bubble

luvrhino · #1 10-26-2004, 09:31 AM

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t300 (4 handed) converter

UTG (t870)
Button (t1140)
Hero (t880)
BB (t7110)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG raises to t600, Button folds, Hero raises to t880 (All-In), BB folds, UTG calls t270 (All-In).

What would you people do here?

I figured that i didn't want to be the shortstack and that UTG had been fairly loose and didn't change his play for bubble. I figured his raise could even mean KJo or QJo, so i figured since only one of us would be ITM, i'd make my stand here with AQo.

Results:

Flop: (t2050) 2s, 7s, 3s: (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: (t2050) 5d: (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t2050) Ac: (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: t2050

Turned out he had TT, which made me a bit ill until the River. He then went on a profanity-laced tirade about how i was an idiot and cost him the money. What really cost him the money was, in 4 player, he called someone's All-In of 3570 with KK to an 8-high Flop containing two clubs. Turned out the All-In person had Flopped a set of 5's.

The SnG ended with me in 2nd to the big stack in the above.

tigerite · #2 10-26-2004, 09:33 AM

Exactly the same as you. Heck he could have Ax with x being anything from 2 to K.. or even Kx with the blinds fast approaching him. Got to make a stand here against the smallest stack, to try for higher than just 3rd, with a premium hand like AQ.

He was an idiot for only raising 3xBB anyway - why didn't he just push all-in? Makes absolutely no sense to me. If he's trying to trap he should just limp, with his move he just commits himself and achieves nothing.

Al Mirpuri · #3 10-26-2004, 12:49 PM

Presuming utg knows what he is doing and will not gift you third then I think you were right to make your stand. You are being bullied most likely. If you do not play here then it will probably become a matter of luck when you or utg are in the blinds and one of you survives but the other does not.

MrX · #4 10-26-2004, 01:04 PM

I think your call is easy there..unless...you had such a read on your opponent that you knew his min raise was only a monster like QQ, KK or AA.

If this had been a player I knew very well or if it was someone I had seen only push that size stack before then the min raise would set off alarms for me.

Even after the alarms went off I would still call this virtually 100% of the time.

My philosophy is: if it is the right play almost all the time, which yours was, just do it, live with the results and start a new SNG if you bust.

Again, easy call, just beware those min raises from the guys who have been going all in with most of their hands.

MrX

Fat Nicky · #5 10-26-2004, 02:12 PM

In this situation, I am ALWAYS all in. In SNGs, 3rd place is not enough to fold this on the bubble.

Bigwig · #6 10-26-2004, 02:32 PM

It's a good call, no question. You're ahead of a lot of hands that this guy might be raising with.

poindexter · #7 10-26-2004, 03:08 PM

I think this play is an automatic all-in. He knows you hate calling here so I wouldn’t automatically put him on a top tier hand and a fold here gives him a nice lead. Have you thought about trying limit sngs? If you were playing limit you could safely check-call a couple of times and then smack him with a check raise on the river.
[img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Best regards,
Poindexter aka fishyplayer

luvrhino · #8 10-26-2004, 03:35 PM

I usually do do Limit (and have played you there), but i played this before work where there aren't $215 Limit SnGs available. Also, i somehow won this, even though the satellite tourney was NL. The Five Diamond World Poker Classic will be NL. Thus, i reckon i oughtta learn NL.

Even if it was Limit, i'd Raise and put him All-in, so he wouldn't get away. Also, he would've bet the Flop with TT in Limit (putting himself All-in), anyway, so that's moot.

Thanks to all for the responses. I was pretty sure i was right in playing this hand, but i just wanted some confirmation.

poindexter · #9 10-26-2004, 04:52 PM

Wow nice win! For the life of me I cant understand why the qualifiers would be limit and the main tournament would be NL. It seems counterproductive for Empire to send their best limit players to a NL shark fest. Good luck

luvrhino · #10 10-26-2004, 10:24 PM

Thx. I'm going to get killed in Vegas, but i figure it'll be an experience or something. The satellite was actually NL, despite what the website says.

Some of the qualifiers for the satellite were Limit (like the one i won). But for EmpirePoker to send you to Vegas, you have to show some NL skill. Or apply Limit poker to NL and get lucky when not enough people suck out your smallish Limit bets...