Stop and Go, explain again please

[snowlarbear]

I know this comes up every so often, but can someone explain the Stop and Go to me? I read a thread on it before but can't seem to find it.

[KaiShin]

A stop and go occurs when you close the action on one street, but open it on the next street.

Example:

You are first to act on the flop when its heads up. You bet out, and your opponent raises you. You call the raise, but when the turn card comes you bet out again.

This type of play takes the wind out of all but the most aggressive postflop players, and generally shows great strength on the previous street or a great improvement on the current street.

[snowlarbear]

hmm ok, thanks. i'll try to remember it this time. i always thought it referred to NL play exclusively and going all in, but i guess not.

[Paul2432]

It does come up fairly often when you are short stacked in the blinds in a tournament.

Suppose you have a hand you would like to play and an opponent raises pre-flop but leaves you some chips. Many players raise all-in here figuring they have a good hand, might as well raise all-in. If you are short stacked, an opponent will almost never fold here.

On the other hand if you just call with the intention of moving in unless you flop a very strong hand (in which case you might trap) then you have some chance of getting your opponent to fold something like unimproved high cards that beat you (or might draw out on you).

Paul

[smoore]

This is how I use the stop-n-go most often in a tournament:

I have something good but not great like JJ *or* something GREAT like AA in the hole... I raise preflop and get reraised. I'll think about it for awhile to decide if I want to get my money in right now (more applicable with JJ than AA). I decide to stop-n-go this time so I flat call the guy... I'm first to act after the flop.

AA: the flop comes out K high but not scary for aces, I make a 2/3 pot sized bet intending to jam it all in if I get raised. (I always make 2/3 pot sized bets)

JJ: I jam it all in if the flop comes with no overcards, otherwise I bet out 2/3 and then have to think about it if he raises me.

I think my JJ play may be a little weak here with the S-G play but I'll leave that for better players to discuss.

[smoore]

I had a chance to try Paul's explanation tonight...

I was getting really crappy cards (3/40 playable hands, stole a couple blinds later) in a SnG and had hung on until 4th (3 pay). I have T6s in the BB and UTG raises 3BB. I had seen him do this and go to showdown with weak aces and trash hands that happened to hit so he can do it with anything. I flat call him and then the flop comes Q high, all rainbow. I quickly pushed my last 9BB into the pot on a pure bluff. He took ALL of his time allotment before he finally called me with unimproved AK. He turned a K and I lost the hand and the tournament.

I still like the play, it seemed really effective and I should have picked up that pot but he was unbluffable like most pokerroom.com $5 SnG players are. I *will* be using it again against blind stealers. Thanks for the angle, Paul.

[snowlarbear]

well good to know other people are learning from this as well. is this a new term, i don't remember hearing it much until after the 2004 wsop aired.