All,

Here is a hand that came up in a SNG I played on Carbon the other day... this was a $20+$2 (but plays like a $5 on Stars or Tilt (not joking either - the standard is terrible!!))

Anyway here is a hand that came up close to the bubble.

A BIG mistake was made here, will give members a chance to speculate on who made the big error for a while and come a complete this with the math later on.

5 Players left of the original 10... 100 / 60 / 40 payout (standard etc) chip counts are approx as this is from memory

UTG - 6000
C/O - 1100
Button (me!) 2200
SB - 2400
BB - 2200

Blinds are 75 / 150

I am dealt aces... UTG Folds, CO Shoves.... I flat call (trying to entice one of the blinds into the pot!).... SB shoves... BB calls.... I call.

Wow! 4 of the 5 players all in.... we turn over hands and:

C/O (shorty) J-10 suited
Me - A-A
SB - Q-Q
BB - Q-Q

lol, all 4 ladies were out. The board came J-A-K giving both blinds 3 outs for the straight and leaving shorty drawing dead.... my aces held though.

Amusing as this may look there was a huge error, and the kind of error made by exactly the type of player who thinks SNGs are 'no skill' games due to all the pushing... answers on a postcard to:

ok - just post below!

Cheers, Mark

PS Carbon SNGs are not crowded enough for multi-tabling, but are very fishy.... check out my review here:

Carbon Poker SNG Poker Tournaments

Might be a trick question I'm falling into, but I think the Big Blind should have folded. Unless there is a split pot, two of the three players will be eliminated/severely crippled almost certainly ensuring an "in the money finish".

I actually think flat calling with aces here is somewhat marginal also (but I'm not a sit n go expert either). I'd rather pick up the extra chips than take the added risk of having one or two callers behind. Also, if you reraised with aces in this spot you may still get action from medium pocket pairs who think you have AK (or possibly a smaller pair)and are willing to gamble. If any overcards hit to their pocket pair on the flop, they can fold thus saving chips they would have otherwise called with.

I'l be interested to hear the sit n go experts opinion though because I'm primarily a cash game player

Jason

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I'm Not Lucky, I Have Good Karma !

Well I'm a REAL newbie but isn't the point that you should have folded and let one of the others take on the UTG? With him All In you lose control of the hand and the risk of being outdrawn is greater than the potential upside - in real cash terms. Granted you are weakening your relative chip position but on balance, I'd have folded the AA

In a sattelite, where every paying spot pays exactly the same, then I might fold aces here. In a tournament with an escalating payout like this $20 sng I re-raise here with my aces.

Mark the only way I play it different is that I push with my aces. I do want chips in the pot but i don't liek getting greedy on the bubble. Other than that it all looks standard.

folded AA with 5 players left? the range of hands you put the c/o on are exaclty what he had.....broadwayish cards, ace-rag, etc...why would you fold?

the flat call is iffy, i could see making something like that in mtt , getting extra money in there or making ur hand look week so other marginal hands push over top.

with that being said i think the SB and BB made the wrong calls. but being it plays like a 5 dollar stars sng, SB qq thought he prob. had you beat with the flat call so essentially it worked on your part. the BB is way out of line for calling with just QQ, sure he is most likely beating the c/o pusher, but 2 other people is highly unlikely.

Well played and I hope you ended up taking it down!

Excellent debate, particularly the flat vs raise with aces part... I'm willing to accept that flat calling encourages action I may not want, but then again with 80% against the range that tries to push me out (the high pairs + maybe AKs I'm ok with it, maybe too MTT oriented here (mostly play the MTTs these days).

It was a trick question, but only in a fun way.

Everyone made a mistake (including me if you count the flat with aces!)

J10s was not quite good enough for shorty to push (given the blinds are still small enough to wait and giving 3 opponents reasonably tight (10%) calling ranges) he needs Q10s at least according to the SNG Power Tools.

My flat with aces may have been a mistake (on reflection, no, I'm good with this!)

The SB's QQ was a mistake if he saw from the pot odds that I could never fold (more than 3/1) and read me as having 10 10+ AQ+ (actually I had been playing tight so JJ+ AKs+ would have been more reasonable here... but fair enough I flatted to look weaker!), he needed KK+ in this situation to make a profitable call.

The BBs QQ was an abomination... this call costs him at least $50 (the $40 for 3rd + some small chances of finishing 1st / 2nd) in equity against ranges he is no better than a flip against at best and likely to be a 4/1 dog!

Note to self: Play on Carbon more often!

Cheers, Mark

sounds like an easy ATM machine ;)


I'm going to have to check it out, i dont think ive played there before. :)))))))))))))))))

You should have folded those ACes preflop. lol

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Kickboyswoop