(55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

UTG is (again!) loose-passive. Last one for tonight.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (4 handed) internettexasholdem.com

UTG (t2265)
Hero (t2325)
SB (t2195)
BB (t3215)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t200</font>, Hero calls t200, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: (t550) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t500, UTG raises all-in [t2065]</font>, Hero ???

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

Raise more preflop. If you had been CB'ing a lot I might call, but otherwise I might lean towards a fold. It's hard to put him on a range because AJ+ he might reraise with. JJ, AA he might reraise with leaving. Maybe 44 or J4s from the bb.

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

Say I re-raise to 600 and he pushes preflop. Do I call that?

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

I fold pf here, do I suck at poker?

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

IMO u made the right play.He doubled raise under the gun, so he probably has strong hand preflop. He is passive, when passive players check raise usually it"s a monster.He probably has jj,or aa, ak at worst.
you still have enough chips to fold after your flop bet.
So u bet he told u where u were at, u have t1500 with t100blinds.I think it"s ez fold,u can pick a better spot

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

Sorry, right play on the flop, i fold pre-flop

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

[ QUOTE ]
I fold pf here, do I suck at poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

I may suck for not folding this, but right now I really, really hate giving up a hand like AT to a minraise here since (ignoring the monsters under the bed) most players minraise all sorts of garbage UTG. Especially with these loose-passive types, that minraise by itself just looks like a weak attempt to steal a pot, and I have a hand to snap that off with a flop bet. What I hadn't considered is what to do if he check-raises me all-in. Is he capable of this play as a bluff? Whould he do it because he thought his hand was good when it actually wasn't?

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

I never fold here, but think doing so is correct.

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

I don't think I would have bet so much on the flop. Betting about 300 chips should win you the pot if he was stealing with garbage with his minraise and if he flat calls I think you can be fairly sure that you're ahead. With this smaller bet I think a checkraise push would be easier to fold as well.

The way the action played out, I think that I would call. There are sooo many hands that I can think of that you're ahead of: most pocket pairs, KJ, QJ, Ax. I really think he could have KK or QQ, people like minraising with them to get action late.

Re: (55) bubble play with deep stacks and top pair
 

I just realized that you weren't the BB. Why are you not folding here? That changes things completely. This is precisely why I wouldn't call w/ AT; how do you play when an A flops and he gives you action? See my previous post for how I would play if I was in your situation, but I really think folding preflop and stealing later is a better play.