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Cozumel · Guest

I was playing a sit and go yesterday and was close to even in starting chips ($1000) and the blinds were 50/100. The table was full with nine players. The short(ish) stack in the small blind to my right goes all in for an additional 115 making it 215 to go. I'm in the big blind so I call with AQ suited. Player to my left goes all in. So I lay it down, putting at least one of them on pocket pairs, which as it turns they both do, 10s and 7s. I caught my nut flush, but what're you gonna do?

The problem which leads to my question happens two more times in the same game. Player to my right goes all in with a callable raise when I have KQ o and QJ o. Each time a player to my left goes all in, once with an A10o against my KQ and K9o against my QJ. Oddly enough I would have won those races too. But again, hindsight.

So the question is... Were the guys over the top of me ballsy or stupid? And was I cowardly or prudent? Should I have had the balls to push all in with AQs and shut everyone else out and/or take the risk it all on a coin flip?

If I had a huge stack I might have called but I'm more inclined to think I still might have folded and saved those chips to a situation where I could have "controlled" the hand versus a race. Thoughts?

AllInDrawinDead · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 9:08 pm Post subject:

The other players moved all in to play the all-in player heads up. They made you make a decision for all your chips. The trick is to make them make that decision. Do they really want to race with a pair of 10's against two other players? Probably not. With only one player behind you it is usually a good play to move all in to isolate. Unless the original all-in's raise is big enough to knock others out. Sometimes I will just call the all in with a premium pocket pair and try to get the other guy to push preflop. Or to believe that he has the best hand on the flop and push then to protect. If it is late in the tourney you are usually better off teaming up against the short stacks to knock them out and move in/up the mney.

Cozumel · High Card Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 6

I know why they did it, I am just wondering if you play safely and lay the hands down like I did or push all in and hope that nobody behind you has anything worth playing.

dtkodak · Flush Joined: 16 Sep 2005 Posts: 139

first off, close to even isnt 1000, ur down 1/3 ur stack.. that is not close.. close is 1350-1450 more on the 1400+ side.. and when the sb goes all in for 100 extra, i reraise trying to get him heads up.. which the other guy did that u didnt do..

if u reraise alot, the other pocket pair should fold thinking what you though, that they both have 2 big pocket pairs. and hope ur up against a weak ace and win ace high better kicker. either way u would of won..

Jaconda78 · Message Board Junkie Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 4177

I think you need to push all in there. The short stack is indeed very short stacked, not short-ish (he had only 2.2 big blinds - not exactly a big threat), and you were quite short yourself at only 10 big blinds. You simply can't afford to call in that situation. You can fold if you think you will be reraised behind you, or you can push all in, but you can't call and leave yourself with 8 big blinds.

Riddim · Moderator Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 8151 Location: Sweden

Considering the size of your stack relative to the blinds I'd probably push with the A-Q, since any reasonable raise is going to leave you with a very short stack, and a smooth call is a good way to get yourself in an awkward position when someone behind you moves in. Unless there was a lot of limping with big hands at the table, you didn't have to worry too much about the people left to act, since they had already had a chance to raise.

_Xceptional · Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:04 pm Post subject:

Read this . . . .

http://pokerforums.fulltiltpoker.com/viewtopic.php?t=5635&highlight=

clayftknight · High Card Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

with blinds at 50/100 and 1000 chips, AQ looks goood here.
In a multi i'd be raising every time, in a sng you may feel that the bottom line is making the money and if you do that half he time then maybe you can let AQ go, but the previous poster is right, the one that moves all in puts the other in a tricky position because both AQ anf TT are not the best hands in the world to be calling all in.

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