simple situations

I have 8000 in chips with blinds at 100/200. Table relatively tight. I'm 3rd in chips with the lowest stacked at 12BB.

UTG+2 pick up As7s.

Is this a standard 3X open for most of you? Because I folded and it kind of felt wrong. How do your opening requirements change with 40BB, and from what positions, in regard to this?

It's fine to raise there just as an image thing and you have enough chips. But since there are no antes to steal, there's no real reason to get involved either.

Raising hands as weak as this from up front is really exploitable, especially with no antes. I'd only do it at a very weak-tight table, that being said weak-tight tables are really common.

I agree with mcat and chard. This early, with that stack, I'm usually open folding A7s in that spot. I'd play it in LP most of the time.

If there were antes in play, and my image was good, I would think about a raise. It would depend on how the table had been playing and what I knew about the players left to act. If there had been a lot of 3-betting there is certainly no problem with open folding this hand in EMP.

Agreed. Unless the table is weak and/or tight, this can get you in trouble. Especially if someone flat calls with position on you.

cool, thanks. next simple situation. without reads this is never going to be a huge mistake whatever happens, but is it just a simple shove against their stacks or do we just make a standard raise? obv both calling and then missing the flop is the main concern.

Game #6898752684: LUCKY £7K FRI (ID6994882) £30+£3 - Hold'em NL (75/150) - 2008/04/25 - 22:17:30 (UK)
Table "6994882 - 7" Seat 8 is the button.
Seat 1: Reddya (9040 in chips)
Seat 2: Brandon99 (4200 in chips)
Seat 3: Cottonbud (2420 in chips)
Seat 4: Stevie059 (3350 in chips)
Seat 5: Jul181115 (2110 in chips)
Seat 6: Fatman013 (2527 in chips)
Seat 7: Russwhu (6390 in chips)
Seat 8: Royal_q9 (1977 in chips)
Seat 9: Redhotevy sits out
Seat 10: Ben100410 (4195 in chips)
Redhotevy: posts small blind 75
Ben100410: posts big blind 150
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Ben100410 [Ah Ks]
Reddya: folds
Brandon99: folds
Cottonbud: calls 150
Stevie059: folds
Jul181115: folds
Fatman013: folds
Russwhu: folds
Royal_q9: calls 150
Redhotevy: folds
Ben100410: raises to 4195 and is all-in

Your play is fine.

Since you're the BB and will be first to act post flop you can also make a standard raise here to like 750 since there is the smooth caller, and then just push any flop.

I play my AK strong here. I'm curious if j_fish would just flat here?

I don't think I agree with you Chard. I think shoving 27xBB here over two limpers is overkill and is risking too much for too little gain. Not that they necessarily have anything that you're afraid of, and I do think that you will get lots of folds to that shove, but I think its a -EV move in the long run.

I think at this point in the tourney I make a raise to about 900 or so and cbet most flops if I get one caller. Its not a nice spot if you whiff the flop, granted, but you can still rep a big overpair if you get a low flop. If they both call? mmmm. I'd be less likely to cbet a miss I suppose. Tough.

I do have trouble with spots like this so I'm open to criticism.

I was going to say something similar cobere, but the 2 limpers only have 2k chips left (13BB or so). Pushing is fine IMO. May well get a call from a worse ace thinking you are stealing.

A standard raise and then push any flop is also good though. I would do this against weaker players who might well call preflop with 2 face cards and then give up (or maybe even call) with overcards.

your stack doesn't matter when the only opponents have 15BBs or less.

raising to 900 is putting in half your opp's stacks (which is fine) - if they call you're forced to push any flop.

Havent seen much of villain but he seems the standard loosey-goosey full-steam-ahead with marginal holdings kind of early donkament player, just to a lesser degree. I hate the idea of flat calling this flop but in some ways I think it may be viable since he's the type of player to double barrell marginal stuff faced with 'weakness'???

Game #6910163114: LUCKY £7K SAT (ID7003866) £30+£3 - Hold'em NL (50/100) - 2008/04/26 - 22:07:45 (UK)
Table "7003866 - 13" Seat 8 is the button.
Seat 1: Ronnie40 (4555 in chips)
Seat 2: Ben100410 (4370 in chips)
Seat 3: Lefthand (2505 in chips)
Seat 4: Adam19001 sits out
Seat 5: Denn11052 (195 in chips)
Seat 6: __07__ (1680 in chips)
Seat 7: Andye1510 (3889 in chips)
Seat 8: Booboo011 (1431 in chips)
Seat 9: Jboyk5 (5310 in chips)
Seat 10: MAZE72 (1035 in chips)
Jboyk5: posts small blind 50
MAZE72: posts big blind 100
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Ben100410 [Js Jh]
Ronnie40: folds
Ben100410: raises to 250
Lefthand: folds
Adam19001: folds
Denn11052: folds
__07__: folds
Andye1510: folds
Booboo011: folds
Jboyk5: calls 200
MAZE72: calls 150
----- FLOP ----- [3c Jd 6c]
Jboyk5: bets 400
MAZE72: folds
Ben100410: raises to 1200

