NLHE: Pre-flop with QQ...

[adam74]

Hi

I'm generally a cash-game PLO player, but I've been trying my hand at the WCOOP FPP satellites that Poker Stars are running. I did what I had to do in a 90 FPP Round 1 Satellite...this hand is from the late stages of the 900 FPP Round 2 Satellite that I qualified for. Top 9 move on to the $500+30 NLHE tournament.

32 players left, average stack 27000
Blinds 400/800, ante 50

I'm in 15th place with 24000 chips. Opponent (UTG+1) has 40000.

I'd just been moved to this table, so no reads.

UTG folds and UTG+1 min-raises to 1600. One fold and I reraise with QQ to 4800. Folded round to UTG+1 who moves all-in. I think for a bit and fold.

Is this standard, or a bit weak? As I was thinking about what to do, I thought about the kind of hands that he might have had. Most likely, I guess, are AA, KK and AK. But I've also seen people do this with pocket 9s and above and AQ. In the end, I just played it safe, which I'm not sure was the right thing to do.

In addition, am I right to put in that reraise? Would a min-reraise have served the same purpose but just not cost me as many chips? What about just calling?

Thanks.

[webmonarch]

Tough spot. Since you were about at the midpoint of the remaining field then your villain must have been near the top. It would surprise me if the villain would push against you with his strong stack against your not-insignificant stack unless he was pretty darn sure that he had a real good chance of winning it.

I mean, even if he has AK you're still only a slight favorite coinflip, and you probably don't want to risk your stack on that type of play.

I don't mind the fold. I think a miniraise may have just got more people in behind you, so I like the reraise amount. I think you may have just run into a big hand at the wrong time. Cut the losses, and find a better spot, esp. because you aren't even close to trouble with your stack and the blinds where they are.