more steal-raise questions

[el Jefe]

new NL player started strong at $10+1s but now having alot of trouble at level 4 and above.

Question 1
When you go for a steal-raise first in do you always push? Say you've got T2000 and the blinds are 50/100 is it ok to raise it to 400-500? Is there any general threshhold for this play other than the old < 10BB push or fold approach?

Question 2
Do you think people react differently to an all-in v. a 4-5BB raise? I get the sense that some players are more willing to call an all-in bet as it might look more like a desperation or pure bluff-steal move. Any value to raising all-in with premium hands and betting 4-5BB (assuming it'll leave you with enough) with 'good' hands so you can still get out if re-raised?

Question 3
How do you defend against the steal-raise? My last three SNGs have ended with me making bad calls against attempted steals from button or sb. Do you have min calling hands versus big stack, equal stack, small stack?

examples:
5 players 100/200 blinds
I'm sb (T900) with KQs, folded to button (T1400) who pushes, I call, he has AQo, I lose.

7 players 50/100 blinds
I'm bb (T705) with A9s, folded to sb (T685) who pushes, I call, he has AKo, I'm down to T20.

these were undoubtedly horrible calls but were they close?


any thoughts appreciated.

-Jeff

[ddubois]

I myself have no frickin clue what to defend with. It's particularly annoying when some guy is raising every single time I'm in the blind, but I don't get a hand I feel I can defend with (generally AT+ and 77+?). Last night there was a big stack 3xBB on every one of my blinds for like 5 orbits, and like 75% of hands in general. Any time someone called him, he would bet the flop big every time. Anyone raising this often obviously doing it with weaker hands than any A any K any pair, but I don't know how to adjust my defending standards. Am I supposed to just call with junk like any two cards higher 9+ or what? I ahd a chance early to defends with A2s, but it was still 5ish handed and was before I realized just how frequently he was raising.

And then some tables are really aggressive on the bubble and it feels like every pot is raised before it gets to me. This is really frustrating when I finally catch a hand good enough to steal with (like A5s) but can't because someone in MP pushed already! Life is so much easier when people fold to the SB and he has 93o and decides he can't risk stealing and folds to me. Such a great feeling. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]