Strategy question on getting deep

AceofSpades · #1 12-23-2005, 01:07 AM

your edge on small pairs is greater (against two overcards) if you see three cards and make him fold on a missed flop or call your bet with overs, than if you see all five cards. Which is why you'd want to be all-in preflop with a hand like AK against a small pair.

So in spots like that I'd like to call and then bet any flop. Or reraise (not all in) and then bet any flop.
Of course you are really dependent on a stack size (if you don't have enough play left with the blinds size) or if you think your opponent has something like A7 when you have TT, in a situation like that you want to be all in preflop.

So is it a bad play- No and you probably do need to win some coinflips in order to win a tournament. But there are other options that are better.

.joseph.

#2 12-23-2005, 01:31 AM

It's a fine play. Your 99 is almost certainly the best hand. Push your advantages.

#3 12-23-2005, 01:43 PM

Just reading your post.. did you have to push it in? What were the blinds. If you've got enough BB in front of you maybe you can call and see if you get a flop that looks good to you.. or maybe represent a strpnger hand by reraising the minimum. If the blinds are 500-1000 or higher there isn't much else you can do here but push it in or maybe if you were first to act on the flop try to stop and go.

bobbycharles · #4 12-23-2005, 04:19 PM

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If the blinds are 500-1000 or higher there isn't much else you can do here but push it in or maybe if you were first to act on the flop try to stop and go.

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Blinds were 600/1200 and I did not consider a stop n go but probably should have.

The question however is not so much hand specific as to the level of aggression I tend to display. I'm typically TAGish and have been trying to change gears around this time of the tournament hoping to get a big stack. ie, steal a little more and push the edges, but it seems like I'm failing at every attempt. What is the best inflection point or does it just tend to happen based on the action at the table? I can continue my TAG stance and slide into the money with an average stack, but I'm wanting to go deep and pick up that elusive win.

There was another thread here about the desire to play OUTSTANDING poker as opposed to solid poker. I'm solid. Period. I look at the guys with 50 final tables in 6 mos and wonder, how the heck do they do it? I want to be OUTSTANDING. What am I missing here?

#5 12-23-2005, 05:08 PM

Yeah, I didn't mean push as in all in. I meant push in the generic sense of "I'm ahead, I am going to be aggressive" type sense.

tshak · #6 12-23-2005, 07:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]

There was another thread here about the desire to play OUTSTANDING poker as opposed to solid poker. I'm solid. Period. I look at the guys with 50 final tables in 6 mos and wonder, how the heck do they do it? I want to be OUTSTANDING. What am I missing here?

[/ QUOTE ]
Solid play works when you have a lot of chips and weak players. Beyond that it'll be guarunteed to get you to the bubble very often and not much more.

Given your stack size I probably push 99. I want to push KTo's, JTo, etc. out of the hand as the pot is a decent size to take down without racing. If Villian is calling off 2/3rds of his stack with KJo here you should be seeing a lot more flops or reraising him more often preflop. If he's picking up more than his fair share of pots, he's playing correctly.

#7 12-23-2005, 07:30 PM

I don't know if i like the push here. Seems that villain's image is loose and a little weak. Not many players will stack you with K-Jo. This is a weakness you need to exploit, and the way to do that is not pushing pre-flop. I like stop&go here. Use this to give your opponent only 3 cards rather than 5...manipulate your small edge into a much larger one. A push screams low PP, but a small re-raise here shows strength, and then the pot is yours on the flop when you bet out.

nath · #8 12-24-2005, 02:41 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if i like the push here. Seems that villain's image is loose and a little weak. Not many players will stack you with K-Jo. This is a weakness you need to exploit, and the way to do that is not pushing pre-flop. I like stop&go here. Use this to give your opponent only 3 cards rather than 5...manipulate your small edge into a much larger one. A push screams low PP, but a small re-raise here shows strength, and then the pot is yours on the flop when you bet out.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is all easy to say now that we know villain had a marginal hand that happened to consist of two overcards and was willing to call a reraise all-in with KJo.
At the time, though, all we can really say is that our nines are almost certainly the best hand. We should push this advantage by all means. Can't help it if villain makes a donkey call that works out.

renodoc · #9 12-24-2005, 03:28 AM

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Not many players will stack you with K-Jo.

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Ah, but if they are playing the Secret System they will stack you every time!

bobbycharles · #10 12-23-2005, 01:31 AM

Thanks Joseph.
I like the other options, like reraising but not all in and then betting the flop. A weakness I have tho, is say the flop is Qxx - I bet, he calls. Turn is a T. What's my move? check/fold or fire again? With any two overs, he's got at least a pair or a str8 draw.