1. Made hand vs. draw?
I think this is the basic question in poker. I feel that any made hand is ahead of any drawing hand (though 2/2 is behind overcards technically). I would still rather shove with 2/2 than with 2 live cards. My point being that you do not "need" to hit your hand, while any unpaired cards need help.
One of my biggest disappointments was in the Moose freeroll for the wildhorse tournament I got knocked out when I flopped top pair, top kicker, nut flush draw and gutshot straight draw but got beaten by flopped two pair. I have replayed that one many times and my poker calculator tells me that I was technically ahead on the flop, it was my bad for not excercising "pot control" to not get all my chips in.
2. Small ball vs. Big pots?
This question alludes to my previous comments. Lately I have been playing a lot of pot limit omaha and frequently see some players "potting" early, preflop. It is true that there are premium hands in omaha and you need to get some value from them preflop. There is no sense in letting the entire table limp in and get busted by someone who wouldn't have played against a raise. But, all hands can be destroyed by a bad flop, therefore I am leaning more towards small raises or limps to control the pot size and not create a monster that draws feel compelled to call. This questions speaks to pot odds that are created by small raises and loose callers. That is one of the really tough things at the Moose.
3. Raise out of the blinds with big hands vs. limp for deception?
This is one of those really stupid moves I see a lot at the Moose. Some loosey-goosey action player raises out of the small or big blind after lots of limpers with some pretty marginal hands...have seen AJ, QJ, suited connectors, etc. It drives me nuts. They are in the worst possible post flop position and can usually win only if they completely nail the flop or just pound it out like they have aces. Incredible.
4. Straddle vs. punish the straddler?
Ya feel lucky punk? Do ya? Let me start by saying I hate straddles, and by extension straddlers. It has got to be one of the stupidest bets in poker. First of all, you have the worst position, and as we know, poker is about position. Secondly, you are putting money in with a blind hand that you don't have to post (and twice the big blind at that). So, with that in mind, I like to punish the straddler with a big raise with any reasonably good hand. My other favorite thing to do with a straddler to my immediate left is just as he puts his straddle out, I say deal me out, and take a break, leaving him with the big blind. After I do that a few times they sometimes give up straddling. I then wait a couple of hands and post the small and big blinds in the cutoff, which is a position I will call many times anyway.
2 comments:
Wow, this is a lot to consider, but here goes.
1. A made hand is definitely my preference, but it must be said that some drawing hands are just too powerful to be ignored. In the hand you described you have a made hand (top pair top kicker) AND a drawing hand and I would always shove all-in with it if the number of blinds & my chip stack warranted it. I think it's a no brainer.
2. I too like to play small ball poker ESPECIALLY at the Moose. I really don't have much live action experience at other casinos, but the number of people constantly chasing hands requires a conscious effort to keep the pots small.
3. Personally, I think it's a terrible play (and a sign of a bad player) to raise in the small or big blind without a monster hand. Sometimes, even AA or KK need to be played very carefully in that spot, especially in a limit game. Position is so awful after the flop. I'm giving myself away here, but I have been known to limp in the blinds with hands as big as A-K and pairs up to 9-9.
4. My personal opinion on straddling is that it's like getting 2 big blinds in a row and who needs that? On the other hand, I will straddle once in a while just because everyone else is doing it & I don't want to seem like an old stick-in-the mud, you know? Keep the table happy! They are more likely to join your big pots when you hit something huge in that straddle hand. I like your idea of leaving under the straddle a couple of times to get it into their heads that you don't like it.
Thanks for your comments on the crazy action I had on that hand. I do hope I run into the 2 Mikes again sometime & I will have the winner!!
On reviewing my 1st comment, I see that there are 2 sides to everything and I guess that says it all. One cannot choose one option over the other in poker all the time. It always depends on the situation. So, I guess voting for one or the other isn't going to happen. Sorry!
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