NLHE: Pre-flop with AQ

adam74 · #1 08-13-2005, 07:56 PM

Hi

For a bit of preamble, see this thread...

NLHE: Pre-flop with QQ...

Same tourney as before, same table. 25 players left now (top 9 qualify), and I'm in 20th place with 14000 chips. Average stack is 35000. Blinds are 600/1200 with a 75 ante.

I'd been min-raising pre-flop a fair bit, but with limited success, hence my dwindling stack. Generally, these min-raises had been getting a couple of callers.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t1200 (8 handed) converter

Button (t34013)
SB (t32670)
BB (t27358)
UTG (t41800)
adam74 (t14096)
MP1 (t10811)
MP2 (t121281)
CO (t42637)

Preflop: adam74 is UTG+1 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
1 fold, adam74 raises to t14021, 1 fold, MP2 calls t14021, 4 folds.

Flop: (t28567) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)

Turn: (t28567) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: (t28567) 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t28567

Is moving all-in pre-flop with this reasonable, or am I not short-stacked enough yet to be having to make this sort of play, within the context of a 'top 9 qualify' tournament?

If I had min-raised pre-flop, and I'm reraised all-in, I'd be faced with calling my last 11600 chips into a pot of 18800. I think I pass in that spot.

But if I'd made, say, a pot-sized raise, and I'm reraised all-in, I'd be faced with calling my last 9200 chips into a pot of 21200. Is that now a call, given my small stack?

[Those two situations assume that everyone else folds, which I think they probably would.]

The guy that made the call (with QQ) had a lot of chips. He'd been calling a lot pre-flop, only very rarely raising. Had I put in a smaller raise, and he had put me all-in, I'd confidently have put him on a legitimate hand, possibly TT or AQ at worst.

Perhaps I should just not be bothering with AQ in early position...

#2 08-13-2005, 08:18 PM

Hey Adam,

Each orbit is costing you 2400 - so, you are about 5 orbits away from being blinded away. Harrington's volume two suggests any move at this stack ratio should be all-in or fold - and with an AQ, seems like a reasonable hand to push. I would.

Cheers!

-turbo

Potowame · #3 08-13-2005, 09:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]

I'd been min-raising pre-flop a fair bit, but with limited success, hence my dwindling stack. Generally, these min-raises had been getting a couple of callers.

[/ QUOTE ]

This falls in line with the old saying , You You get me once your bad, you get me twice my bad. You have to adjust quickly to play optimally. You cant mini raise 5 or 6 times and think dang I keep getting 4 callers, I need to do something different. I f a mini raise takes it down or gets you HU with the BB great, if it is getting multi callers limp or make a 3-4 raise depending on the hand and position.

I assume there is an ante here also, I think you need to push or fold here. I would push....

You lost this trny by leaking away chips mini raising with hands that cant take alot of callers not this hand.

nath · #4 08-14-2005, 07:22 AM

You need to move all-in in this spot and you need to stop minraising preflop, especially when you know it isn't working.
W/antes you have about 6 rounds around the table. If you sit around waiting for a better hand than AQ you might have a long sit. (Or a short one, depending on how you look at it)
And don't min-raise preflop. Make a raise that will accomplish something.