Call,raise or fold?

[ACE2M]

I am disturbed by lack of actual poker discussion on this POKER Forum.

Anyway, 24 players left (money at 10), blinds at 800/1600, i am 2 before the cut off and have 22,000 chips.

Guy before me flat calls, this guy has been sat at the table for 3 hands and clearly wants to get his chips in and go.

I have 99 and flat call also

Guy behind me goes all in for 8,000. Tight aggressive, good player (best at the table)


All fold back to the guy before me who calls and has another 9,000 left.

Call, raise or fold?

[Wardonkey]

I would have probably raised the limper in this spot, the small blind could be making a play and you have no idea how strong the limper is, but now you have to pass.
If you call then your saving up another hard decision when the limper pushes on the flop. If you go all-in now then you might well be in all sorts of bother.

[dan]

fold for me too

[thetank]

Good point about how we need more poker strategy talk on the forum.
I'm not saying we should have less non poker chit-chat, just more poker debate.

In the hand described, you have to fold now. A raise instead of a flat call would possibly have been a better play.

A tight aggressive player is likely to be capable of making a move from the small blind. Limping shows weakness and his raise is to exploit that weakness. Had you raised yourself, say to 5000, the small blind would have possibly folded

[ACE2M]

I did fold as i was pretty certain the rest of the callers chips were going in regardless of what came on the flop and any overs would make it hard to call.

They turned over 77 and 44, 7 and a 9 on the flop. I told them what i folded and everyone is giving it the 'terrible fold i would have called in an instant'. I still think it was a correct fold but wish i'd called...

[lvlarc_uk]

Go with your instinct.

[Graham C]

I would have folded too.  Chances of getting a nine on the cards in the middle arent good and you could easily lose out.

[yt]

easy fold.

[Timaloy]

Easy fold.

I would have raised the guy that limped in early position, don't like being in pots with guys who limp in early position incase there slow playing a big hand but if you raise hem you can get some idear of the strenth of there hand. Also because that solid player moved allin i think your in a good position now if you have raised preflop because the guy that limped is now in a sandwich position, if hes slow playing a big hand then he will prob come over the  top of the allin man and try to force you out the pot but if he dose just have a marginal hand he has to fold because you have shown strenth before the flop and could quite easily put him allin because your now last to act.

If he dose come over the top its a fold for me, if he flat calls its a fold for me also because that just seems really trappy, if he folds then all is well you only need to worry about the allin man and you have to call with the pot odds.

[ACE2M]

I think i should have raised but i made a conscious decision to limp with pocket pairs 99 or lower when in mid position a while ago and it seems to be paying dividends as i am winning about the same number of big pots when i hit and more small ones when bluffing if i don't hit, the profit is coming from not losing so many big pots with middle pocket pairs.

What is the consensus on playing these tricky little buggers?
Always raise, always limp, always fold in early position etc etc

[Timaloy]

A lot depends on your stack size. Positon at the table. Action before you. Players tight or agressive. How your image is. Stage of the torney.

But you should mix it up a lot at last 75% - 25%.

The later in the torney the more agressive I would tend to be with it, theres more in the middle to win so the risk reward is good, plus its better to play with pocket heads up rather than against 3 or more folks.

Anything under I tend to only want to hit trips with them or throw them away so I usually wouldnt play anything below in early position and even throw them away in mid position if the blinds are high compaired to my stack and would try to steal the blinds with them in late pos if its been folded round to me some times prob 75% of the time depending on whos on the blinds.