I do fine until it gets down to three people

[nick87]

I've been playing no limit alot lately I seem to do great until it comes down to only three people. Thats when i start to have trouble. I'm always the third person out for some reason. I think its my preflop selection. I'm having trouble figuring out what I should have or not. Eventually I call or raise with hands that I would NEVER play normally. I hate it when I get a high card and a low card, especially when its not an A. But about this time, I get desperate and start going in with Q5 or K3. Are these proper hands to go in with when playing only three people? Please give me some examples.

[michael1123]

Not unless you're such a short stack that you're pot commited by the blind.

If you make it into the top 3 and you have a decent stack, you can be much more selective than that. Any pocket pairs and A high kicker (and maybe K high kicker) are the best all in hands in my opinion. Other hands deserve limping in from the small blind (or min raising), or calling small raises on the BB.

Any pair on the flop (including middle and low pair) deserves an all in push if you think they missed the flop, as does a flush draw or open ended straight draw if you think they missed the flop.

Its hard to really describe how to play in detail, but I don't think a Q5 or K3 type hand ever deserves a preflop all in. You'll only get called when you're a dog, and that's not a good thing. The only exception I'd make is if you know that the opponent is almost sure to fold (i.e. you know he only limps in with a weak hand and will fold to a raise).

[Fnord]

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