Hand to Talk About

[Mason Malmuth]

No. You either raise or fold.

MM

[Rick Nebiolo]

Mason,

Jack nine offsuit in the cutoff is just barely a blind steal with two or the right kind of blinds (tight and predictable, not tenacious) and a soft button acting after you. The third blind makes it a worse raise, mostly since you rarely steal the blinds and are a big favorite to be up against a better hand or two.

Calling is a valid option. Other than the button, it would take a real hand for an opponent to raise out of position and at least you would know what you are up against post flop. It just seems too good to fold against three random hands. But it is at least close.

You wrote: "A new player had just sat down and was taking an out of position blind between the button and the small blind. That meant there were three blinds. One for $60 to the immediate left of the button. The small blind for $40 dollars two to the left of the button. And the big blind for $60 three to the left of the button."

At the Bike Top Section we allow this inside post for a new player (the button passes over the next hand) along with buy the button (and a reduced penalty for moving away from the blinds - you just post the big blind rather than big and small dead). Other Los Angeles Clubs are trending towards variations of these posting procedures (with Buy the Button being almost universally accepted).

What do you or anyone else think of these posting procedures?

Regards,

Rick

[andyfox]

I noticed this at the Bike when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Commerce does not allow the inside post, but it does now have buy the button.

Anything that stimulates action is good.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Everyone:

Read this post by Rick. He addresses exactly the point I wanted to make. With just two blinds, if I'm two positions to the right of the button (meaning that there are four players to act after me) I definitely consider raising with this hand. However, with the third blind there, even though the pot that I might steal will be larger, it becomes a fold since my probability of stealing usually goes down more than the pot has grown.

As for limping, I guess that might be okay if the game is not too aggressive.

best wishes,
Mason

[Tommy Angelo]

"All comments welcome."

Hi Mason,

:-)

I think you made what most of us refer to as a good play. Just because there was extra of what most of us refer to as dead money doesn't mean you should get what some of us refer to as goofy.

[RollaJ]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you made what most of us refer to as a good play. Just because there was extra of what most of us refer to as dead money doesn't mean you should get what some of us refer to as goofy.


[/ QUOTE ]

Some of us would have to agree with Tommy

[J.A.Sucker]

I think it's close between folding and calling, but your hand is pretty good (compared to a random holding) and you have position, which you use very well. You won't steal the blinds with three people in the pot very often, so raising isn't a good option.

[Tyler Durden]

[ QUOTE ]
so only the dealer and the three blinds remained to act after me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's many people. More money to steal means it's harder to steal. Your opponents likely know that you'll widen your range of raising hands with three blinds to be picked on.

[Clarkmeister]

"That's many people. More money to steal means it's harder to steal. Your opponents likely know that you'll widen your range of raising hands with three blinds to be picked on."

What's the point of having a tightwad image if one never uses it?

[andyfox]

There's nothing to indicate one never uses it. Just that one didn't use it this time.