Hi all,

This is my 1st post =) I just played these 2 SNGs and they ended in much the same way for me. In both cases it was folded to me in the SB and I had some sort of hand. In case #1 I was left with only 6xBB so I guess pushing was the right play. But in case #2 I was slightly more comfortable... for this case was my push questionable, i.e. was the risk of losing all my chips greater than the reward of a single big blind?

Bonus question:
Here I tried a stop-and-go with aces. But with such a dangerous looking flop, would it be better to check or min raise instead?



PokerStars Game #17700139047: Tournament #89751064, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/05/26 - 08:24:42 (ET)
Table '89751064 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Stokson (4065 in chips)
Seat 3: chenh18 (880 in chips)
Seat 5: LightsBy1313 (1585 in chips)
Seat 6: LatraQ (2000 in chips)
Seat 8: betgo (4970 in chips)
chenh18: posts small blind 50
LightsBy1313: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to chenh18 [2s 2h]
LatraQ: folds
betgo: folds
Stokson: folds
chenh18: raises 780 to 880 and is all-in
LightsBy1313: calls 780
*** FLOP *** [Tc Ad Qc]
*** TURN *** [Tc Ad Qc] [As]
*** RIVER *** [Tc Ad Qc As] [5c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
chenh18: shows [2s 2h] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
LightsBy1313: shows [Js Kc] (a straight, Ten to Ace)
LightsBy1313 collected 1760 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1760 | Rake 0
Board [Tc Ad Qc As 5c]
Seat 1: Stokson (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: chenh18 (small blind) showed [2s 2h] and lost with two pair, Aces and Deuces
Seat 5: LightsBy1313 (big blind) showed [Js Kc] and won (1760) with a straight, Ten to Ace
Seat 6: LatraQ folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: betgo folded before Flop (didn't bet)



PokerStars Game #17700748089: Tournament #89754422, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/05/26 - 09:11:35 (ET)
Table '89754422 1' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 2: MikeHoshino (1185 in chips)
Seat 3: MadFishWilly (1620 in chips)
Seat 5: marrabecks (1460 in chips)
Seat 6: chenh18 (1015 in chips)
Seat 7: ciuciuleddu (995 in chips)
Seat 8: BaMonPolo (4255 in chips)
Seat 9: Alex2221 (2970 in chips)
chenh18: posts small blind 50
ciuciuleddu: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to chenh18 [Qc Kd]
BaMonPolo: folds
Alex2221: folds
MikeHoshino: folds
MadFishWilly: folds
marrabecks: folds
chenh18: raises 915 to 1015 and is all-in
ciuciuleddu: calls 895 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (20) returned to chenh18
*** FLOP *** [3h 6s 8s]
*** TURN *** [3h 6s 8s] [9c]
*** RIVER *** [3h 6s 8s 9c] [5c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
chenh18: shows [Qc Kd] (high card King)
ciuciuleddu: shows [Th As] (high card Ace)
ciuciuleddu collected 1990 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1990 | Rake 0
Board [3h 6s 8s 9c 5c]
Seat 2: MikeHoshino folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: MadFishWilly folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: marrabecks (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: chenh18 (small blind) showed [Qc Kd] and lost with high card King
Seat 7: ciuciuleddu (big blind) showed [Th As] and won (1990) with high card Ace
Seat 8: BaMonPolo folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: Alex2221 folded before Flop (didn't bet)



PokerStars Game #17700256715: Tournament #89751048, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/05/26 - 08:34:09 (ET)
Table '89751048 1' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: xxsnigglesxx (3945 in chips)
Seat 2: Tom LS (2620 in chips)
Seat 3: IcemanMambo (3540 in chips)
Seat 6: betgo (2150 in chips)
Seat 7: chenh18 (1245 in chips)
betgo: posts small blind 75
chenh18: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to chenh18 [As Ah]
xxsnigglesxx: calls 150
Tom LS: folds
IcemanMambo: folds
betgo: folds
chenh18: raises 300 to 450
xxsnigglesxx: calls 300
*** FLOP *** [Kc Kd 3h]
chenh18: bets 795 and is all-in
xxsnigglesxx: calls 795
*** TURN *** [Kc Kd 3h] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [Kc Kd 3h 2d] [Ks]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
chenh18: shows [As Ah] (a full house, Kings full of Aces)
xxsnigglesxx: shows [Kh Qh] (four of a kind, Kings)
xxsnigglesxx collected 2565 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2565 | Rake 0
Board [Kc Kd 3h 2d Ks]
Seat 1: xxsnigglesxx showed [Kh Qh] and won (2565) with four of a kind, Kings
Seat 2: Tom LS folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: IcemanMambo (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: betgo (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: chenh18 (big blind) showed [As Ah] and lost with a full house, Kings full of Aces

Hi Chen

First of all, Welcome to Poker Strategy Forums. I hope you enjoy the site. We have some really great and helpful members here.

