AK suited- First hand

[Sidekick]

It could be of course, but I most often see this at this level at Poker Stars when someone has something like pocket QQ or KQ or even TT and they are trying to push you out of the pot because they have seen Gus Hansen push someone off a hand on TV.

It boggles my mind how often I see someone on the button make huge raises in the first few levels of low buy-ins with hands like 66, 77, KQ, KT, QJ, or just utter garbage and then bet the hand strongly post flop in an attempt to push you out of the pot.

[Mr_J]

I really don't get what someone with a medium or worse or 2 high cards (apart from AK) would be trying to accomplish. Steal 50 or whatever of blinds? Get someone to call (and if they do caller is certainly ahead) and hope to bully their way to winning the pot? Sad thing is I've seen worse play than that at the $50s.

You called it though, poster said the guy had QQ and caught a straight (after the poster hit 2 pair on the turn).

[onealx4]

Nothing feels worse than seeing that ace on the turn and thinking that this is why the AK suited is a strong hand then having the ten flip on the river.....

[wiggs73]

[ QUOTE ]
I really don't get what someone with a medium or worse or 2 high cards (apart from AK) would be trying to accomplish. Steal 50 or whatever of blinds? Get someone to call (and if they do caller is certainly ahead) and hope to bully their way to winning the pot? Sad thing is I've seen worse play than that at the $50s.

[/ QUOTE ]

My guess is lots of weaker players simply don't know how to play medium to low pairs after the flop. I see a lot of pushing with them pre-flop both in online and live play. Personally, I follow Brunson's strategy from Super System, which is basically try to see a cheap flop with them and hope to make trips or better. There are, of course, other ways to play them that will be as good or better than this, depending on the situation.

Getting to the question at hand though, I don't like the min raise on the flop. Online players won't fold to 40 or even 60 chips, regardless of what multiple of the bb they are. Early on in cheap SNGs, I like to raise 80-100 pre-flop. This seems to be much more effective. As for the hand you were talking about, I would have folded after the large re-raise. It's so early, you never know what the guy could have, and he could likely have AA or KK which would dominate you. Even if he doesn't, you only lose 40 chips, which leaves you in fine shape for the rest of the tourney. Plenty of time to get reads on this guy and the other players and build your stack. I play tighter than most, so I'm sure some people could make reasonable arguments to call the raise or maybe even push, but in my opinion, it's just too early to justify either of these moves. With AK, at best, you're likely in a coin-flip situation with some pocket pair, and possibly dominated.

[texasrattlers]

The bad-beat nazis are contemplating their measured response at this very moment! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]