Folding and Pushing with AQ
First Sit-N-Go of the day, my usual $1 single table NL affair and I only make 5th place. I put this squarely down to the play of AQ, I held it twice and lost a huge amount of money each time, firstly indirectly by folding the best hand, and then later on directly by pushing all-in into kings.
Here, with AQ in early position I decided to simply call the big blind, as it was the first level and I judged it to be too early to push the action with a potentially dominated hand. Theres one more caller behind me and then a large raise to around 12xBB and I fold without hesitation.
This is pretty standard for me, being so early, however I’m realizing I’m loosing money in situations like this, more so with AJ, but still, if I’m loosing money with AQ its something I should address.
My first thought of improvement comes from the fact that when I limp in with AQ, I’m often happy to call a modest raise, maybe not here being at the very first level and being in early position, but otherwise it wouldn’t be too far fetched for me to call a 3 or 4xBB raise with AQ. Now, as we all know you need a stronger hand to call a raise with then you do to open with a raise, so by reversing that argument, if I’m willing to call a modest raise with AQ I should be willing to open with a modest raise with AQ suited or unsuited (I’ll always raise with AQs).
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1979549
Now, the blinds are up to 75/150. I’m in the big blind facing a minimum raise from the button and I re-raise all-in.
My thoughts on the hand where pretty simple here, I could have called, but didn’t want to be forced off my hand on the flop and be left with only around enough for 6 orbits, and with the blinds up in two minutes I wouldn’t even have that. I’m also aware that I haven’t played a hand for a long time, and certainly haven’t raised or re-raised, and at the same time may of the players had started to open with modest raises pre-flop often with mediocre hands. So I could either have the best hand or could benefit from my tight image and get a middle pair to fold, it felt like a good spot to push, so I did.
First Freeroll
Just got busted out of my first ever freeroll tournament. It was held on Poker Stars and there where 2076 competitors, largest field I’ve ever played against. The price pool was $100, with $18 being awarded for first place, 396 places would be paid.
Not knowing much about freerolls (other then the fact that they are free :p) I did a quick Google and read an interesting strategy, and thought I’ll give it a try, this is why I got booted out so early, but that was kinda the point of the strategy, so you could say it worked. The idea was to raise all in when you had a great hand, so I waited folded a few times and on my 3rd or 4Th hand I pick up QQ and push all-in, I get one caller who also goes all in, he holds AK against my queens and hits his ace on the turn or river, busting me out and taking the chip lead at our table.
You could argue the strategy failed, but its aimed at minimizing your time at the table and at the same time giving you the best chance of finishing in the money, by forcing you to either get a huge lead early or bust out to join another freeroll before you’ve committed several hours into a game with nothing to show for it.
This strategy does appeal to me, but next time I think I’ll enter with a large raise with QQ instead of the all-in push, giving me more options should they not hold up.
Was fun though, despite only lasting 5 or 6 hands, and I got to just over 1800 places so you could tell others had the same idea I had.
Lucky Straights 