SNG bad play? Please help.

[DBL0SVN]

Playing a 20 person $16 buyin SNG at Pacific. It's down to the last 10 (top 5 in the money). I have about $1100 with blinds at 150/300. I need to make a move soon before I get blinded out. I'm on the button with A9s. MP (~$2000 stack) calls and I call too. SB completes - so $1200 in the pot.

Flop is Kxx rainbow. SB, BB and MP check to me. I decide to try and take the pot there and rep the K, and go all in with ~$800. SB and BB fold but MP calls with QQ. Turn and river don't help either of us and I'm out.

1. Was it a bad idea to limp in with A9s? I don't have much time left with my small stack and need to make something happen. Would calling with AQs or AJs be a better play, or would you just go all in preflop?

2. Was repping the K and going all in a bad play? Since no-one else had bet, I figured no-one had a king. Should I have checked?

[|~|ypermegachi]

with only $1100, calling the BB woulda put you down to $800, pretty much putting you pot committed already. some say pot committing doesn't matter in sngs...but if you fold, with 800 left, you can afford 2 more rounds of blinds folding to everything, and now when you go allin everyone's gonna call you because it's cheap. if i were you i would push all in preflop.

repping the K was an ok move, considering how tight everyone else was.

[Fnord]

1. Was it a bad idea to limp in with A9s? I don't have much time left with my small stack and need to make something happen. Would calling with AQs or AJs be a better play, or would you just go all in preflop?

With the BB at around 1/3 of your stack, it's a clear push or fold. Your hand has a lower win-rate (but maintains value, since it's sooted) in a multi-pot. Dead blind money is a good thing too. Calling is a worse play than folding.

2. Was repping the K and going all in a bad play? Since no-one else had bet, I figured no-one had a king. Should I have checked?

About as bad of an idea as stopping to listen to the band play on the Titanic after the last lifeboat has been deployed...

[DBL0SVN]

2. Was repping the K and going all in a bad play? Since no-one else had bet, I figured no-one had a king. Should I have checked?

About as bad of an idea as stopping to listen to the band play on the Titanic after the last lifeboat has been deployed...[/quote]

Lol

But seriously, was it a bad idea because I had such a short stack at the time to try this play or because there were too many people in the pot or ...... ?

[FyrFytr998]

No, Fnord was being serious.

At that point in the game it was all in or fold. Either way I think the queen would have still called preflop. There wasn't much you could have done. With the scenario you laid out. It would have been better to fold than rep the king. And make a last ditch effort with the $800.

[Fnord]

Making a play at a HUGE pot relative to your stack can't be that bad of a play. Folding leaves him with a stack that might even be too short to make a blind steal. The post-flop question is moot because he butchered the hand so badly pre-flop. Might as well enjoy the band while the ship goes down...

[DBL0SVN]

Thanks guys! that's been very helpful.

Note to myself - push/AI when shortstacked, don't even think about calling.

[FyrFytr998]

Making a play at a HUGE pot relative to your stack can't be that bad of a play. Folding leaves him with a stack that might even be too short to make a blind steal. The post-flop question is moot because he butchered the hand so badly pre-flop. Might as well enjoy the band while the ship goes down...

I agree. I was just thinking in terms of Party, $800 is more than enough to get you back in the game there. Not quite sure how Pacific is.

[Fnord]

I agree. I was just thinking in terms of Party, $800 is more than enough to get you back in the game there. Not quite sure how Pacific is.

It doesn't matter. Think in terms of the BB and other stacks. ~4x the BB is a *far* stronger position than ~3x the BB.

[FyrFytr998]

I refuse to let you have the last word. Even if you're right, so there, Mr. Smartypants.

[skorpeo]

Going all in pre-flop was probably the best move. Bad luck to face a high pair.

[!Luck]

In a way I am surprised that that qq did not raise. Even though 1100 is a good amount I would think that at this point of the tourney with so many passive opponents you should have went all preflop, though you would b e drastically behind because the qq would surely call. I think it would also be helpful to see the other stack sizes involved. I think that depending where the button was I would go all in preflop.

[Krapp]

all-in! You probably wont see another Ace fly by before you get blinded out and Ax is a good hand HtoH. Although if you had enough to cover 1 round of blinds and can do a min raise, I would maybe pass the A9 up. Hoping for a pair or A10+