Stop and Go

Can anyone discuss the plusses and minuses of the stop and go? When should it be used and when not, etc.... I've been using it recently with moderate succes. I'd like to see how others play it and make it work. Thanks.

[reecelights]

FossilMan's Classic Post

[Degen]

+ in times when you'd repush PF but think there is a good shot you'd be called, you can SNG and win the pot when it figures to have not helped your opponent...ex, you put him on 22-77 and think he may call push, you call and flop is KT4, you bet out, he mucks his 66.

+ not an obvious steal, especially in the lower limits.

+ good way to vary your play

- risk of putting your opponent on wrong hand and burning chips

- huge risk of being overdone or done too often, this is a move to be used like tobasco sauce...only a little bit and only on certain dishes, sometimes

[tshort]

[ QUOTE ]
- huge risk of being overdone or done too often, this is a move to be used like tobasco sauce...only a little bit and only on certain dishes, sometimes

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is the most important point.

[ldavidjm]

I'd avoid it at low limits all together. I've tried it a couple of times (i.e. I have Q9, big stack min raises my BB so I call). Flop comes something like A87 and I push, and he calls with K10o...

If they can't resist pressing that call button, you're much better off just avoiding the tricky plays and letting them call you down with King high when you've got the goods.

[reecelights]

Q9 is not the type of hand you want to try it with as the play is not meant to be used as a stone-cold bluff. It is designed to be made with a lower pocket pair or with overs like AK/AQ into a player who you feel has a small/medium pocket pair and who will call a preflop raise.

You generally either want a made hand or chance of making your hand so that if you are called, you are not drawing completely dead.

[reecelights]

Also check out these archived threads (thanks Shadow for your wonderful post with all the links)

When to use the Stop and Go

and

My First conscious use of the Stop and Go

[Runner Runner]

Playing a 20 on Party the other day I posted the big blind of T150 and I had only another T500 behind with Q4s. It was folded to the button who had T480. He min raises to T300. I think about pushing but just call. Flop is AJ6, I bet his last T180, he folds. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Thanks.

[spentrent]

The most frequent spot where I find myself using a stop-and-go is 6-handed or less and I am in the BB, when a villain in LP min-raises preflop. I'll make this play if my stack size is such that I can call the min-raise then push at least half the pot on any flop.

I'm capable of doing this with any two 4-handed and less. Usually I want some showdown value if it's 5- or 6-handed.