DoN pickle..

[Chopper]

what do you do here in these hands?

PokerStars Game #22240404609: Tournament #122015678, $5.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level IX (200/400) - 2008/11/21 16:05:02 ET
Table '122015678 1' 10-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: PB_AA (6035 in chips)
Seat 2: aliasqryst00 (3400 in chips)
Seat 3: pfsbulldawg (965 in chips)
Seat 8: BBAAEEMM (960 in chips)
Seat 9: Der Abräumer (1560 in chips)
Seat 10: tonien (2080 in chips)
PB_AA: posts the ante 40
aliasqryst00: posts the ante 40
pfsbulldawg: posts the ante 40
BBAAEEMM: posts the ante 40
Der Abräumer: posts the ante 40
tonien: posts the ante 40
aliasqryst00: posts small blind 200
pfsbulldawg: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to pfsbulldawg [4s 9c]
BBAAEEMM: folds
Der Abräumer: folds
tonien: folds
PB_AA: raises 400 to 800
aliasqryst00: folds
pfsbulldawg: folds
Uncalled bet (400) returned to PB_AA
PB_AA collected 1240 from pot
PB_AA: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1240 | Rake 0
Seat 1: PB_AA (button) collected (1240)
Seat 2: aliasqryst00 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: pfsbulldawg (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: BBAAEEMM folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: Der Abräumer folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 10: tonien folded before Flop (didn't bet)

right here the blinds go up to 300/600 and put the guy to my left in the BB, which takes him just under me in stack size.

and, i pick up...

AJo in the SB w/ 150 chips left. i cant cover the BB, but i do still have a stack if i fold. if i fold, BB isnt forced to call right now, but next hand puts him all in in the sb. and, i can wait it out. but, AJ is solid and i know that btn (big stack) is putting me in with ATC and taking his chances to knock me out.

do i wait and gamble? or push and gamble? .....for my tourney life.

[ghem67]

Everytime I come to this situation and wait for the shortest stack to make his move I usually win.

Everytime I come to this situation and push my tiny stack with some pretty decent hands I lose.

I am not sure what the odds of winning with even the best hand is when 3-4 people call you but I know it's not good.

Therefore I wait.

[Sprayed]

Everytime I come to this situation and wait for the shortest stack to make his move I usually win.

Everytime I come to this situation and push my tiny stack with some pretty decent hands I lose.

I am not sure what the odds of winning with even the best hand is when 3-4 people call you but I know it's not good.

Therefore I wait.

Obv. rigged. ^^^^

You're getting your chips in no matter what.

[ghem67]

Everytime I come to this situation and wait for the shortest stack to make his move I usually win.

Everytime I come to this situation and push my tiny stack with some pretty decent hands I lose.

I am not sure what the odds of winning with even the best hand is when 3-4 people call you but I know it's not good.

Therefore I wait.

Obv. rigged. ^^^^

You're getting your chips in no matter what.

Why put your chips in and get called by everyone and their mother when you can wait for the smaller stack to test their luck first?

[Chopper]

there seem to be 2 schools of thought in these.

1) let the shorty push first, then, let one or two bigger stacks call to make him beat more than a HU pot and "school" him with outs.

2) limp or minraise in front of him and deny him "first in" intimidation. this forces him to wait for a solid hand. and, if that never comes, the blinds crush him first.

i like the first school of thought, but i see both work.

the bottom line is to never allow your stack to get so short that you lose the intimidation factor when you push first. and, too many players allow themselves to get too short and effectively bubble themselves.

[ghem67]

I agree with you Chopper that it just shouldn't get to that point. So many times it is me and 2-3 others with around 900 chips and blinds 100/200 because we have waited for only premium hands or no one calls when we have our premium hands. The good news is that usually the others I see late in the tourney in that situation with me are regs with good ROIs so we must be doing something right.

[JR9477]

I've never played one of these but...
With AJ, at best were likely to win 65% of the time, but we still do lose 35% of the time though. Wouldn't this mean that we actually increase the chance of him finishing by 35%?

Also, if we win here, he still may lose the next hand regardless. Would that also mean we've risked everything for no gain?