your thoughts on this hand - my play and opp's play

[konahead]

I had been pushing A LOT once it got down to 4, and had only been called once. Fortunately, I happened to have AK at the time, and took out opp #4. This had allowed me to push a lot afterwards, although at some point it becomes fairly obvious. I guess it was up to that point.

My goal was to isolate the short stack, who had just put in half his stack for the big blind. Should I have just called or min-raised to see what big stack was going to do? Really didnt want to butt heads with the big stack on this one....

Didn't big stack make a mistake calling me here given I pushed first and short stack was 1/2 in anyway? (I'm not showing big stack's hand - it was good but it wasn't great.....)

#Game No : 3427927873
***** Hand History for Game 3427927873 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $10 Buy-in + $1 Entry Fee Trny:19505169 Level:9 Blinds(250/500) - Tuesday, January 24, 09:46:03 EDT 2006
Table Table 66997 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 2: buttkcngrl ( $3950 )
Seat 3: slama222 ( $1195 )
Seat 1: konahead ( $2855 )
Trny:19505169 Level:9
Blinds(250/500)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to konahead [ 2c Ac ]
konahead is all-In [2855]
buttkcngrl calls [2605].
slama222 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jd, Ks, 9d ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3d ]
** Dealing River ** [ Qc ]

[pgil]

if the short stack is smart enough to realize that he has to play this hand with any 2, and the SB also realizes this, I think I can fold here rather than push. let the bigger stack take a shot at the shortstack. either he wins, which is good, or he loses, which levels out the stacks a bit, is also pretty good. of course I say all of this now, but in the heat of the game I probably would have pushed any A (or any K) into the shortstack as well.
For what it's worth, if the SB called with anything less than TT or A9 (maybe KQ given how active you have been), then it looks like a bad call. he has to give you credit for some kind of hand here with the shortstack in the BB.

[zenbitz]

Yeah, I go with the big A here. S0000ted even. I guess your table image killed you though.

[vqc]

this is a clear push with A2s regardless of the big stacks calling range.

After running the numbers this is wat i got

If the big stack was calling with A3+, K3+, Q3+, J3+, 33+, T3+, 93+, pretty much any big card and a smaller live card, this push is still wayy +$EV. (if we remove the T3+ and 93+, the push just becomes that much more +$EV)

THe point is that u having pushed alot before makes their calling range wider. Now, even tho their calling range is really wide, this push is still worth a load of money.

[zenbitz]

Hey V, what's the best calling range for villian - i..e, we know (since he has an A) that it's -EV to call with any non-A non-pair.... but folding T3/93+ makes it MORE +EV for Hero, should villian call with any 2?

[konahead]

just an fyi - he called with KJs - which based on his prior play is about the worst hand I think he would have been willing to call with...

[nickthefool]

should villian call with any 2?

actually it seems villain should call with any NON 2 i think (barring 22)

[Rockymv]

standard push

[MAX]

Agree that the push is very +EV. The best play (with the greatest EV) usually depends on your opp. If you knew that bigstack was only playing thier own cards, and would not exploit a min raise to 1000 (commits the small stack but allowing you to fold to a push over from biggie) by pushing over w/any 2, then that would become even more +EV than pushing. Only bring it up because I was in that situation earlier tonight....

Garrance had played tight (only put money in with good holdings pre or post flop)all game. ATP was not a fish and would need to be to play w/out premium holding here. Don't really matter about brick_haus but for the record he was tight. My image was AGG but not maniac. I had not shown down anything except for when I pushed w/55 from the button a couple orbits earlier and was called by AJ.

500/1000 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 19523789) - Tue Jan 24 22:37:58 EST 2006
Table Table 68020 (Real Money) -- Seat 10 is the button
Total number of players : 4
Seat 2: ATP69 (1710)
Seat 7: brick_haus (1080)
Seat 9: MAX (2330)
Seat 10: Garrance (2880)
ATP69 posts small blind (250)
brick_haus posts big blind (500)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to MAX[ Jh, Kc ]
MAX raises (1000) to 1000
Garrance folds.
ATP69 folds.
brick_haus folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: 1750
ATP69 balance 1460, lost 250 (folded)
brick_haus balance 580, lost 500 (folded)
MAX balance 3080, bet 1000, collected 1750, net +750
Garrance balance 2880, didn't bet (folded)

I know that betting 1000 and folding to a push from biggie seems weak. But given that I knew he would only push over w/a better hand, I felt that this line got me the same FE as pushing, w/the added bonus of getting out the few times Garrance catches a monster. The raise, at this blind level, with these stack sizes, seems bad, but given my reads, what does taking this line really cost me?

[zenbitz]

The raise, at this blind level, with these stack sizes, seems bad, but given my reads, what does taking this line really cost me?

As long as your read is good, it's good. HOWEVER, what do you do when you catch AK? QQ? KK?? Basically, any hand you want to be all-in preflop with at this stage? If you m/r KK what if you get a call and flop is like AXX?

This doesn't make your play bad, but it's something you have to consider.

[MAX]

Zen- I am suggesting that line because I don't want to be ai preflop, at least not with the big stack. With the hands you mentioned, it is a clear push. And you are %100 right, this line is only good because of the reads.

[vqc]

Ok pretending were the SB villian

if kno that Kona is pushing with any 2 cards
we can call profitably with
22+,A2+,K2+,Q4o+,Q2s+,J7o+,J4s+,T8o+,T6s+,97s+ (53%)

if we kno that Kona is pushing
A2+, K2+, Q2+, J2+, T2+, 22+ (somewhat realistic here)
we can call profitably with
22+,A2+,K6o+,K2s+,Q9o+,Q8s+,J9s+ (35%)

if we kno that Kona is pushing
A2+, K2+, Q2+, J2+, T2+, 22+, 98+, 87+, 76+, 65+ (close to wat i think Kona should be pushing here, most connectors, all face cards, and tens.)
Villian should be calling with
22+,A2+,K5o+,K2s+,Q9o+,Q7s+,JTo,J9s+ (37%)

This can only be a close approximation becuase the ranges willc hange as long as we know each other are good players.

If I kno ur pushing two cards, i will call with 53%, once u kno im calling 53%, ull change urs to be +EV against my call range, once I kno that uv changed ur range to fit my range, ILl change my range to smething else.

Whee poker.

[vqc]

By the way if people have questions that im not answering but are directed to me, please PM me.

I catch like 98% of the stuff in the forum, but that 2% can be annoying.

PM me or IM me if something is needed.