12 replies to this topic

[Monkeyman]

This is VERY similar to another post on the forum at the moment, but I'll ask it anyway -- the differences are subtle enough to make the difference.MTT at PokerStars. Down to about 800 of 2000. 225 get paid. Average stack is around 3700, I have 4150 and my table gets broken up. My new table has several large stacks (most bigger than me) including one guy with the seventh-largest stack at 15000.On my fourth or fifth hand at the new table (blinds 75/150), I'm in middle position (M2, I think) and I get dealt 22. Two limpers in front of me and I limp, hoping to catch a set. Button limps behind me, as does SB and BB checks. Since I'm new at this table, I have basically no reads on anyone. My stack is now 4000, pot is 900.Flop comes Q92 rainbow. Action is checked to me, and I bet 450, hoping to chase out JT but maybe get a call from AQ or something. Button goes all-in with his 15000. Everyone else folds. Should I call?My analysis: Call. Without a read on the button, I have to assume he would have raised QQ pre-flop (especially with so many limpers) and while he might have 99, it's a chance I have to take. If he's got AQ, A9, Q9, JT, or any number of other playable hands, I have him heavily dominated at this point.Any thoughts?

[jayistheman]

pretty easy call IMOwould he play a better hand that fast?? doubtfuland you limped in hoping to catch a set.... its bad practice to draw to something if you arent willing to go all in when it hits.

[Emptyeye]

Yeah, you have to call there.Set-over-set is a possibility (And if that's what happened, well, that's poker sometimes), but TPTK or similar is far more likely. Preflop, he would have to raise pocket queens, probably even pocket nines IMO. I have to think you're ahead at this point...you called hoping to flop your set and did, if you're not going to get all your chips in here, what is it you're waiting for?

[Smasharoo]

Everyone else folds. Should I call? You're not joking?OF course you call. When you get good enough to put someone on 99 or QQ here and be right most of the time, let me know and I'll start paying you for lessons.Pay off the higher sets the one time in 1000 that it's the case, and laugh when it's QA or Q9 or whatever.

[DwayneWayne]

Easy call is right. You hit the best hand you can hope for with 22....why else would you play it? If your not willing to die with it, then fold it pre-flop.A page out of Harrington’s book.QQ- 0-10% of the time, would the big stack limp here, maybe just to survey the flop for an A or K not wanting to invest too much pre-flop99- 0-25% of the time, if he has it...hey god bless.JT- 30-50% of the time, you are more then a 2-1.Push...you can’t ask for a better spot to double up.You’ve taken it as far as the cards will let you.....

[Monkeyman]

Thanks for the comments. I also thought that it was an obvious call, but my MTT instincts are pretty bad sometimes and while I know that I would have gladly pushed if I was re-raised, I am not as certain when to call an all-in.A related question -- what do people think of my decision to bet half the pot on the flop? Up to that point, I had been betting the pot when I hit something good on the flop and it was checked to me, but since I was at a new table I wasn't worried about people having a read on me for that sort of thing and I wanted to encourage callers, which betting the pot might not have done (I almost never got callers on my big hands at my previous table, which did not make me unhappy, as most big hands were TPTK or top two pair).Since I have enough answers now, I'm going to post the results. Button had Q9 (don't recall if it was suited, but I think it was) and responded with an "oh crap" when we flipped up, but the turn was a queen. I chalked it up to being the first time I busted out of an MTT being certain that I had made the right call and just getting unlucky. (Usually after I bust out I can look back on the last hand and see where I went wrong -- or more often, several hands back when I lost most of my large stack.)

[Monkeyman]

DwayneWayne said:

A page out of Harrington’s book.QQ- 0-10% of the time, would the big stack limp here, maybe just to survey the flop for an A or K not wanting to invest too much pre-flop99- 0-25% of the time, if he has it...hey god bless.JT- 30-50% of the time, you are more then a 2-1.

I haven't read Harrington's book -- what do the percentages indicate?

[Swift_Psycho]

Talk much trash and use evil laugh while pressing call button.

[akishore]

easy call.so you lose a pot to 99/QQ or running something, oh well.i'm strongly hoping you called, screw the results, it was a good call.aseem

[Absolute]

foldjust kidding

[Monkeyman]

akishore said:

easy call.so you lose a pot to 99/QQ or running something, oh well.i'm strongly hoping you called, screw the results, it was a good call.aseem

That was pretty much my attitude after Q9 caught a Q on the turn and I busted out. "I made the right call, and I get to go to bed at a reasonable time. Good enough." Just wanted to post here and make sure I wasn't giving myself credit for a mistake. Looks like I may get a hang of this NL MTT stuff yet. :-)

[Vade]

Call and laugh at the silly TPTK