Hand of the week 16th April

[johnbhoy76]

ALways raise this pre, don't care if he's aggressive refuse to be bullied your hand is likely best.

What you're saying is correct but what can often happen in a battle of the blinds is that neither player believes the other player has a hand.

Small Blind Raises with Ace rag thinking he has best hand

Big Blind thinks to himself "He's at it. He's raising me with junk my King rag is probaly in front here". So he re-raises

Small Blind think thinks to himself  - "He thinks I'm at it!! He thinks I'm stealing his blind with any old crap, well I've got an ACE and I know I'm in front" Re-Raise

Big Blind then thinks - "This guy wont take a hint will he?"  "I'm ALL IN!!!"

So before you know it you have created this monster pot with a pish hand out of position and are being put to a marginal decision for all your chips.

There are some great players out there who can figure it out and make the right call/fold when this battle of the blinds unfolds but I'm not one of them. I'd rather just fold like a wee girl and have the button on the next hand.

[snoopy1239]

1. What do you do preflop? And why? Do you differ from Thang or do the same?

2. After the preflop action, is that a good flop for you? Out of position, what is your best strategy now?

3. If you plan to bet this flop, why? If you don't plan to bet this flop, why not?

(1) I like to mix it up, but I see no reason to automatically raise here. If you do, it reeks of an Ace, you'll probably get called and you'll be in weak position with your opponent having a good idea of what you might hold. Also, if he has a stronger Ace, which can easily make the call, you could find yourself in hot water if an Ace hits due to your shabby kicker. I'm happy to limp here.

(2) I think it's a pretty decent flop for what you have. I'd have a pop here.

(3) You've got a draw and a probable over card, so why not make a bet and see what happens? If I get called though, I think I'd consider myself beat (rainbow flop don't forget) and put on the brakes. Not sure I'd want to fire a second barrel out against the chip leader unless a high card came that might scare him off.

[booder]

i would proberly

 

[Tragic]

I think the limp/reraise is also a nice idea as mat says, but it shouldn't "reek of an ace"...whatever they smell like . Or is my raising range in this situation too wide ...probably down to J9 here i raise most of the time

[happybhoy]

What you're saying is correct but what can often happen in a battle of the blinds is that neither player believes the other player has a hand.

Small Blind Raises with Ace rag thinking he has best hand

Big Blind thinks to himself "He's at it. He's raising me with junk my King rag is probaly in front here". So he re-raises

Small Blind think thinks to himself  - "He thinks I'm at it!! He thinks I'm stealing his blind with any old crap, well I've got an ACE and I know I'm in front" Re-Raise

Big Blind then thinks - "This guy wont take a hint will he?"  "I'm ALL IN!!!"

So before you know it you have created this monster pot with a pish hand out of position and are being put to a marginal decision for all your chips.

There are some great players out there who can figure it out and make the right call/fold when this battle of the blinds unfolds but I'm not one of them. I'd rather just fold like a wee girl and have the button on the next hand.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt 


1. What do you do preflop? And why? Do you differ from Thang or do the same?

Taking into account the fact that I'm playing as myself, I'm clearly the worst player at the table, so it's in my advantage to be all-in pre-flop. Eichhardt has raised every hand but folded when Dodet pushed (I take it that's all-in?). I'm marginally ahead of a random hand and I'd imagine his range for calling half his stack is relatively tight but I've no idea what the odds are of him having it are and I don't want to have to deal with a re-raise. I either pick up the blinds, get called and draw out or get beat, worse case I net sixth place in an EPT event. May not the coolest move but I'm boomsticking this every day of the week.

2. After the preflop action, is that a good flop for you? Out of position, what is your best strategy now?

Seeing as 1 leaves me a lack of post flop options - If I'd done the same as Nguyen then I don't like the flop and I check fold here. Looks like a textbook description of the kind of flop that gets you in trouble when you play hands like A5o.

3. If you plan to bet this flop, why? If you don't plan to bet this flop, why not?

No bets, with 12 rounds in chips left there are bound to be better spots to be monkeying around with the chip leader.

[TightEnd]

great thread already guys, keep it coming


Flushy? totalise? thoughts please!

[GlasgowBandit]

I think the limp/reraise is also a nice idea as mat says, but it shouldn't "reek of an ace"...whatever they smell like . Or is my raising range in this situation too wide ...probably down to J9 here i raise most of the time

I'd be more inclined to play J 9 here than A5.

I was playing a tourney earlier the night, and although not anywhere near the same level and I foung myself in the SB with A 5 suited.  Agaisnt my better judgement I called and flopped two pair OOP I was content to led the BB bet into me and he duly did.  I waited till the river and check raised him he thought for an etrenity before calling with A6 - he flopped a bigger two pair.

I just don't feel comfortable playing weak aces in the blind.

