Short stacked and on the bubble...

[Boylermaker]

Need some help with these!

NLHE, 6 players left, 5 paid. 4th and 5th receive nominal amounts (basically, your money back). Generally, I play to win, but seeing as I am in a bit of trouble, I decide to try to sneak into the cash and try my luck from there...

I am on the BB and, after having posted, I have enough chips to cover the SB, but not enough to cover one big bet. No other stacks would be blinded out this round, although the game is such that if I survived past my blinds, it is not unlikely that a player or even 2 could be eliminated before I reached the blinds again.

1) Everyone folds to the button (don't have a lot of experience against this player, but he seems to be fairly solid), who raises. SB folds. The button's bet has me covered. I hold 82o. Whats the play and why?

2) As it was I folded and decided to look at my small blind. Everyone passes to me and I hold J5o. I throw in my last few chips. Comments?

[JohnM]

It seems unlikely that 2 players will bust out before you get into the BB again but if that was your read on the table you should go with it and muck both blinds. 82o is terrible and J5o is not much better. It will be tough to get any chips if you muck both hands ubt, again, make your read and go with it unless there is a compelling reason (like AA) to change your mind. Good luck

[Boylermaker]

While there were no stacks in danger of being blinded out this round, there were some short stacks that I felt needed to and would gamble it up. I thought there was a very good chance that 1 of these guys could be gone by the time the blinds got back around to me, and while not necessarily likely, there was a chance that 2 could go.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

The correct play depends upon the payouts for all positions, and the stack sizes of all opponents.

If first is a lot bigger than 5th place money, then limping into 5th is less desirable.

If winning your big blind hand (the 82o) will still leave you as by far the shortest stack, then folding it (and letting the others gamble themselves out of the event first) becomes a more desirable choice.

Without all the figures, I can't judge which is the best choice. However, in most tournaments, folding preflop once you've invested 1/3 or more of your stack is usually a mistake.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Ignatius]

You have to make a strategy decision here: slipping into the money or playing for first place. To make a meaningful assessment here, you would have to give exact stack-sizes of all players and the payout-structure. But once you decided one way or another, you have to stick with it. In your case that means you either call the steal raise in the BB (which is clearly +EV in terms of chips) or you muck your BB and your SB (unless you get a monster).

If unsure you should always default to playing for the chips.

cu

Ignatius

[Mark Heide]

I'll assume at this point that you are the lowest stack. If you can pass the blinds, and survive you will have a better chance to win some money. I realize that sometimes it is just 1.5 times your buy-in usually, sometimes less. What you need to think about is if you gamble in the big blind how much more chips will you have if you win? If that will put you ahead of another stack that could increase your take you should gamble with a hand that has approximately a 2-to-1 chance of beating your opponent. Since, the hand was 8-2 you should muck it. The same goes for the small blind unless you have to play. By surviving longer you are giving yourself a chance to make some money which is better than none. It's a mistake to gamble before you have to and give up the chance of having someone giving up and getting beat.

I suggest reading David Sklansky's TPFAP chapters All-in strategy and Just out of the money.

Good Luck

Mark