Very large potential leak

DaNoob · #1 09-02-2003, 10:30 AM

I played in 9 tourneys yesterday, thoroughly enjoying my extra day off. The fiancee was out shopping with the sister, so I had all day to watch tv, play poker, and take naps. It was wonderful.

Of the 9 I played in yesterday, I won one, placed 2nd in 2, and lost the rest. Of my 8 losses, I noticed a nasty trend:

Game 2: pushed all in HU PF with TT, called by QQ.
Game 4: 6 handed, I push all-in with AA PF, lose to JJ.
Game 5: 7 handed, push all-in PF with QQ, called by KK.
Game 7: 4 handed, push all-in PF with JJ, called by QQ.

I wasn't a short stack in any of these situations, and in games 4&5, the blinds weren't even that big.

Should I be playing these big PPs more slowly? I read somewhere in another post today that the person has cut down their AI situations to 1/3 and has seen better results.

Should I be avoiding all-in situations with these big, but not nut PPs?

If I start slower and the flop comes all undercards, is there any way to avoid losing my stack to overpairs? What is the best way to deal with this.

When I have QQ PF, and my initial raise gets re-raised, knowing that only 2 hands make me a dog and only one more is even close to even-money, am I wrong to push in?

Looking to fix the leak, so any and all flaming is welcome.

Thank goodness it's not Monday today.

Rickfish · #2 09-02-2003, 12:00 PM

You said the blinds were small. I don't think going all in BTF with TT & JJ is good when you have 1000 and the blinds are 10-20. Your proposition is that you will win 30 chips or lose 1000. I don't like it much on QQ either. Say instead you make it 4 or 5 x BB, what if someone re-raises then another player goes all in? Then you can probably fold as they are likely to have you beaten.

DaNoob · #3 09-02-2003, 12:13 PM

Just in my own defense, the TT was HU and the blinds were much bigger. JJ was 4-handed, so blinds were bigger in that case as well.

But, here is the question. You have QQ UTG. You raise 4x BB, hoping to get some callers or re-raised. Someone reraises the Pot, and it's folded back to you. What to do?

Do you push-in, knowing that you dominate 99% of the hands out there?

Do you call? If so, when the flop comes T62 rainbow, what's your play?

Thanks for the advice.

Schmed · #4 09-02-2003, 12:47 PM

I've really started playing 10's and J's a little more cautiously lately. I mean yeah there are times I push with them, (usually hu with large blinds), but generally I bet it 4x BB and go from there with those hands. Raised back to me with 10's and j'd early I just call. Generally if nothing hits I bet the pot, if I get reraised the pot I get real worried about a higher pair and I have acutally laid down against some people (one time was a good lay down the other time I dunno, he didn't show). This is all player and position dependant but that is generally how I have been playing those kinds of hands.

Yesterday I was playing in a multi table holdm tourny. I got J's 3 times. 2 times I laid down to huge bets and calls and both times they were good. Having said that today I was in the SB of a sit and go and there were 5 callers at the 60 dollar level and I went all in with a short stack of 460 chips, everyone folded and I went on to place 3rd.

I know Phil H isn't the most liked guy in the world but something he either wrote or said about a hand he was playing comes to my head when I have j's or 10's.... 'I just didn't want to risk that many chips with just J's at that stage of the tourny'...I know it's a stupid little obvious statement but it got me to thinking that those hands are great hands and are great hu but there are many hands that can get ya and you have to ask yourself do you want to risk everything on a hand that is easily cracked until you know you are golden.

Rickfish · #5 09-02-2003, 12:57 PM

It all depends.

Firstly you don't dominate 99% of hands. For the re-raise, depending on the person, you can put them on a range of hands. A very tight player might only have AA or KK. You could make a grid of all the hands that you think are possible against your QQ and what chance you have of beating each of them. I did a grid of AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, & AQ and it comes out as an EV of 0.562 (which is strangely similar to QQ v AK). If the chip position is unfavourable, i.e. you have big chips and so does your opponent, then it is a fold.

Prickly Pete · #6 09-02-2003, 01:13 PM

In most SNGs, I couldn't throw away QQ. I've just seen too many people make the reraise with smaller pairs, ace-rag or even any 2 cards as a total bluff. If you go against AA or KK, you go look for a new table. If you go against AK, you're not thrilled to be flipping a coin, but you are the slight favorite. Everything else, you are in command.

Now for multitable tourneys or possibly $100 SnGs, you may have to reconsider and make a decision.

FWIW, I think your plays in each the above situations were fine.

Rickfish · #7 09-02-2003, 01:34 PM

"In most SNGs, I couldn't throw away QQ."

Me too but with the proviso that chip position is everything. It reminds me of a hand I had in a multi-table tournament where me and one other player had massive chips compared to the field. He raised on the button, I re-raised on the BB, and I thought long and hard but folded. I still had loads of chips but to continue would mean one of us getting knocked out when we both dominated the field.