What's My Line?

[Howard Treesong]

5-5 NLH, 500 max buy, with a $10 live straddle. You have 99 at UTG +2. You raise to $35. MP LAG calls, blinds go away, straddler makes it $135. The LAG plays a ton of hands and calls quite a bit. The straddler is an experienced amateur, not a dope. Two questions:
first, what's your play? And somewhat more specifically, does the LAG's call weaken or strengthen your position?

As the cards are dealt, LAG has 550 in his stack, straddler has 525, and you have them both covered.

-Howard Treesong

p.s. I have my own (strong) views about this hand, but am in a debate with a buddy of mine, which is why I'm soliciting views.

p.p.s. The Bike was hopping last night. The powers that be were giving out autographed basketballs as part of the Buss charity tournament, and the sight of Men the Master dribbling a basketball around the lobby was not to be missed. I will note that he refused my challenge to play him one-on-one.

[AZK]

fold.

Edit: I am less likely to raise good hands in straddled pots in EP because of the frequency with which the button and or straddler raise the pot. If you hadn't raised, you would have had the opportunity to possibly break someone.

[fimbulwinter]

fim

[AZK]

Previous post is given effective stack size. If we all have 2k in front, raise baby.

[lapoker17]

The fact that the the pot is straddled is actually not that relevant here. You are a solid player, he is a solid player - he reraises you, an EMP raiser 20% of your stack, essentially out of the blinds - this is a muck nearly always.

I guess I'm assuming he's solid, as you said he's no dope, but there's a chance that if he straddling he's kind of an idiot - unless the whole table is doing it.

BTW, I'm limping 99 here almost always.

[Ulysses]

fold.

[pokergripes]

[ QUOTE ]
5-5 NLH, 500 max buy, with a $10 live straddle. You have 99 at UTG +2. You raise to $35. MP LAG calls, blinds go away, straddler makes it $135. The LAG plays a ton of hands and calls quite a bit. The straddler is an experienced amateur, not a dope. Two questions:
first, what's your play? And somewhat more specifically, does the LAG's call weaken or strengthen your position?

As the cards are dealt, LAG has 550 in his stack, straddler has 525, and you have them both covered.

-Howard Treesong

p.s. I have my own (strong) views about this hand, but am in a debate with a buddy of mine, which is why I'm soliciting views.

p.p.s. The Bike was hopping last night. The powers that be were giving out autographed basketballs as part of the Buss charity tournament, and the sight of Men the Master dribbling a basketball around the lobby was not to be missed. I will note that he refused my challenge to play him one-on-one.

[/ QUOTE ]

When we discussed, you didn't call the MP player a LAG, but rather, a "total calling station"...with him being a LAG, money is probably not deep enough to play the 99, because the range of straddler's hands is tighter...if the MP is a passive calling station, straddler's raise has a much better chance of being a big ace, looking to isolate the calling station with a smaller ace or big king. With MP as a LAG, more chance that the straddle woke up with a pair bigger than 99 here, putting you in a world of hurt if you call...

[Limpfold]

Fold without thinking. Their stacksize is way to small to call.

[BobboFitos]

everyone would really (call/limp) the straddle? Wow.

Either I have adjusted poorly to straddles, or no one who posted knows what they're talking about. I isolate a straddle for dead money with hands far worsethen 99... Why would I not do it w/ 99? Because I can't handle a reraise stack % wise? (If so, thats a good reason...)

I generally bump it up pf w/ a wide range of aces and pocket pairs, and occaisonally other hands I'd limp in w/. The straddler has random cards, and it's essentially a blind steal but worth more now. (4bbs in the pot)

fold.