Nearing final table of low-limit 45-player SnG

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

BB (t5465)
UTG (t2280)
MP (t5585)
CO (t6531)
Hero (t6011)
SB (t1025)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T, T.
2 folds, CO calls t400, Hero raises to t1225, 2 folds, CO raises to t3625, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t4950

Villain was pretty aggressive (probably not too clever though), it might have easily been a elaborated steal-attempt, especially since I had been stealing quite a lot.

Does a limp-reraise usually mean great strength, or could villain just have a couple overcards or a lower pair? TT is very nice at a 6-handed table, but I decided it probably isn't good, and i wonder if I missed a chance to double up there. Should I have raised stronger, push all-in maybe?

And what do you think of limp-reraises in general, either as a bluff or as a value-bet?

When I took up poker 18 months ago, I followed the advice of every book I read to always raise with AA...until this week.

Your post got me thinking, so I checked PokerTracker, and in the 378 times I've had AA in ring games and tourneys, I have limped only two times (as a humorous aside, I found a hand where I open folded AA when I was away from the table, and the flop brought 2 more Aces!!).

To set the stage, in the last few weeks I have twice been the victim of someone in EP limp re-raising with AA when I had KK. Now fast forward to this week's Negreanu Open, and I am dealt AA once and KK twice in the first 20 minutes, and all three times I simply pick up the blinds after raising 3 x BB. Sooooo, the light comes on, and I realize that on a tight table where most players are playing properly, it is necessary to limp with a monster in early position on a very tight table, or in late position hoping to draw one of the blinds in. At the 45 minute mark, I again get AA, limp in, get one caller, and I take half his stack when he gets a small piece of the flop. Selectively limping with AA is now part of my arsenal.

In your hand, it smells like this may be happening, and I'd be tempted to throw the hand away...

standard fold here; big dog or slight favorite, with a lot of poker still to be played. If you've been stealing a lot then of course he's going to limp in here, knowing that you'll go over the top on him.

I use the limp reraise depending on the table. Very aggressive, of course I'm limping with big hands. I'll only do it once, though.

It really depends on a lot of factors.


A limp/reraise CAN mean strength, especially from early position, but I have seen guys do it with A5 or QJ because they're hoping it shows strengh, OR they are simply idiots.


Here you must be aware of your image - if you have been stealing a lot then this could quite simply be a resteal...I find limp/reraises from strength from late position to be very rare.

The only situation I'd consider this is if you have been really aggressive, and raising from the button/CO every time...then a player to your right could very well limp with AA hoping you do it again.

At the same time, a player with AQ or 99 could also do it, putting you on a steal and simply restealing.


As far as monix's claim - dumbest thing I ever saw.

Increasing your stack by the blinds is ALWAYS better than losing your stack.

If you limp with aces you immediate give odds to even the tightest players to play a variety of hands...another guy limps and the next guy has even better odds...by the time you're through you've got 4 limpers and then the SB has odds to play blind....just a wonderful situation for your aces. You limp with aces not to draw the blinds in (how do you know where you stand?)...you open limp with aces because you're certain someone behind you will raise the pot.

The last thing you want is to limp from the button, have both blinds play, have a flop of J84 come and not have a clue if you're against J4.

Yeah, I don't understand that one either - never limp with aces at a tight table. I don't want to ONLY pick up the blinds, but if that's all I get then that's all I get. At tables like that your aces need someone to wake up with a big hand, too.

easy call.

You've always got to be suspicous of someone limping in EP; especially at a strong table. If the table is wild/loose, not so much. Now regarding your TT, if you're going to raise it, be willing to go with it, you just donated a lot of your chips. If you were worried about what he may have limped with, see the flop.
You'll have superior position throughout the hand.

Can you elaborate?



The table was not strong, is was a lowlimit sng after all.
I don't think I can just call his raise, I almost cannot fold any flop, even if it's AKQ, call/folding would totally cripple my stack. If I play this hand after the raise the money is going allin no matter what. Position isn't important here in my opinion, my opponent is pot-commited too.

Also, I did donate a lot of chips, but I'm not pot-commited yet, i still have a stack to play with after I fold.

And I wasn't particularly worried about the limp before me - until he re-raised me at least.

Its low limit. Simply put, people don't care about the money, or don't know how to limp re-raise with aces. If he does, then w.e, you learn your lesson. But I can lots of smaller pocket pairs +Acex coming over the top too. I call because I like to gamble, and with these low limit SNGS, therez not alot you can do in the sense of stealing enough pots to go on and win. You need to get chips in preflop sometimes.

Yea I completely missed correctly reading this thread. I thought the guy limped in EP, he was the CO, that changes things a bit. If he wanted to steal the blinds, he would have raised, limp/re-raising in the CO makes me think he's got a big hand. I would have limped on the button with TT, but since you raised, I'd have to push or get away from it, depending on the player. If he's weak, you've likely got the bet hand, albeit a race situation, gamble. If he's strong, fold. A call is definitely out of the question.

After CO Limps?
You limp TT from Button, with one player in pot?

I could only do that if blinds were much lower realtive to stack and the post flop potential to get huge payoff was worth givng up the relatively easier blinds+limper $$$.

this is an easy raise from button.

Now.. fold to the re-raise
Unles you have a good read that he is tired of your steals.
Look at size of his raise.
You are getting 2:1
He's expecting you to call.. or not minding it.

I think he looks strong, absent any more reads from you.

most low limit players dont understand the concept of pricing in.

but they understand that other low limit players love to call a lot.
So he's certainly expecting us to at least call.

btw - totally respect the tribute to Space Quest.

Limping TT there is disgusting. If you are routinely doing this, you need to seriously readdress your tourney game, and figure out why you are playing so friggen scared. Dhall, I've read a few of your posts, and it's pretty clear you are playing very scared. It will be very hard to make a lot of money playing like that.

****

Also, I fold here. Even though I've seen a lot of donk LRR's with trash hands, I have enough of a stack left to not want to risk my tourney life with TT, in a coinflip/severe domination situation.

even low limit I think this is a fold. he's gonna have JJ+ AJs+ way more often than like AT-A2 or 99-22

He's committing half his stack preflop. This tells me that's he committed to the flop and no matter what comes down, he's pushing on the flop. If he's confident enough to push on any flop, then he's got a hand better than yours.

At low-limits, limp/re-raise is shows big-time strength. I lay my hand down.

The only thing you dominate massively are lower pocket pairs and AT, KT etc. If you want to gamble, you're in a race against two overcards and JJ - AA dominate you.

If you pin down his re-raise range, you can then determine what hands out of that range would beat you and what ones would not. Then work from here. Without any reads or past information, I'm folding.