Do you always push?

[Atropos]

When I started playing sit&go in the late levels and bubble play I either pushed or folded my hands. Now I often do stuff like this:

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

BB (t1350)
UTG (t1870)
MP (t1495)
Button (t1625)
Hero (t1660)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t350</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>.

Final Pot: t450

Is that proper strategy? Minraising or raising 3BB with the intention of folding if pushed all-in? I feel I have a big edge over my competition, and I dont want to risk it by pushing an then running into AA/KK/QQ. If I can play a flop it's cool too because in the later stages it seems my uberaggression doesnt work too bad.

What if an opponent minraises and you are in the BB. Call with craphand and outplay him or fold as if he pushed all-in? Or isnt there any difference because in most cases 2-3BB raise means pot committed?

[treeofwisdom7]

your right.. 3BB raise

[AbelM]

Yeah a standard raise is much better then pushing 16 BB with A7. If you miss you can even do a continuation bet without committing yourself completely.

Btw some random thought: the only difference between raising with A7 and a random hand is when you get called, cause you fold anyway if they push. The range of hands that people will call you with consist mostly of A hands with a better kicker, so you might be in trouble then. That's why i like to steal blinds with hands like 98s or something.

[Unarmed]

In situations like this (marginal hand, folded to me in SB with &gt;15xBB) I just complete or fold because:

- I can *almost* do this with two cards. If he re-raises I'm folding. If he calls and an ace drops I still have to fold to any real heat. I'm not confortable playing a big pot with A7, unless its shorthanded.
- I really don't want to tarnish my future FE. Raising here will widen out the guys calling standards when I'm inevitably ramming any two cards at him on the bubble.

I just complete and play a flop. If he raises me back, I'll fold. Its 50 chips and folding is great for my image. I also now have the option of just complating a monster later in the game.

That's how I play it, but I see so many min raises picking up pots at this stage that I'm not so sure its optimal.

[shejk]

Interesting strategy. I'd almost never call, I'd either raise something like 2.5 bb or fold.

When I fold I generally consider that I wish to keep as much fe as possible, I never thought about calling and see a flop.

[shejk]

Btw, I think the raise to 350 is too big. I'd raise to 225-275 instead. You're gonna have to fold if reraised, and 275 or 350 will have the same effect.

[Newt_Buggs]

[ QUOTE ]

Btw some random thought: the only difference between raising with A7 and a random hand is when you get called, cause you fold anyway if they push. The range of hands that people will call you with consist mostly of A hands with a better kicker, so you might be in trouble then. That's why i like to steal blinds with hands like 98s or something.

[/ QUOTE ]
I've been thinking over the same type of thing as well. One advantage of A7o though is that if the blinds will play 22+,A2+,KJ+ (play=either call or rereaise) you will take down the blinds 66.1% if the time with A7o but 60.5% of the with 78s since you have one of the Aces killed. Not huge, but when your main goal is to simply win the pot without messing around it definitly helps