Big stack confrontations- hand analysis

10$ SNG @ UB - - Any feedback regarding this hand is greatly appreciated.

Here we go


Hand #7479526-30 at Oak Creek (No Limit Hold'em Sit and Go)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 03/Aug/05 10:47:54

Avitar is at seat 0 with 3980.
purduepete is at seat 1 with 2330.
HERO is at seat 2 with 4095.
tommy46 is at seat 3 with 1515.
HMSKicks is at seat 5 with 725.
SilverQ is at seat 7 with 1305.
flipdipper is at seat 8 with 1050.
The button is at seat 8.

Avitar posts the big blind of 40.

Avitar: -- --
purduepete: -- --
FouTight: Ac Qd
tommy46: -- --
HMSKicks: -- --
SilverQ: -- --
flipdipper: -- --

Pre-flop:

purduepete folds. FouTight raises to 80. tommy46
calls. HMSKicks calls. SilverQ folds. flipdipper
calls. Avitar calls.

Flop (board: 2s 4h Ad):

Avitar checks. FouTight checks. tommy46 checks.
HMSKicks checks. flipdipper bets 400. Avitar raises
to 1600.

I go into the tank. What do I do? Avitar is 2nd in chips, and I am the chip leader.

[tigerite]

I would have led out on the flop personally. Then folded to the raise. As it is, you probably are beat, I'd let it go.

I also wouldn't have raised preflop, especially not this bloody min-bet nonsense, either!

I know that the fact that I tried to get tricky here and check the flop gives me no read on the validity of this raise. That and the fact that its against the 2nd chip leader made me very uncomfterbal (sp?)- loosing this hand would cripple me compeletely.

[tigerite]

Weird seat though. Seat 0? Maybe he's a secret agent..

[Jbrochu]

This looks like a deeper stack site, so I don't think you have to take the Party mentality with A,Q in EP - especially at a 7 handed table.

I don't like your mini-bet pre-flop. At a 7 handed table with one fold in front of you go ahead and pop it up to 3 or 4x the BB.

After the flop (and assuming only 1 caller), I would lead out with about a 2/3 pot bet. If you get re-raised you can probably lay it down knowing you're beat.

You would still have about 3,600 chips, so you're still in great shape.

There was 5 people in on the flop, so i was pretty sure someone would take a stab at it, and then I would reraise them- but someone beat me to it!

[Jbrochu]

[ QUOTE ]
There was 5 people in on the flop

[/ QUOTE ]

That's why I don't like the preflop miniraise. Popping it up with a meaningful pre-flop raise would most likely have narrowed the field and given you a better idea of where you were at.

[ QUOTE ]
i was pretty sure someone would take a stab at it, and then I would reraise them-

[/ QUOTE ]

If I had played the hand the same way you did preflop, I would almost always bet out at the flop to try and 1) take the pot down right there, or 2) at least define my hand a little bit.

The way you played it, you have almost no information to act on except the two cards in your hand.

Given all this, what do you? Raise, call or fold?

Given the mess you got yourself into (no offense, I'm a donkey myself), I'd fold and move on. Still in fine shape.

[Jbrochu]

[ QUOTE ]
Given all this, what do you? Raise, call or fold?

[/ QUOTE ]

The point I'm trying to get across is that it's very difficult to make a decision here, but by making better decisions leading up to this point, you can avoid the frequency of finding yourself in a spot like this and/or simplify the decision-making process when you do end up in these situations.



Assuming I had played this exactly like you did to this point, here is how I would go about trying to make a smart decision. These are not in order of importance.

- This is a $10 SnG. (lean towards pushing)

- How did Avatar become the big stack? Did he make some shrewd plays and cleverly extract chips - or make a donk move or two and get lucky? Have you seen him play hands like A,10 strongly...? (donk, lean towards push; clever player, lean towards fold)

- Anybody playing Ace little has either two pair or a straight draw. Based on the pre-flop action, could somebody be holding this right now? (Answer is yes, lean towards folding.)

- If I push, get called, and lose how does that effect my stack? If I fold right now what shape am I in? (lean towards fold)

- Anybody left to act, how many, and have they shown strength? (answer is several, and yes at least one willingly bet into several players, lean toward fold)


I never call here, it's either push or fold. Based on what I know, I fold.

Can I ask you a question? What did you hope to accomplish with the mini-raise? Did you have a strategy there, or did you just plop it on out there with no plan in mind?