Poker Forums

Poker Stars $3.00+$0.40 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t10/t20 Blinds - 10 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

Hero (CO): t1500 M = 50
BTN: t1490 M = 49.67
SB: t1480 M = 49.33
BB: t1500 M = 50
UTG: t1730 M = 57.67
UTG+1: t1500 M = 50
UTG+2: t1300 M = 43.33
MP1: t1500 M = 50
MP2: t1500 M = 50
MP3: t1500 M = 50

Pre Flop: (t30) Hero is CO with Q:spade: A:club:
5 folds, MP3 calls t20, Hero raises to t80, 2 folds, BB raises to t220, 1 fold, Hero calls t140

Flop: (t470) 4:heart: 9:club: 6:club: (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t240, BB raises to t500, Hero folds

I really did not know what to do when he raised me... I figured that AQ was ahead of his range(I don't give me opponents too much respect at these low games, perhaps a leak) However he could have quite easily had something like 99 and been ahead so re-raising I thought was incorrect.

I think this is an overpair/set almost everytime. You may see AK here sometimes but not much and I think the AK would've reraised more or just plain folded. I have come to believe that most times that I am minraised after there was action preflop, then they most likely have the nuts or something really strong. This of course is a play that is horrible but I see it alot at these stakes.

Negativeking

I agree w/ NK. This shows up as a very strong hand very often. I would discount a set because 4betting preflop from the BB w/ a mid pair is an idiotic play this early in the game. Likewise, JJ or QQ would lead the flop and not let you check behind to see a free over. So I put him on KK, or AA to be honest.

Given that he's 4bet outta the blind during level 1, why didn't you check behind? I'd love to take the free card for pot control if nothing else.

Good point on discounting the set. I do see alot of aggression preflop with pocket pairs as small as 9 at these stakes, but I think that is rare. A little info on the villains in these posts would help for sure Pat.

Another note: I will actually fold this preflop vs a tight player. They don't even have to be that tight, just a regular TAG. His reraise preflop shows alot of strenght and most hands that would do that are either a coinflip (less likely), a big favorite or totally dominating you.

Yea I'd probably give up on AQ there most of the time this early in the game w/o any history vs. the opponent. Even w/ position, I dont want to see a flop that is roughly 1/3 of my starting stack. Early tourney strategy for me is to play tight, observe my opponents and keep pots small when I'm involved.

As played, I think your raise to 80 is too light. Early level players with 1500t do not respect the raise for what it is, they simply see 80 measly chips and are more inclined to come along (especially from the blinds). Your raise then loses its effectiveness as it does not limit ranges as intended. I'm popping it to 100+ if I'm raising at all.

Yeah I was thinking that folding may have been best too, since the hand has reversed implied odds. If folding here is best would a limp by me instead be better than a raise?

Your game just started. It's hard to forecast how passive the table will play. Will overlimping be allowed? Are 3 and 4 betting preflop common? Who knows?

I can appreciate the argument that your popping to 80 is sufficient. If it works to isolate just the limper, awesome. You've kept the pot small and are playing HU from position. But in my experience 80 is too juicy for players to resist and you end up playing a bloated pot vs multiples. If you pop to 80 and get repopped to 200+ like what happened, I'm folding for the reasons i originally mentioned, as well as NK's. But admittedly, that's a cautious line.

If, however, you raise up to 120 and still get raised from the BB, then i KNOW i'm behind and can get away with a lot more certainty.

That is a very good point. I was actually thinking that my preflop raises may be too small. Hmm let's think about it. Assuming I didn't get reraised the limper was getting a little over 1:2 Hmm. That means really if he had a hand good enough to limp then it is good enough to call here..... (I think) Yeah I think I should have raised it more. I'm not sure about 120. I'm thinking 100, even though that won't make a huge difference. 6BB to a limp seems too much though

I agree with the bet being a tad too small. I like the 120 bet but I usually just do 100 at this level. There is a noticeable difference between 80 and 100. Just psychologically it looks bigger and more aggressive and when they reraise they have to put in 1/5 of their stack which is huge. If they do reraise this you know almost exactly where you are and should fold with confidence.

The thing is, during these very early stages where blinds are so small, formulaic raises kinda go out the window imo. Like NK mentioned, a ton of it is psychological appearances between 80, 100, 120 etc. I'm not so much concerned w/ how many BB i'm raising over the top as I am with the fold equity i'm seeking to generate.

For example, end game play allows a 2.5x open to serve as the general standard, but when the blinds are 10/20, opening to 50 is not remotely adequate. I think raising a limper the "standard" 3+1bb isn't enough when we're only talking 80 chips.

Again, personal preferences I guess. If 80 is all it takes at this table, super; I suppose it's worth a shot, but my experience seems to suggest it isn't.