[NoflopsHomer]

Taking into account the fact that I'm playing as myself, I'm clearly the worst player at the table, so it's in my advantage to be all-in pre-flop. Eichhardt has raised every hand but folded when Dodet pushed (I take it that's all-in?). I'm marginally ahead of a random hand and I'd imagine his range for calling half his stack is relatively tight but I've no idea what the odds are of him having it are and I don't want to have to deal with a re-raise. I either pick up the blinds, get called and draw out or get beat, worse case I net sixth place in an EPT event. May not the coolest move but I'm boomsticking this every day of the week.

This isn't the final table, there are two tables left. Both are five handed. Does this change your shove policy?

I have to say I have fully looked at this hand, and I found it fascinating, I try to understand why the players do what they do but the reasons I come up with may differ from everyone elses, so I don't think there's a truly right or wrong answer, which makes this all the more interesting for a debate as opposed to other hands.

[happybhoy]

This isn't the final table

  D'oh, different matter, I play turtle, call and fold to a reraise. Still don't like flop, check/fold and wait for a better spot. Don't know why I'd change my tune though, a lot of my original assumptions remain true. Be interesting to see the rest of it.

[hotdog]

as we all no the blind vs blind situations kill alot of tourney players ..we all know the easiest way to win a tourney is not to be all in so dont f*** with a crazy scandie  in a blind vs blind..also alot of people will prob not think any raise or re raise perflop from peter is v strong and prob put there chips in when he could have you beat all ends up and just because you think he is a lag you do all your stack with  with a good chance off winning  when you only have 13k invested ,,, thats the bottom line of it all really

obviously been as we are playing as thang duc we have tag image i think so any way lol

i call preflop simple reason if you raise he will be feeling confident that you have a pair or some sort of ace  so being as he has you on a hand he will call and try play you off the hand++ i dont wana raise with  againts a mad scandie just incase he raises you have to pass.

on the flop you got to remember that you only have 13k in the pot with a gutshot and a over whicch is good but you dont want to get to  frisky with the chip daddy,, if like thang done jus make up the blinds aint realy that bothered about it as you are playin with a mad scandie.there will defintly be a better spot to get the chips in.


look forward to see what happened floppy

[MANTIS01]

Quote from: Tragic on April 16, 2007, 06:48:41 pm
ALways raise this pre, don't care if he's aggressive refuse to be bullied your hand is likely best.

What you're saying is correct but what can often happen in a battle of the blinds is that neither player believes the other player has a hand.

Small Blind Raises with Ace rag thinking he has best hand

Big Blind thinks to himself "He's at it. He's raising me with junk my King rag is probaly in front here". So he re-raises

Small Blind think thinks to himself  - "He thinks I'm at it!! He thinks I'm stealing his blind with any old crap, well I've got an ACE and I know I'm in front" Re-Raise

Big Blind then thinks - "This guy wont take a hint will he?"  "I'm ALL IN!

I do agree with this sentiment.

However, let's assume you have been playing solid poker so far. You are putting in a pretty smallish raise of 36k, into the current big stack, an aggressive opponent, on the final-table bubble. So I think in this particular situation your raise would carry additional credit, and get through.

Raising here announces that you have a hand and simply asks your opponent a question. We do actually have a hand so asking the question is perfectly justifiable.

I think raising a standard amount here and seeing how your opponent re-acts is the right play pre-flop. By calling you are just inviting your aggressive opponent to take the lead in a pot you could quite rightfully win. We are giving our opponent too much of an edge if we call or fold here.

[Ironside]

mantis i like your thinking apart from the fact your missing the fact there is a running ante meaning he is getting better odds to call or raise by making it 40k you are now betting nearly the full pot

at this stage 4k might not seem like much but its huge and will effect the bb thinking imho

[dino1980]

I've only skim read the replies so this may have been mentioned before. But does the fact that an aggressive Scandie who's 'been raising every hand' suddenly now checks pre-flop, when in position smell funny? To me it does.

[matt674]

I've only skim read the replies so this may have been mentioned before. But does the fact that an aggressive Scandie who's 'been raising every hand' suddenly now checks pre-flop, when in position smell funny? To me it does.

and is a typical aggressive scandie who has been raising every hand but was stopped once when Daniel Dodet pushed after Eichardt's utg raise. He is also the chip leader.

Another reason why in my post i said that i would have gone for the limp then hopefully check-reraise option preflop. He had been consantly aggresive but seemed to then back down when someone came over the top of him.

[boldie]

hmmm. I suspect he only limped because he was afraid of a reraise from the agressive scandie. Fair enough, but I don't really like it. I'd raise to 30k and follow up on the flop.

Assuming he'd call;
Yeah I wouldn't mind this flop after raising. I'd  lead out here. Bet 50k-ish and see what the Scandie man does. I am ofcourse hoping to hit a three of course but am representing an overpair.

As the way it's played I'd still lead out, bet 18k-ish.

no I hadn't good point. I would indeed have raised more. the sentiment stands but I forgot the antes

have you taken into account the running ante's your giving him odds to call preflop with NE2 and on the flop with any draw