Hand #1

In my opinion this is one of the rare times that any of the three options are probably ok:

1. Folding still leaves you with some chips, and you have 5 more hands to possible pick up a hand with better showdown value before the big blind comes around. A lot can happen in 5 hands, players get knocked out, you may pick up a bigger pair and double up, etc.
2. Flat calling. Flat calling only costs you 50 in chips. If the opponent raises behind you or you get an unfavorable flop you can just muck. The problem with such a low pair like deuces and your low chip count is that you are at best a coin flop against just about any hand and if you opponent wakes up with any reasonable hand you are likely to get called because they know your situation is desperate.
3. Raising all in does stand a moderate chance of winning the big blind, but you are risking 830 to win 100. Your opponent has to wake up with a reasonable hand to call but because of your weak chip count it widens their calling range to most ace rags, any two face cards, any pocket pair, etc, thats a lot of cards to dodge. I'm sure one of our member with a fancy computer program will give you the exact %'s, but I would estimate you get called here around 50% of the time.

The more I think about it, I actually like option 2 the best, if you spike a 2 you double up, if you miss your only out 50 in chips.

I'm not a Sit N Go expert though, so hopefully our resident Sit N Go experts will chime in. Sorry for not giving you more of a definitive answer but this is one of those hands which doesn't have an exact answer in my opinion. Your opponents calling tendancies should also play a deciding factor in which of the above options you choose. Also, what do your opponents think of yourp playing style?? Do they perceive you as loose because of hands you have shown down previously? because of your low chip count compared to the other players?

I'm just on my way to bed, I'll try to give you some advice on your other hands when I wake up.

Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Hand 2


I'm not crazy about this play, KQ has no showdown value when you miss and I don't think all in is the right play. I know there is the school of thought that with a low chip stack that the right play is to fold or shove but I guess I'm more of a traditionalist (and admittedly not a Sit N Go expert). I think you are better off raising a standard amount here, call it 3.5x or 4x depending on what you have been raising. Overbets are always highly suspicious in my opinion. Here's why I think it is better to raise a standard amount.

1. It leaves you chips with to bluff at the flop if you miss. This hand you posted is actually a great example. If you raised to 350 preflop, you still have around 700 to fire on the flop. This gives your opponent a chance to fold. I'm not saying they are going to fold, but you may be surprised the number of players that will fold their ace high in this situation, but by raising all in preflop you don't give them the opportunity to fold and allow them to see all 5 cards for the same amount of chips.
2. Overbetting the pots screams, I am weak, I just want to win the blinds.
3. If your opponet calls and the flop comes really nasty like Ace, Rag, Rag, you can fold and still have some chips left although many would advocate shoving your remaining stack. A lot of it is going to depend on what you think your opponet has. Do they have a pair? Do they have an Ace? Learn to trust your reads and dont' be afraid to fold a hand and save the chips either. Tournaments are about survival.

I know KQ is pretty to look at but folding here preflop isn't terrible either. I'm looking forward to the other members input also, especially the Sit N Go Experts. I always seem to learn something new when these types of hands get posted.

Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Both look standard to me - calling ranges for the BB are fairly wide, but you are unlikely to be worse than a flip if called and need those chips to maintain any semblance of FE going forward.

Have you taken a look into ICM yet? If you are playing any volume of SNGs this is a must-know (even if just to understand what some of your opponents are doing)

Cheers, Mark

Hand #3

I actually think you played this hand just fine. I like the standard raise. I also think the bet on the flop is fine, although you could check and let them bet. Your either way ahead or way behind, but I dont' see any realistic way to get away from this hand. It's just one of those hands your going to lose your chips with.

Jason

__________________
I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

__________________
"You will succeed far more by capitalizing on your opponents mistakes than you will by the greatness of your own play." --- I am not sure who said this but it is a great quote and piece of advice.


Colorado Players Click Here

Going off on a tangent slightly. While I'm paraphrasing the view of a highly respected online player, basically: Online poker is a game of (but not isolated to) trends. It is up to a player to pick up on these trends, and basically do they opposite of them/take advantage of them.

Imo, one of the more prevalent trends atm (at least for low limit SnGs) is for players to push light into the BB when around the 10BB mark. As a consequence of this, the calling range of the BB has greatly widened in these circumstances.

I fold the 22 and KQ. I think the EV for these moves comes mainly from the FE of open-pushing. Since this FE, imo, has been greatly reduced, I no longer see it as a +Ev move. You can build a case for limping the 22, but you really aren't getting set-mining odds, and the amount of times the BB will raise after a limp negates any set-mining value you may have had.

I think I push the AA, but depending on reads, the standard raise probably isn't bad.

Hey Neverace

Welcome to PSF

Nice anlysis of the hand and the current trend of players pushing light into the Big Blind. You bring up some good points.

Glad to have you as part of the fourm.

Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

In hand #1, with all folding to you in the SB, I flat call with a small pocket pair. Unless the BB wakes up with a hand, you mostly will miss the flop, but so will he. Your small pair will be ususally be in a coin flip situation, at best, to his hand (overcards) and you are short stacked besides. I would save some chips and fold post-flop unless I hit my trips.
Choose a better time to push.

Hand #2...I, too, would shove.

Hand #3...Again you are short stacked. I would push my chips in pre-flop, thinking villian, being UTG with a call and a call, has Ax or a pocket pair. He is chip leader and can afford to call your all-in and still remain in good chip position if he misses.

Keep in mind, I am nowhere near the expert that many of the other posters here are, but the point of the forum is to see how others might play your hand. And BTW, welcome to a great, high quality forum. You should enjoy it here.

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ertrauma


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