Big play on the button

[Ross]

PLHE last 3 tables I am on the button with 5500 blinds are 200 400. Folded to me I have AT off. I bring it in for a pot-sized raise i.e. 1400 in total. SB folds BB looks at his cards pauses for thought looks at his cards again and raises me back another 2000 leaving him 2200.

Now what? I think he looked weak so my gut instinct is to put him all-in, but this would leave me short stacked if I have got the read wrong or he calls with the worst of it and sucks out. I have never played this guy before and I have not been at the table long enough to form any real judgement on my opponent.

Raise, call or fold and preserve my stack?

(results to follow)

Thanks


Ross

[DaNoob]

I would fold here. If it were me, and I wanted to steal the pot, I would raise All-In at this point. By raising $2k, he's trying to pull you into the pot. I'd put the guy on AK or high pocket pair. At this point, with only 3 tables to go, I dont' think it's worth risking the stack on this hand.

[DaNoob]

I don't think my last post was clear. If I were him, and I wanted to steal the pot, I would have raised all in.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

There is only one reason to call, i.e., if he will check-and-fold some noteworth percentage of the time. Otherwise, this is a fold or reraise situation.

You've got to figure he's going to call any reraise, so what you're really facing here is a fold and lose T1400, or go all-in where you're getting 7100:4100.

I don't know what you should do, as it will depend upon the range of hand you put him on. Your difficult job is to estimate the likelihood of each hand, and see if that adds up you being less than a 7:4 dog.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Ross]

Thanks

I followed my instinct and put him all in. The way I figured it anything that he needed to think about on a late position raise was no better than a slight favorite (my biggest fear being AJ which I could'nt discount) Calling never entered into my thoughts.

My opponnent of course called (I did harbour a faint hope that he would fold) and turned over 9T. No improvement and I went on to split top prize in the tourney.

This hand was key to that success and therefore it has troubled me as to whether I played it poorly and got lucky or was my logic sound.

Ross

[cferejohn]

Question from someone who has never played pot limit:

How come the max raise made it 1400 total? There was 600 in the pot. Wouldn't that mean that your raise would have been 600 i.e. 1200 total? I'm probably just ignorant about how pre-flop betting works in pot limit. If someone could clear it up for me, that would be swell...

[sdplayerb]

I had a difficult time with this for awhile too.
The way it works on the first round is you can call the last bet, plus raise what then is in the pot.

so at 200-400, you call 400 (now 1000 in the pot) and raise the 1000 for a total of 1400.
After the flop it is straight what is in the pot.

[ohkanada]

Nicely played. Just remember that anytime you raise on the button some players in the blind ASSUME you are stealing. So if those types of players are in the blind, make sure you have a plan in your mind what you will do if they re-raise which may well be a resteal. Of course the type of players you want in the blinds are ones that ASSUME you have a real hand and would only re-raise you with a real hand.

Ken Poklitar

[Guy McSucker]

After the flop it is straight what is in the pot.

No, it is always the case that the amount you can raise is the amount it will cost you to call plus the amount in the pot when the action comes to you. If you're the first player to bet, it's $0 to call so the amount you can put in is the amount in the pot.

Typically, if someone bets the pot at you, you can raise 3 times the pot.
E.g. pot is $100, he bets $100, you can raise $300 more to $400 total.

Guy.