A fancy play i tried tonight

[Quidnunc]

I was in a single table sit-and-go tonight and tried a little stunt I read about in a book. I was playing tight against some players who seemed to be cautious, on a slightly above average stack. I was on the big blind early in the tournament when two early position players limped in along with the small blind. I raised about 1/4 my stack, about 20 times the small blind, with 9-10 offsuit.

Two people actually called, to my dismay. (Any reraise is a fold here of course). I managed to catch some cards on the flop though, and went on to win a huge pot and the tournament. Has anyone heard of a play like this? I know it sounds crazy.

[ThePopinjay]

Yes it's pretty common. It's a great play, just make sure your opponents aren't smart enough to limp re-raise.

[Quidnunc]

Thanks for the reply! Do you know what specific kinds of hands it works best with?

[HUSKER'66]

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Thanks for the reply! Do you know what specific kinds of hands it works best with?


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Medium to high suited connectors ie. J /images/graemlins/heart.gifT /images/graemlins/heart.gif or mid pocket pairs ie. 8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif.

Understand you have to have a pretty good read on the players that your up against for these to be + EV. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Just my thoughts,

Husker

[Hood]

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Thanks for the reply! Do you know what specific kinds of hands it works best with?

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With this play, your sole aim is to pick up the pot. So it works best with 27o as much as any hand. If you think there's a chance you'll get called, then I wouldn't make this play.

Saying that... if you do get called, then I'd say a hand like 9T is a pretty good one to get called on. Presuming you'll get called only with very good hands, you don't want something dominated like AJs that you may lose more chips over. Suited connectors can hit various ways and are disguised, so you may pick up more chips if you hit.

However, I'd only make this play if I'm confident that the opponents are showing weekness by just limping, and aren't 'slowplaying' their big hands.

I think it was sklansky how said don't turn your QQ in to 27o - i.e. if you make a play that can't stand a raise, don't do it with something you like. If you're going to fold to a raise, you may as well do this with trash hands than waste your good ones.

[HUSKER'66]

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I think it was sklansky how said don't turn your QQ in to 27o - i.e. if you make a play that can't stand a raise, don't do it with something you like. If you're going to fold to a raise, you may as well do this with trash hands than waste your good ones.



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Good memory. Sklansky mentions a similiar play in TPFAP under Part Two: Tournament Theory and uses a No Limit example with J /images/graemlins/spade.gif 5 /images/graemlins/club.gif. In the scenario five players have limped to your big blind with the aforementioned holding (J/5 off suit). He suggest a raise of at least 10% of your opponents stacks but less than 50%.... the reason being 50% might trigger a reraise all in to which you would of course be forced to fold.

I remember an example very similiar to the one you mentioned, but I can not for the life of me think of which one of Sklansky's books has it. The thought's the same though; if you make this play make it with a hand that is easy to release and if put to a reraise won't and I quote from David's book, " make you want to throw up". /images/graemlins/grin.gif
(the "throw up" reference is actually what helped me remember it)


Husker