A few low-buyin satellite hands

Superfluous Man · #1 03-07-2005, 01:23 AM

All of these are taken from the Stars $3R satellite to the Sunday $215. 36 spots paid, and there are about 60 left in the first hand, 50 left in the second, and 45 left in the third, and 40 left in the final hand. I'm trying to get the hang of satellite play, and resist the urge to push hard when I think I have a small edge, and resist the urge to "play for first."

My actions (and results, if you insist) later, blah blah.

First, a straight up "how's my line here" hand.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t4000 (8 handed) converter

saw flop|saw showdown

BB (t54693)
UTG (t73592)
UTG+1 (t30035)
MP1 (t70149)
MP2 (t111965)
CO (t90530)
Hero (t55964)
SB (t141720)

Preflop: Hero is Button with J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
4 folds, CO calls t4000, Hero raises to t12000, 2 folds, CO calls t8000.

Flop: (t25400) A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks.

Turn: (t25400) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
CO bets t4000, Hero calls t4000.

River: (t33400) 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: t33400

Here I really question even making this raise preflop more than I question the move I made after BB pushed. Perhaps I should fold JJ UTG here with so few left?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t8000 (8 handed) converter

UTG+1 (t62586)
MP1 (t26255)
MP2 (t70055)
CO (t117165)
Button (t91234)
SB (t311875)
BB (t76730)
Hero (t108364)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
Hero raises to t24400, 6 folds, BB raises to t76730, Hero ???.

I think I brain farted here, plain and simple. I'd rather see what all the MTTers would do here.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (8 handed) converter

BB (t45786)
UTG (t55055)
UTG+1 (t68455)
MP1 (t86365)
MP2 (t91234)
CO (t285075)
Button (t138730)
Hero (t93564)

Preflop: Hero is SB with T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
6 folds, Hero ???

And finally, I'm almost certain I did the right thing here (and it's not even close), but a friend of mine who was sweating me didn't believe it.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t12000 (8 handed) converter

MP2 (t132972)
CO (t57455)
Button (t93655)
SB (t49165)
BB (t66034)
UTG (t282675)
UTG+1 (t136330)
Hero (t45978)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
2 folds, Hero ???.

nortonmalc · #2 03-07-2005, 11:27 AM

I'm by far the best from here, but this is how I read it.

Hand 1:
The 4k bet on the turn is too small to fold to. Looks like he probably missed his hand or possible has paired his king and is nervous about an ace or has an ace with a crappy kicker. If you are pretty sure he has you beat but with a hand he is very unsure of, re-raise him enough to make him put down a questionable hand. If you aren't sure just call like you did. On the river you have to check, because the only way you will be called is if you're beat.

Hand 2 I would pretty much call in any situation, unless I have a read on a player that only would push with AA or KK. Even if he only has AKs, you're getting 3:1 on your call for a coinflip. I like your opening raise though, since you can get away from the hand if you feel you're up against AA or KK and it should push out any weak hand I may worry about if the flop comes out 6-2-2 or something like that.

Hand 3 is obviously either push or fold based on the size of the blind. I would be inclined to push since the BB is only half of my stack.

Having less than 4 BBs left in hand 4 I think you push and never think twice about it.

Superfluous Man · #3 03-07-2005, 01:03 PM

1. I think I play hand 1 the same in both a satellite and a regular MTT. I really want to avoid losing a substantial portion of my chips, so I check behind on the flop, fearing a c/r. Then, when he makes that tiny bet on the turn, it seems too much like a post-oak bluff. But I don't want to raise him there, because he'll throw away something like a baby pair (which I have beat) and only call (or reraise) with the goods. No point in getting myself crippled. On the river, a c/r will probably make me throw up, so I check behind. Boy, I love having position.

2. In a regular multi, this is almost a no-brainer call, I agree. There's too much of a chance he's on AK-AQ or a lower PP to pass up 3:1. But in a satellite in which only 15 more people need to bust before I win, should I really make this call when I am almost certain it's a coinflip at best? I should still be able to steal occasionally from shorter stacks to my left, and I may even have enough to sneak in by folding. So, I folded.

3. I figured this was a good time to steal, and before I could think better of it, I pushed. BB called with AQ, and it held up. But it did take away half my stack, which pissed me off and almost sent me to Tiltsville. In a regular multi, I'm stealing here with just about any two. But at this point in the satellite, should I be folding everything but AA-KK, or should I continue to steal from shorter stacks?

4. In a regular multi, this is an insta-push. But here, I only need 4 people to bust before I win, and I have a fairly comfortable stack. I insta-folded. Funny thing is, it was folded around to the BB, who proudly showed his AQo. If he flipped AQo out of turn (before I acted), I still think it may be right to fold as a 3:1 favorite here. If I had pushed and lost on a bad beat or he had flipped AA or KK, I probably would have jumped out a window or something. That's how intent I was on folding my way into the money.

When it got down to the absolute bubble, there was some hilariously retarded play on another table involving not checking it down, pushing utg with J6s, and other assorted ridiculousness that allowed me to sneak in for my T$215.