party that I have been at where I would limp with all three.

I am not a fan of open limping, but doing it every once in a while (at times with a big hand) is a good way to mix it up.

Gojacketz

[Piers]

With all the poor players in these tournaments the implied odds on hitting a set are huge. I would tend to either limp or make a raise. Although if it’s a particularly aggressive table with people often dumping loads of chips in the pot preflop for no particular reason I would fold all of them.

[fnord_too]

This early in the tourney I am definitely in the limper camp. I like to try to hit a cheap set and double up. Later in the tourney they are raise or release hands in almost all situations.

[Piiop]

I agree with gojacketz. Raise the first, fold the second, limp the third.

It's also important to know how the table is acting right now. Sometimes the table starts tightening up right around this blind level. If not and there were a lot of loose players behind me with I might limp with the first one hoping to get more limpers. I don't like open-limping with 55 unless the table is still very loose and consisently has a lot of limpers. It's unlikely you'll get enough people to have set odds and 55 it too weak to stand up with no help.