Jacobs Article on Sb in Cardplayer-Steal Situation

[topspinner]

According to Jacobs' article in the latest cardplayer Magazine, if you there is a TAG on the button there are certain times that you shouldn't raise in the SB and call instead. For example if you have a 33. He says that you are probably in a coin flip situation and out of position. I was just wondering how eveyrone else feels about this. According to King Yao's book playing SH and being in the SB, you should always raise, rather than call, as you are giving the BB too good of odds to call otherwise. I still think I prefer raising.

Just wondered what others thought about this. I really don't have enough hands in my PT database to make any conclusions

[milesdyson]

can you please elaborate on the time anyone here would raise 33 from the small blind with a tag on the button?

do you mean when it's a tag on the button open raising?

[topspinner]

Yes, sorry, it is a steal situation where he has raised.

[waffle]

i'd rather 3 bet to shut out the BB and to make it easier for the tag to fold when he misses the board. playing 33 3-handed when you're not the agressor really sucks, i don't know how you expect to make money after the flop [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. truth be told i'd rather fold it than either calling or raising and wait for something with just a little more value in the SB.

Wouldn't folding with a probable small edge be -EV in the long even OOP?

[milesdyson]

[ QUOTE ]
Wouldn't folding with a probable small edge be -EV in the long even OOP?

[/ QUOTE ]
it's not so simple. when bets get into the pot postflop you're usually drawing to two outs.

i routinely fold 33 in the sb to a tag steal.

[me454555]

Its player dependant. If the button is tricky enough to raise the flop for free cards w/a draw or raise the flop b/c he thinks you missed it too, calling and evalutaing the flop is prolly the way to go b/c 33 can be very hard to play oop unless you flop a set. The other advantage to calling pf is that you can evaluate the flop and c/r any advantageous flops b/c pfr will almost always bet the flop.

Against a more straitfoward tag who will fold the flops that miss or just call when he hits it, 3 betting is a much better option IMO b/c you turn a coinflip into a huge +EV for you. Since he wont see the turn or river most of the time, he's not really a coin flip. Its more like a 2:1 advantage for you b/c he will fold incorrectly a majority of the time.

Wouldn't at least calling be better? If we hit our set or if the board comes rags we should be able to push back.

[milesdyson]

by calling, you're often letting the big blind in and we're paying 1.5 bets to play in a 6 sb 3-way pot with 33. rag flops are not necessarily safe when bb will be calling hands that can hit both low/high flops.

[me454555]

Against the typical range of tag blind stealing and BB defense hand, I'd say you have about 30% equity 3 way so calling isn't such a bad option