Was this a WISE PLAY?? Input please

I played my 2nd tourney last night at a local casino. $30 freeze out, $1000 in chips. 66 players. I'm down in the field with 17 others total, nine at our table. I'm in position on the button. I get pocket 8's. Bet goes around and I call. Big blind goes all in. Everyone folds around to me. Heads up if I go.He and I both have the same number of chips, $2700 which gave us 3 and 4th size stack. No one was really pulling in huge pots. Tight play, and we were all close. Anyways, I called. He rolls pocket nines. Nothing hits the board and I'm out. Did I play this properly? I wanted to make a move to pull down a good pot, but I'm not 100 percent certain I made the correct play. Of course if an 8 hit the board, it would have been good. Input please? I'm pleased I made it to 18 position on my 2nd tourney. Thanks all.

what were the blinds?

If you're going to call if he moves AI, probably a better play to move in yourself.

At the very least 88 on the button is worth a raise. Whether to raise or move in depends on blind size.

After reading this site for a good month now the one question I always ask myself in this situation now is...

Can I find a better time to get his money? or is this the best shot I wil get?

In this case I would have folded. Neither of you was in rough shape at the time. As you mentioned you had the same stack size so this was a decision with your tourny life on the line.

However if you were short stacked I probably would have pushed also looking for a shot to get back into the game... and similairly if you had him out stacked 3:1, or something like that, I probably would have pushed here also looking to knock one more out and have a nice stack of chips and momentum heading into the bubble.

But in the situatuion you mentioned.. 3rd and 4th big stacks, 2700 in chips still, I would have looked for a better spot to get all my chips in the middle.

Ideally I would want to see the flop with a middle pp and hope to hit my set before all my chips went in though.

Just my thoughts.... if you give us more info though ie blind lvl, what your table was like, read on the player pushing etc I'm sure some of the pros would be more inclined to coment not to mention could give you a more educated answer.

To be honest, i really dont like your play there. Calling an AI with pocket 8's is not going to be a +EV move in the long run. Try to limp your pocket pairs, look to hit a set on the flop or get away from the in a hurry. Chances are, a guy going AI in that situation has you dominated (which was the case). You had two outs. These are not good odds. You will win that hand like, almost never, and when you do, you are still ONLY doubling up. You will hear a lot of talk about "pot odds" on this site. What this means, is that amount it will take you to call, compared to the amount you will win. 88 is not a very strong hand, i mean, it isnt even s00ted. If it will cost you 2700 to call and there is only one guy in the pot with you, I am looking for implied odds of better than 50/50. 88 is not going to offer me these odds. He almost certainly has at least one overcard, and probably an overpair. You only chance of taking down that pot was to hit a set and have him miss completly. Look for a better spot to get your chips in. Not a good play at all.

If they had been Kings.... well thats a different story

I don't get the recommendation to limp and hit the set... you're playing against the blinds, you have to assume you have the best hand right now.

you're playing against the blinds, you have to assume you have the best hand right now.

How do we even know this?

In my first response I mentioned he should provide more info such as this... Blinds could be anything right now all we know is he has 2700 which is 3rd and 4th highest on his table(mabey in tourny this was very vague as well)

Somehow I doubt someone on a 9 person table with 3rd in chips is fighting off blinds... but hey I could be wrong.

I don't get the recommendation to limp and hit the set...

The recomendation isn't so much limp as it is make a small raise/call which is very dif then calling an all in... he's not even the one pushin... surely you'd agree that 8/8 is probably dominated in this situation based on the limited info we've been given??


And to mention this again...

Just my thoughts.... if you give us more info though ie blind lvl, what your table was like, read on the player pushing etc I'm sure some of the pros would be more inclined to coment not to mention could give you a more educated answer.

not much else can be said until these are answered. We could speculate all day on blind lvl's or anything else, I am just saying if it was me, I would fold, based on the limited info he gave us.

'How do we even know this?'
'Somehow I doubt someone on a 9 person table with 3rd in chips is fighting off blinds... but hey I could be wrong.'

Everyone except the blinds has folded. 88 is certainly a favorite against two random hands, so you should raise here. Not sure where 'fighting off blinds' came from?

Whether the blinds are 1/2 of his stack or 1/20, a raise is still correct.

And I agree that calling the AI is not the right play. My point was that the trouble started here with the limp. It shows weakness and just begs for a move.. then you're stuck with an iffy hand wondering if the guy is putting a play on you. Still have the same problem since a button raise can also be interpretted as weak, but I'd rather deal with a re raise vs. getting raised after limping.

Originally Posted by drmcboy

I'd rather deal with a re raise vs. getting raised after limping.

not me. I would way rather get reraised AI after putting in 1BB than after putting in 4-5BB. Because with pocket 8's i am folding both. If he wanted to steal, why not push. My whole point was that he should not have called AI with 8's in that situation. It was a poor descision in my eyes. That is the bottom line. Winning poker is agressive poker. Doyle is doyle because he BETS, not CALLS. Calling AI is asking for trouble.

Thanks for all the great input. Blinds were 200/400

Thanks for all the great input. Blinds were 200/400. I called last after the majority had called, and then he went AI. I really struggled with it, and He had been real short stack a couple of times, and fought back with K/Q, pocket 5's and A/Q, so I really didn't know what he had for certain. I thought long and hard about it after, and the moment I called, I realized a raise of likely 2X BB might have been OK. I think it was largely inexperience that I went heads up with him.
As I said, I was pl;eased I made it down to 16th for my 2nd tourney. I think I played quite solid until the brain fart on pocket 8's. I never had the chance to see the flop if I folded, but I probably should have begged off. As most of you mentioned, with my stack it wasn't do or die. Oh well, that's the tuition isn't it? I usually play $3/$6, and its alot easier to sit back than in No limit. They are different games.Thanks again.

Just to reiterate, yes... I would raise, but I don't think I could call the AI with 88 unless I had a great read or was desperate to double up.

88 is solid, but it doesn't take a lot to beat. And anything that's going to put you AI probably has you beat, or at worst is a coinflip.

Clear fold

You are in pretty good position in the tournament, you are not desperatly short stacked so that you have to make drastic moves to gain smoe chips.

Lets look at what he may be having.
Either a higher pair in which case you are 4:1 underdog or two overcards which you are a coinflip.

Unless you had a very very good read on him that he will do this kind of move to steal the blinds you had no reason to call

That being said I also do not see the reasoning for him to go all in on pocket 9's at this stage.

On another note If you were willing to go all in you definitly should have raised preflop.