vinsanity

Hey Dave, there's a couple of threads in the Online section that I'd like to get your opinion on. One's about folding AQo UTG early in a tournament and the other's about slowplaying trips. Thanks in advance.


http://pokerforum.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50

http://pokerforum.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50

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What does that do?

Graham

nice question Vin, I wanna see this one too!

Dave Scharf

Question from the online section from ScottyZ:

"PokerStars $5 Sit-n-Go tournament. Hand number 3 (Blinds 10-20, 1500 initial stacks) AQo UTG. Fold. Too tight? "

Against dangerous and skilled opponents A-Qo is a problematic hand. It will tend to win small pots and lose big ones. It also can't stand much heat. For example, you are in the WSOP main event. You raise UTG with A-Qo. Daniel Negreanu on the button calls. The flop is A-T-4 rainbow. You bet out a pot-size bit and he comes over the top of you for all his chips. Now what do you do? He is certainly capable of a pure bluff in that spot having identified you as a player who will lay down top pair. On the other hand he is also capable of having called your pre-flop raise with 4-4 and has flopped a set and is willing to gamble that you have not hit your A-A.

The point is, against tough opponents you *might* be facing some *very* tough decisions post-flop.

That having been said, the question involves a $5 sit-n-go. In that spot I probably raise. Daniel Negreanu is *not* in the field. Against one or two opponents I probably fire on the flop (about 3/4 of the pot) no matter what comes. If someone plays back at me I will probably give them credit for a bigger hand than I've got and fold. At the $5 tournament size there are lots of players in the field who are weak. They might call with hands like A-J and give you all their chips. They might call with a hand like 8-8 and then call more money because you might be bluffing.

Contrary to some, I do not look at no-limit as a game of "doubling through." It's nice when it happens, but it is not my main plan. My main plan is to win what I can without risking getting broke.

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Fear the beaver, baby. Fear the beaver.

ScottyZ

Me too, that's why I folded. I guess I'm putting more emphasis on the not going broke part. I think the extreme nature of my play is a result of the simple fact that the blinds are so small. That is, (from Theory of Poker for example) blinds ultra-small = play ultra-tight. I'll definitely raise every time with AQ UTG in round 3 (blinds 25-50) and beyond.

If I did play this for a standard size raise in round 1, I would probably *not* come out betting if I miss. Another thing about these tournaments (besides Daniel N not being there) is that a lot of people who are still alive in round 1 (i.e. everybody) will call you down with complete garbage like bottom pair, middle pair, pocket 2nd pair, top pair no kicker, flush draw, etc, even for *huge* bets. So I don't see the AQ having any betting power if it misses. I find you have to show down cards a *lot* more than usual in the $5 SNG's than in a normal NL tournament.

And I agree that there is more to NL than just doubling up, but again, particular to the $5 SNG's, it is much easier to wait for a double up hand because of the excessive number of bad calls for big bets. I.e. you're much more likely than usual to get called if you do catch a monster.

ScottyZ

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