Micro pairs in early position

[john_galt]

I'm never quite sure what to do with hands like this when the stacks get shallow. I'm a SNG player by 'trade' where hands like these should be folded from this position. Is this correct deep in a MTT as well? This is a small buyin Stars tourney.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t6000 (9 handed) converter

SB (t33826)
BB (t173116)
Hero (t78830)
UTG+1 (t69679)
MP1 (t174120)
MP2 (t22967)
MP3 (t161528)
CO (t200597)
Button (t76475)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

Final Pot: t2700

[Exitonly]

if the tables a bit passive i'll limp for my set.. or if its a bit aggressive i'll fold.

If stack is a bit smaller, might push.

[ansky451]

If the table is playing very tight on the bubble, or a similar situation, I'll raise it here 3x bbs.

[kuro]

Small pairs are auto-mucks here. You don't have a big enough stack to be throwing away a blind when someone raises from late position which happens with great frequency at this stage. You don't have a big enough stack to play for set value.

[nath]

Your particular stack size is difficult. If table is playing tightly enough, I'd probably make it 16000-18000. If I'd been noticably active and/or had reason to suspect I would get heavy action, I'd just muck.
I'm not averse to a push, though. M is only 7 or so (rough estimate with antes) so stack is a little bigger than I would usually do that with, but it is a pair, and every pot you can pick up preflop is crucial at this stage.

[john_galt]

Thanks for the replies all!

I chose to fold, which was probably my SNG instincts kicking in. The thought hadn't really occured to me to push. The last several orbits have seen people with short stacks taking their shots and pushing. That factored into my decision, as well as my thought that if I got called by any of the similar size stacks I'd be at best a coin flip.

[play2win]

Given the information that smaller stacks have been pushing a lot makes the fold sound about right.

If you push you are only going to get raised or called by hands that can beat you/ have you beat now. Then you won't feel so good about pushing. Being that you are UTG makes your position horrible. You will obviously see some overs on the flop, so if you don't hit your set you will not want to waste lots of chips here.

You are not desperate or short stacked so pushing is not nessecary. I woud only do it if the table has been playing VERY tight and I thought I had a good shot of picking up the blinds. If the table was very passive I might try to limp, but only once in a while (about as much as I limp with pocket Aces from UTG to trap to keep the deception).

There are plenty of hands to come, wasting chips on a 50/50 at best is never good tourney survival strategy. I like your move. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[Jurollo]

Fold it. I will limp early in tournament when I have a deep stack in comparison to blinds. At this stage of the tournament you will be reraised more and have to throw it away.
~Justin

[nath]

[ QUOTE ]
There are plenty of hands to come, wasting chips on a 50/50 at best is never good tourney survival strategy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate statements like this because they ignore the value of folding equity. It's not "50/50 at best"; at best you just pick up the blinds and antes which happens a substantial amount of the time.

And "tourney survival strategy" is meaningless at this stage because you're getting close to desperation mode. A 52-48 shot is not necessarily a bad thing, and since most of the time it just folds to you you probably won't even have to consider it. Like I said before, though, you want to be at a table that's tight enough where you won't get action from, say, low to medium pairs. Remember, most people aren't looking to play back at an UTG raiser with marginal hands. Picking up the pot preflop is a great result.

[play2win]

You made the right move by folding. You have a little over 11X the BB, so you don't need to push it just yet....desperation mode is not on you. You are UTG, which makes the idea even worse.

[ QUOTE ]
since most of the time it just folds to you

[/ QUOTE ]

It was stated that this was not the case here. Given the fact that you said people have been pushing in their short stacks a lot makes this a real no brainer.

I'd hold off until I had good position and the right opportunity to pick up the blinds. UTG with PP 3's is certainly not one of these times if the table has been active!

When you think your chances of being called are high when at best you are around 50/50 you should try to avoid it unless your sole objective is to win the whole thing. If you would like to progress into the money further I would do just what you did here. [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]