pocket nines UTG

Hello,


Would like some advice here. 250 begin tournament with $1500 and it is now down to 50 people.


I have approx $2000 with pocket 9's UTG. The blinds are $400 and $800.


So, basically after I pay my blinds I've got one hand to play.


Do you fold or raise here.


Calling is not really an option, I think. Since if you are going to play a medium pair you would like to play heads up so that there is a better chance of your pair holding up to win.

With many players you will have to hit your set in order to win.


Folding, allows you to see another round and hopefully get dealt a premium hand.


Raising, good chance of stealing blinds or winning the hand.


Any advice or comments????????

Raise!


Ken Poklitar

I don't have to know anything else about your situation, as I cannot even imagine a scenario within your facts where raising all-in is incorrect. Do it.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Raise, don't even think about anything else.


ADVICE

Is it a straight-limit tourney or NL?


If it is NL I think you should have played some/any hand before this one when you could win with your stack alone.


I guess you lost this hand and you're looking for a reason to it lay it down. But the problem is not this hand but the ones prior to this one. The blinds are eating you and you need to make a stand much sooner than this. Go all-in when you have 3-4 times the big blind with any descent holding, A-x, K-9, 2-2 or 8-9. Be happy to get the blinds, get lucky and double up, or be gone.


If it is straight-limit my advice's still valid. But I can understand that you end up with this little money due to bad cards. You can't steal the blinds as easy in straight-limit.

.. and hope that the three hands that call you are AK, AK and AK.


M.

I think i would raise. I do not think you can wait for another good hand.

You will soon be blinded out.

But i agree it's a tough decision.

I would shove it in. If it's folded to you, you win 1200. If you win, you will double up, and more. this is a situation where you kind of have to pull the trigger on yourself, because you'll turn green when you get rags on the blinds, and you'll be wishing you had 99 again. At this situation, you can't really afford to wait for a better hand, unless you're willing to release 1200 for the blinds and see 8 free hands.


But for the sake of argument, let's say you folded the 99. (i'm bringing out the worst case scenario here, because IT CAN HAPPEN) Your big and small blind get raised and you can't call either one. You have 8 hands to see for free, with only 800. One important point: with 800 left, you can't raise, so it's easier for other players to sneak in under the radar preflop; when you finally find your hand to go all in with, you have to AT LEAST beat the bigblind, and you have not put any pressure on him whatsoever. If you double or even triple up on any hand there, you're back where you started, with around 2000, and you're STILL not in the money. Then you're stuck again......99 UTG is AUTOMATIC.


Statistics aside, if you're 50th in a tourney that pays only 27 spots(MAYBE) you have a better chance of surviving to get into the bubble with that one critical hand.