What's the right play?

HammerinHank · #1 01-10-2005, 01:57 AM

Live $120 Buy-in RA. Down to about 25 at three tables. I have t32,000. Blinds at t1000/500. Smallish stack, a tight, maybe inexperienced tourney player, limps. I have JJ and make it t7000 to go. As soon as I did it I had doubts if it was the right play. Later, a good local tourney regular said he didn't like the raise and I should have pushed. My thinking was if reraised by a hand behind or the limper I could fold if I though I was beat. Opinions?

adanthar · #2 01-10-2005, 02:03 AM

The local regular is apparently suicidal. He wants you to push a 30 BB stack with JJ to win 2500? What does he think is going to call that?

What I'd do depends on the short stack's position and my read but I'd either raise to ~3K or limp behind. If I limp, I want somebody to raise behind me so I can reraise *if* the short stack folds; otherwise, I hope I hit a set/overpair (and then I really want to see what the short stack bets on the flop before committing myself).

JaBlue · #3 01-10-2005, 02:16 AM

How short is the short stack?

HammerinHank · #4 01-10-2005, 07:18 PM

The short stack was $4500. Sorry, I thought I included that.

kuro · #5 01-10-2005, 08:43 PM

Sounds like you played it fine. How many people are yet to act? If someone yet to act comes over the top then you just make a decision on what they'd need to do that and go from there. I think most people are less inclined to bluff over the top of you in this situation because they still are going to have to beat the small stack to make much money on the hand and if they're wrong and you have AA / KK then they're dead. Pushing with JJ here actually looks weaker in my book than raising.

HammerinHank · #6 01-10-2005, 08:53 PM

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How many people are yet to act?

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I apologize for the poor quality of my original post. Limper was UTG. I was UTG+1. Pretty important info.[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

22suited · #7 01-10-2005, 09:26 PM

The raise to 7k is good but I might go a little bit less if there were a lot of high stacks at your table. I'm assuming the play was 8 handed at your table. UTG can't hurt you, and a limp UTG then a 5k 5xBB raise UTG+1 signaling that the UTG is most likely going to call all in should tell everyone that this pot is not a drawing pot and let the two battle it out. A raise to 5k signals much more strength than a raise to 7k I think.

Your trouble is not the UTG player, it is when another large stack comes to play with you. Then even though JJ looks great you have to ask yourself why this person would push you out of the hand when a short stack is going to get knocked out and you are showing strength. I'd say at best you're a coinflip if you are raised preflop.