JJ.... most definetly check. just cuz there are 2 clubs doesn't mean they have a draw.... and so what if they do... you have as many outs as they do to the nutz. they can't stack you anyway. let them make a mistake.

the AK hand... i can see the point of just shoving. but i like a raise to 750 and then shoving any flop. that give us more value i think. i like enticing them into a call rather than forcing them to commit there whole stack after only putting in 150.

Originally Posted by CorbinDallas

JJ.... most definetly check. just cuz there are 2 clubs doesn't mean they have a draw.... and so what if they do... you have as many outs as they do to the nutz. they can't stack you anyway. let them make a mistake.
.

im not worried about a draw, i'm worried about a lot of cards killing my action since a lot of players have an illogical mindset about scare cards. And he bet first btw.
Who raises and who calls?

JJ.... ah i didn't look close enough.

i like a call.

a raise is good to.

your goal is to get all his chips.

If you call pot will be about 1500 with 2 streets to go and villain's stack at like 4700 and your at 3700.

A bet of like 700 on the turn = pot of close to 3k and your stack at 3k where you can then just get it in on river.

Raising the flop makes it easier to get it all-in and called by the river but it also risks folding out his hand right now.

In the end I think both are fine/player dependent.

Originally Posted by chardrian

I think both are fine/player dependent.

Originally Posted by pantherhound

Originally Posted by CorbinDallas

JJ.... most definetly check. just cuz there are 2 clubs doesn't mean they have a draw.... and so what if they do... you have as many outs as they do to the nutz. they can't stack you anyway. let them make a mistake.
.

im not worried about a draw, i'm worried about a lot of cards killing my action since a lot of players have an illogical mindset about scare cards. And he bet first btw.
Who raises and who calls?

btw, can you explain the illogical mindset about scare cards? sounds interesting and never heasrd anything like it...

before you raise this A7 ask yourself are these the kinds of players who will fold to most flop cbets, or will they pick up on this and either float you or play back?

if they will do these things, raise preflop less in that position; offsetting that by raising a wider range in later positions.

As given; thats a really weak spot to be raising without antes, even with antes id fold. There are too many people behind you and the hand is too weak.

what about this one? no read, its prob very standard fold, but then again theres this breed of players who are like autobettors to turn checks which is the issue here, like inadvertently turning his K8 or whatever into a bluff... like OMG WEAKNESS I BET.. i dunno...

Game #7147132014: LUCKY £7K SUN (ID7176300) £30+£3 - Hold'em NL (50/100) - 2008/05/18 - 22:06:32 (UK)
Table "7176300 - 6" Seat 1 is the button.
Seat 1: Eagle1810 (4005 in chips)
Seat 2: WestPark (5305 in chips)
Seat 3: Ben100410 (6048 in chips)
Seat 4: <*(((>< (3880 in chips)
Seat 5: allele (2602 in chips)
Seat 6: Jake785 (3595 in chips)
Seat 7: kingpkl (2147 in chips)
Seat 8: Icthrewu (3450 in chips)
Seat 9: woZZa70 (256 in chips)
Seat 10: Scawle001 (1792 in chips)
WestPark: posts small blind 50
Ben100410: posts big blind 100
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Ben100410 [Jd 5d]
<*(((><: calls 100
allele: folds
Jake785: folds
kingpkl: folds
Icthrewu: folds
woZZa70: folds
Scawle001: calls 100
Eagle1810: calls 100
WestPark: folds
Ben100410: checks
----- FLOP ----- [7c Jh 8s]
Ben100410: bets 300
<*(((><: folds
Scawle001: folds
Eagle1810: calls 300
----- TURN ----- [7c Jh 8s][9s]
Ben100410: checks
Eagle1810: bets 900

I'd check flop and not play a big pot, this flop hits LP limpers

the bet was to get value from those hands that we're ahead of and will safely check down a lot of the time.
so if we check and eagle bets 300, or some other amount and everyone else folds. call and reeval? c/f turn?

you're saying you are afraid to lose value against 97? I just don't think there is much there. You never fold a better hand and often get raised by worse pair+draw hands and have to fold. c/c like one street