Does This Qualify as a "Push" Situation?

Messy Harry · #1 03-01-2005, 12:29 PM

I was in a 1 table home game tournament last night. We started with 5000 in chips and the blinds started at 50-100 and went up every half hour.

We had been playing close to 2 hours and there were 8 of 10 players left. I had been pretty much card dead the entire time. I had one playable hand outside the blinds, Queens, with which I lost a good pot when an Ace came on the turn. The blinds at this point were 300-600 and I was the big blind. I had 1500 left after I posted. I was the short stack at this time. The next smallest stack was about 3500-4000 and the biggest was about 10,000.

My cards were terrible: 8, 2 offsuit. The player immediately to my left raised to 1500 and was called in 2 spots, so there was 5400 in the pot by the time it got back around to me.

Calling was out of the question. Typically in a raised pot I would fold 8,2 offsuit out of the big blind, but here I was pretty short on chips. If I folded, that would leave me with 1200 (after I posted the small blind of 300 on the next hand) and even if I doubled up then, I'd still likely be the short stack and still in a desperate situation. While 8,2 off really blows, I was likely to have 2 live cards.

Given the above and the money in the pot, would you push here or wait for a better hand sometime in the next round?

spentrent · #2 03-01-2005, 12:36 PM

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While 8,2 off really blows, I was likely to have 2 live cards.

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Two live cards ain't so hot against 3 opponents... and you have no fold equity if you push to raise it a measly 300 more.

Fold now and steal on the button. Maybe you agonize a bit before mucking in the name of drama?

Messy Harry · #3 03-01-2005, 12:47 PM

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Maybe you agonize a bit before mucking in the name of drama?

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I'm not sure this comment was warranted...

[ QUOTE ]
Two live cards ain't so hot against 3 opponents... and you have no fold equity if you push to raise it a measly 300 more.

Fold now and steal on the button

[/ QUOTE ]

...but I thank you for this perspective.

Mr_J · #4 03-01-2005, 12:49 PM

"I'm not sure this comment was warranted..."

I think this was a suggestion, not an insult.

Messy Harry · #5 03-01-2005, 12:53 PM

I'm sorry. I think I did misinterpret the statement and the context. I do appreciate the feedback.

Scuba Chuck · #6 03-01-2005, 01:18 PM

Mr Harry, I doubt that you should be spending your time pondering this hand that much. In fact, I would wager, more time should be spent on the previous 10-20 hands before you got in this tight spot. There are probably more opportunities/mistakes you could capitalize on there with less risk of ruin.

spentrent · #7 03-01-2005, 01:32 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe you agonize a bit before mucking in the name of drama?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure this comment was warranted...

[/ QUOTE ]

Damn this plain text for always implying a negative tone [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

If you agonize a bit before making this easy fold, then your steal attempt with any two cards on the button might seem stronger to your opponents.

BTW, were I simply being a snarky troll, you'd have been better off not to feed me with indignation. Indignation is to trolls what power pellets are to Pac-Man. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Messy Harry · #8 03-01-2005, 01:37 PM

Hi Scuba,

I am pondering other aspects as well. I posted this hand just to see if anyone else thought a push was justified here given the $ in the pot, even though the hand was so bad.

And when I said I was card dead, I wasn't exaggerating. In 2 hours I saw one hand that contained an A - it was A,5 off in the big blind. I totally missed the flop and couldn't continue with the hand. I only saw one hand with a K - K,7 off in the small blind. I saw a flop there and whiffed as well and had to fold. Just about every other hand was of the 8,2 offsuit variety and the pots where I thought about a steal when I had position were raised before it got to me. I haven't had that bad a run of cards in a while, but that's just the way it goes/went.

Messy Harry · #9 03-01-2005, 01:38 PM

Thanks Spent. It was my bad. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

spentrent · #10 03-01-2005, 01:41 PM

You can be card dead and still make the right play.