Pushing Into a Dry Sidepot Preflop

So, a hand came up the other day in a PP $11 SnG where I was the big blind. Blinds were 25/50 and due to me catching some crap, my stack was down to $350 or so before posting. Amazingly at this level, there were still 8 players.

I was dealt KJo in the BB. There were folds around to the CO who had around $120 in chips and decided to push, which smelled of desperation, like a middle pair or perhaps any ace - I figured with the range of hands he could push with that I was at least 50/50 to win against him.

The SB though, he just called, so I thought that I could pick up a decent amount of chips by pushing the SB out, as my hand was okay against the shortie, but not against the SB. I pushed, which folded the SB and the shortie flipped over A6 which held up.

The SB bitched and bitched at me for "bluffing" him out, saying I didn't know how to play poker, only good players would get it, and that he wishes I wasn't at his table. I don't give half a thin shit about what he said, but it got me thinking and I do give a full thick shit about what most of you guys think...

I can see that if you're on the bubble or close to it and have a good chance of making it ITM, it would make more sense to make sure the player is eliminated, as it's in your own survival interest. But I was second shortest with a stack of 7BBs and things were starting to get hairy, so there was no guarantee that I would be around to reap the benefits of eliminating this player. Add in the fact that I could add something like 70% to my stack which would give me a MUCH better chance of making it ITM, and it seems in MY best interest to push and try to take the pot, his best interest be damned.

Thoughts?

If you had more chips it makes sense to call. Knowing shortie should push any 2 there and SB just called and you're pretty short yourself, this is an insta-push to try and get some cheap chips.

Play = good. Results = bad. Pay more attention to your play then your results. Ignore the donk in the SB.

Fuck him, you needed chips. It's not like you're both decent stacks on the bubble against this guy.

Your play was fine. SB forgot the cardinal rule of poker... it depends.

Generally, you don't want to bluff into a dry side-pot with a marginal holding. In this case you are desperate for anything. Had you been first into the pot you would have done the same thing, so play it like that when you need chips.

I am the king of bitching about dry side pots but would have nothing to complain about here. Nicely played on your part. Way to got for the isolation.

I think this brings up an interesting phenomenon in the low level SnGs. I haven't seen any high level, but it seems like donkish play so I assume it's purely low level...

Situation similar to the above...
8 handed... 2 big stacks (>20xBB), 4 mid stacks (~13xBB), and 2 small stacks (<5xBB). Short Stack on the Button, Big Stack #2 (LAG) is in the SB, TA Midstack in BB.

UTG folds, SS #1 is UTG+1 and pushes. Folds to Mid stack in CO who just calls.....

Now am I missing something here? If I had AA or KK, I might consider cold calling to get more chips.. but even then... Is there any reason whatsoever to call this with action (including loosey McBigStack) to come behind you. If your read says that you have a favorable hand compared to this guy so that you want in the hand... wtf are you doing calling? If you aren't pot committed by my particular example.. you can imagine one with slightly adjusted stacks so that you would be.

In the example lowBoy 'splained... isn't the SB a donk for cold calling?? He might've been playing any 2 just to knock off the limper.. but if he wants a race HU.. shouldn't he push the issue with a re-raise?

The only time I would consider a call is if I'm last to act with a good drawing hand, and the push isn't more than 3xBB.

I'm typing this at it comes to me.. so I apologize if it's sporatic and incomplete.

He probably folded something like 78s that he thought he was going to get to check down and hopefully make a hand. Your play is not wrong here.

When it *IS* wrong to bet into a dry side pot, is one of my biggest peeves. Short stack goes all in, two callers. Flop comes Blah Blah Blah, 1 person bets, other one folds, all in and the bettor flip their cards...and the all in person is ahead with 55... Turn/river is Q, T, which would have given you a pair of Q's and elminated shorty...but because of the bluff, he tripples up.

When someone does this at one of my tables even if i'm not involved in the hand, i will usually explode and start raggign the person for being a stupid fish, keeping people in the tournament when they should be eliminated because they don't know what they're doing...etc. I like to give people a hard time about this (and encourage other smart thinking players to do the same) so that hopefully this play becomes less and less frequent, as the idiots start to understand that when they do it someone is going to yell at them.

i havent even read this post, but for the most part, dont bet into a dry side pot in a sng or mtt, period, unless you have the nuts or close to it, basically to protect your hand.............

fishtaco smells rotten.

play is standard.

tapping the glass is -EV

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Pushing Into a Dry Sidepot Preflop

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Pushing Into a Dry Sidepot Preflop