Bubble-ish hand in SB

Raiser · #1 03-22-2005, 04:08 PM

Hey guys. I think I read somewhere on this forum that there is a lot of merit to pushing a lot of SB hands as steals in the later parts of a tourney. Is this a good spot for such a move?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (5 handed) converter

BB (t1165)
UTG (t3785)
MP (t990)
Button (t1475)
Hero (t585)

Preflop: Hero is SB with T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
3 folds, Hero calls [t585] t50, BB calls t485.

Flop: (t635) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)

Turn: (t635) T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: (t635) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t635

spentrent · #2 03-22-2005, 04:46 PM

Yes, opening from the button and the SB are your best steal opportunities. However, the strength required depends on a lot of factors like

- How big your stack is -- how desperate are you?

- How big your victims' stacks are -- how desperate are they?

- How likely your victims are to call with weak hands that still beat yours

- Your table image -- have you played very tight and shown down strong hands?

Notice that there is a lot of the subjective in those factors. Your read on your victims has more to do with your steals than your cards.

I tend to think that broadway connectors and suited broadway cards (T+) are automatic steals. But I'll steal with trash if I'm fairly confident that the victim requires a very strong hand to make a call.

shoeman · #3 03-22-2005, 04:58 PM

With no reads on the BB, I'll make this steal attempt every time.

However, by now you should have some reads and all of the factors listed by Spentrent do need to be considered.

Good post Spentrent, I may need to hang this on my wall and read it before making questionable steal attempts.

KJ o · #4 03-22-2005, 05:20 PM

Easy push. When I plug the figures into SnG Power Tools, I get a Push to be +3.1% against a maniac. Not even close.

(Eastbay: if you add a "hand converter thinghy" one could copy from the tool, that would be great. Not least because everyone could check my assumptions.)