How would you play this?

Josh FP

In the stars 100 + 9 multi tonight. 2nd break is over and there is about 30 people left, im at around 11K in chips (around 10th in chips i think) and I get TT in late position. I raise 1800 thinking maybe i'll just get the blinds. The big blind (has a bit more chips than me) raises me an additional 2400.

Now What would you do?

Unknown

3 questions: have you been raising his blinds a lot? Is he a maniac? What are the blinds at?



The problem with just calling is that he has position on you in this case, because he would be the aggressor if you just called. So, he acts first, and moves in. If there's an ace or a king on the flop, it's a fairly easy fold. If the flop comes 9-high, it's a tough decision. I'd need the answers to those three questions before I can go much further with this, though.



Regards,

all_aces

ScottyZ

Now What would you do?

Hope to god that I had some kind of a read on the big blind's playing style.

Knowing only what you have told us, I'd fold. The size of his re-raise says "I want action". He's got AA.

ScottyZ

Josh FP

Sorry heres some more info, i hadnt been raising alot, i had played fairly tight. He on the other hand had been raising quite a bit and taking alot of blinds.

I think i did the absolute worst thing possible and called. Looking back now I should've either reraised all in or folded preflop.

the flop was 2 rags and a King, he fired 3000 into thepot and i layed it down.

you live you learn i suppose.

ScottyZ

He on the other hand had been raising quite a bit and taking alot of blinds.

This is still a little vague.

Did he have a small, average, or large stack?

By "raising quite a bit" do you mean often stealing the blinds when in good position to do so as a "normal" solid player would? Had you seen this player make any big out of line moves? Has be been defending his own blinds often, either by raising or calling?

These are the kinds of spots where PokerTracker can be *huge*. Certainly PokerTracker does not replace paying attention to the game yourself and getting a "feel" for your opponents, but it can be great in cases when you need an accurate and truthful verification of specific facts about an opponent.

I do agree with your re-raise or fold idea pre-flop. You'll get into trouble in cases exactly like the actual result--- when a single overcard flops and your opponent makes a bet.

I think I still favour folding here, unless your opponent is unusually often out of line.

ScottyZ

Josh FP

Sorry, I meant he had been raising fairly often to take blinds. When his stack was about 4000-5000 he went all in a few times overtop of small raises like mine and won the hands there. When this hand took place he had 2 or 3 thousand more chips than me. Im pretty sure the right move would have been folding. By flat calling i commited like 4200 of my 11K in a hand where if i dont flop a set im going to be uncomfortable.

I think i'll look in to pokertracker, sounds like it could be very helpful.

Unknown

Your LP raise looks like it could be a steal-raise, so his re-raise looks like it could be a re-steal. He may not be giving you credit for a hand as strong as TT. I probably would have moved in here preflop after his re-raise, but that is obviously a risky play. Were you already in the money, and what was your objective in this tournament? Play a bit wild and try to win it, or play safe and make it deep-ish into the money?

BTW, how did you finish?

Regards,
all_aces

ScottyZ

Your LP raise looks like it could be a steal-raise, so his re-raise looks like it could be a re-steal. He may not be giving you credit for a hand as strong as TT.

Good point, and I think this is exactly why we'd like to know how often and how vigorously the BB usually defends from the BB.

However, I generally expect a re-steal more often from a *non*-stealer. Because I'm generally perceived having a tight image in tournaments (I think), the re-bluff and re-steal work patricularly well for me simply because my opponents are more often taking shots at me with weak hands.

Extending this line of thinking to my opponents, I think you're going to be more often facing re-steals from tight non-stealers, whereas the typical stealer (or bluffer) almost always likes to be the one "delivering the first punch", particularly pre-flop. A stealer almost always prefers to *open* with the steal.

Of course, these are generalizations, and assumes mediochre (i.e. one dimensional) play from your opponent(s). A good player will mix up the stealing, raising for value, re-stealing, and re-raising for value so that you're saying, "I'm putting him on either AA or 72o. But I'm not sure which one." :cool:

However, Josh has mentioned in this specific case that he *has* noticed this particular player coming over the top of opening raises with a re-raise quite often. So who knows.

ScottyZ

Josh FP

all_aces wrote:

Your LP raise looks like it could be a steal-raise, so his re-raise looks like it could be a re-steal. He may not be giving you credit for a hand as strong as TT. I probably would have moved in here preflop after his re-raise, but that is obviously a risky play. Were you already in the money, and what was your objective in this tournament? Play a bit wild and try to win it, or play safe and make it deep-ish into the money?

BTW, how did you finish?

Regards,
all_aces

I wasnt currently in the money, the top 18 places paid and there was around 30 people in still. My objective for this tournament was to finish in the money. Normally when Im in a big tourney online i aim for the win and will take some chances trying to move up near the bubble and capitalize on other people tightening up. This tourney 10th-18th all paid $230 or so, So I just wanted to make the money.