A move I make more often than not. Leak, or standard play?

[octaveshift]

If I enter levels 4-5 with t900 or less, I usually play very aggressively to build my stack. This means I either end up with a decent stack for the bubble, or I end getting broke in 5th or 6th place trying to accumulate.

Here is an example. BB was tight-passive, having seen around 4 flops up until this point. Is this standard?

***** Hand History for Game 2218538231 *****
100/200 TourneyTexasHTGameTable (NL) (Tournament 13159978) - Thu Jun 16 23:24:26 EDT 2005
Table Table 14945 (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: Saden (795)
Seat 4: XsoulrebelX (3500)
Seat 6: BorgataAAAA (685)
Seat 7: andersncsu (907)
Seat 8: devo32 (1178)
Seat 9: xyrophobe (935)
xyrophobe posts small blind (50)
Saden posts big blind (100)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to xyrophobe [ 4d, 5d ]
XsoulrebelX folds.
BorgataAAAA folds.
andersncsu folds.
devo32 folds.
xyrophobe raises (885) to 935
xyrophobe is all-In.

[stillbr]

Hmm...the BB is still only 100. I wouldnt push here without a decent hand.

[Asgrow13]

Depends on your image and what sort of read you have on the BB (will he give up his blinds, or is he going to make stupid calls with marginal hands?)

Assuming you haven't been raising so much that people have stopped giving you any respect whatsoever and you think that the BB is relatively tight, I say go for it. Put yourself in his position... there just aren't that many hands that you can call this all-in with.

[dmmikkel]

This is a very good push I think.

- It's +$EV even with a very loose calling range on BB
- The extra chips will enable you to steal more
- The chips BB lose will give you a larger advantage the next time you push because he now can't bust you by calling as he could if you folded this

I'd push this any day

EDIT:
I forgot to mention 45s is also a very good hand to have if he calls.

[kyro]

[ QUOTE ]


- It's +$EV even with a very loose calling range on BB


[/ QUOTE ]

I find this hard to believe. Can someone back this up?

OP, I think it's OK based on your read that BB is a pus...solid player who won't call without a hand.

[Sabrazack]

This is a +EV push if your opponents calls you with no less than 22+,A2+,KQ,KJs. At the 10+1 level i would however more often than not fold this, just too many maniacs that see red when you push into their BB from SB.

[jcm4ccc]

I don't think image and read are the important issue here. I think the important issue is when the blinds go up to 100/200.

To me, at the Party games, that is the critical point of the game. The jump is so huge that you have to prepare for that, in order not to lose significant fold equity.

Also, everytime you push like this (SB in a pretty obvious blind steal) changes your table image and increases the chance that you will be called when you don't want to be called. So you want to be careful about wasting your tight image on a small blind steal. I don't think many party players pay attention to a person's image, EXCEPT someone who is stealing with all-in bets. Everybody notices that.

Having said that:

1. If the blinds go up the very next hand, I would probably take a chance and fold this and push the next hand (if given the opportunity). I know you'll be pushing against the big stack, but even the big stack wants some cards to call your push, ESPECIALLY if this is your first push.

2. If the blinds go up before they hit you again (but not on the very next hand), I would push this. You need to get some chips to survive the 100/200 blinds, and this is a good opportunity. The difference between 885 chips and 1035 chips is pretty big when the blinds are 100/200.

3. If the blinds do not go up before they hit you again, I would not push this. You have about ten hands before you are confronted with the 100/200 blinds. You might get a good hand, you might get better opportunities. I don't want to basically bust out with 54s if I have that much room to play with.

Levels 4, 5 and beyond, you are playing stacks and position more than your cards.

[octaveshift]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a +EV push if your opponents calls you with no less than 22+,A2+,KQ,KJs. At the 10+1 level i would however more often than not fold this, just too many maniacs that see red when you push into their BB from SB.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I always forget to post the buy-in. This was a 22.

I wonder if I should toss moves like this out of my game until I make a jump to the higher levels?

[dmmikkel]

I'd push this regardless of buyin

The chips you earn will give you increased fold eq later.

Remember than a loose bigstack has more fold eq than a tight microstack

[octaveshift]

[ QUOTE ]

3. If the blinds do not go up before they hit you again, I would not push this. You have about ten hands before you are confronted with the 100/200 blinds. You might get a good hand, you might get better opportunities. I don't want to basically bust out with 54s if I have that much room to play with.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just looked at the HH. There were five hands remaining after this one until we hit L5. If I have this right, that would put me UTG at the start of L5. (I suppose that puts me more in line with what you say in point 2.)

I usually spend the first 3 levels waiting for monsters, and identifying people to steal from in levels 4 and 5.

In this particular scenario, seat 4 was a total LAG gambloor, so I wasn't comfortable stealing from him with any 2 on the next hand.

FWIW - According to Harrington's inflection point theory, I have an M of 6 here, which almost puts me in the "red." As soon as the blinds go up, I will be UTG with an M of 3, which is something I like to call "sh¡t city."