$5 - Things that make you go hmmmm

[mikeneron]

BB was 35/0 over 17 hands
MP2 was 24/12 over 17 hands.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (8 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

SB (t3160)
BB (t1190)
UTG (t1355)
UTG+1 (t1270)
Hero (t1325)
MP2 (t1990)
CO (t1540)
Button (t1670)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with , .
2 folds, Hero calls t30, MP2 raises to t120, 3 folds, BB calls t90, Hero calls t90.

Flop: (t375) , , (3 players)
BB bets t1070 (All-In), Hero ???

[taipan168]

Call (actually reshove), he has a flush draw or crap like A8 trying to "protect" his hand against the FD far more often than he has something that beats you.

[mikeneron]

There is one other player still to act behind us...are we worried about him or just shove anyways. I think with all undercards, we have to think we are in good shape here.

[taipan168]

I shove anyway. If he has JJ+ then so be it.

BTW, I would probably open raise this to try to avoid seeing a multiway flop but as per the other discussion, I don't think limping is a terrible play. The issue with limping is that it makes spots like this that much harder to play.

[mikeneron]

If it was JJ, then I am raising preflop in the early blinds. With TT, I tend to limp it. Maybe it's best to change it up and raise sometimes, but call other times.

[kmind]

yeah pretty sure it's a call/shove overall.

[donkbee]

Raise preflop.

As played definitely push!

[oskar]

Why raise preflop?

On the flop, I don't think that this is an easy call/push. even if he has that flushdraw and overs, he's ahead! Why would he just go crazy with only A high here? Not too many people put in a standard raise with A8 either, so what hands are you guys thinking about here?

[taipan168]

Why raise preflop?

To thin the field and either win the blinds or get HU. By limping there are many situations where you turn TT into 22. That said, I don't hate limping but do mix up raising in this spot too.

On the flop, I don't think that this is an easy call/push. even if he has that flushdraw and overs, he's ahead! Why would he just go crazy with only A high here? Not too many people put in a standard raise with A8 either, so what hands are you guys thinking about here?

I have a motto that anytime somebody massively overbets the pot, without a specific read to the contrary it is often a weak hand that does not want a call. Say opp had JJ+ or a set, why would he shove here rather than bet standard then get the rest in on the turn instead of trying to blow us out of the pot? Whilst you are right about FD+overs being ahead, there are plenty of other hands that he could have here that we beat (lower non-set pocket pairs), Ax flush draws where x is not an overcard, maybe even KQ with one or no diamonds, the list goes on).

[oskar]

Why raise preflop?

To thin the field and either win the blinds or get HU. By limping there are many situations where you turn TT into 22. That said, I don't hate limping but do mix up raising in this spot too.

Oh yes... poker terminology! The first bet pre-flop is the blind... I keep mixing this up... so that makes sense. I was thinking of reraising. Ok, raising pre-flop is fine. Re-raising isn't... or 3 betting? I'm out of my element here.

[taipan168]

Oh yes... poker terminology! The first bet pre-flop is the blind... I keep mixing this up... so that makes sense. I was thinking of reraising. Ok, raising pre-flop is fine. Re-raising isn't... or 3 betting? I'm out of my element here.

Yeah, once Hero limps he played it fine by calling, I would not re-raise (3-bet) here. But what I was referring to was open raising (to say 120) in the first place.

[hangchiong]

i would probably limp here,and calling the raise is about 9% of our stack,which is normally above my limit(6% and 7%),sometimes i fold to these raise,sometimes i dont,depending on position and how big my pocket pairs is.

there is a chance of him having JJ+,but i would 70% of the time call this shove.

for me,the stars 5.50 buy in are seriously getting better,do you guys think so?

[mikeneron]

I hate to agree (nothing personal), but I am seeing a more and more multitablers that are playing very similar to the way I am playing, so I am finding lately I am on a major downswing. It is getting harder to just slide into the money anymore like I used to.

[taipan168]

i would probably limp here,and calling the raise is about 9% of our stack,which is normally above my limit(6% and 7%),sometimes i fold to these raise,sometimes i dont,depending on position and how big my pocket pairs is.

I thought about it for a while, and I couldn't come up with a single player read where I would fold TT to the 4x BB raise after limping. Don't fold here, it is a leak to do so.

[mikeneron]

I think the reason for more good players at the $5 levels on Pokerstars is because of the battle of the planets. Each block of 20 or 100 games you play you try and get the most points you can get and thus get in the top 10 for that week. Top 10 play for some sort of prize pool.

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/battle/

I will never make the top 10, but I feel that it's bringing better players down to the lower levels and thus having a negative effect on my ROI