[Big Mike]

This hand from the CT tourney last night. I had situations like this a couple times in tourneys lately. I'm not sure I'm playing 'right'.

Saw Flop | Saw Turn | Saw River | Saw Showdown | Won

PokerStars Game #11030525912: Tournament #51853590, $10+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2007/07/19 - 23:07:49 (ET)
Table '51853590 3' 9-max Seat #6 is the button

There is also an Ante of 25 at this point.

BB - t2845
UTG - t6400
UTG+1 - t4415
MP1 - t11526
MP2 - t3114
HERO - t3255
SB - t2230

PREFLOP Level VII (100/200)
HERO is Button with 9 9
3 folds, MP2 raises t600 to t800
HERO: ?????

At these stack sizes, is this a raise/push? A fold? Or, is it more player dependent? I hadn't been playing long with MP2 so his raise could mean almost anything.
I feel that 77 or less, or TT and up would be easier to play here, what would you do with your Nines? Let me know if this is an easy decision I should already know.

[pmaison]

Hi,

you need to risk at least one quater of you stack on pocket 9. In most circumstances you face a coin flip here. sometimes you are a 4:1 dog and less your the 4:1 fav.

In what phase of the tourney this hand was played? Bubble?

To hit a set you dont get the odds you need against this opponent. Against MP1 i maybe thought about a call here. MP2 is risking a good size of his stack here too, so i think he would call you anyway in this hand. so i prefer a fold with the informations i have no. If he is very aggressive but can fold to a pretty sized reraise then push it baby...

[jojobinks]

player dependent. if he's incapable of folding AJ (those guys are out there) than just fold it.

based on the size of the raise, i think this was a certain player that overvalued his hands all night. i'd just fold it.

i don't like flatcalling with that stack. so i'd consider pushing it against some players, but mostly fold.

[99%evil]

Shoot...I thought you were posting one of my hands from last nights tourney...I played like a donkey and couldn't connect with anything. Your title got me scared.

[hachkc]

Toughie. I'd say its either push or fold because even a min. raise puts almost half your stack in the pot. One question, how many players are left? I'd assume there are at least 15 players at this point so the bubble position is not an issue.

I'd say its player dependent but more than likely a fold. I'm guessing you are more likley slightly ahead (2 overs) or way behind (overpair). I'd say you have enough chips to wait around for a better spot to get your money in. If this pot is limped or folded to me, I'm raising.

[yeltzen]

This is one of those hands where, when I call, I always wish I had raised, and when I raise, I always wish I had called. I would find it pretty hard to fold here, though. You're on the button, and the cutoff is raising. It's not like he was UTG or anything. Without any reads, I'm probably calling and hoping to pick up a continuation bet if the flop comes nice. If they have a bigger pair, you're probably going to lose all your chips no matter what you do (except fold, of course). At least you can get away from the hand if you call and high cards come.

I think calling gives you the best chance to gain chips on this hand. Re-raising ensures that you'll probably be about 50% or worse if they actually had a hand worth raising. You could always fold, too, but I think that's giving them way too much credit.

[hachkc]

I understand your thought process of calling and on the surface I tend to agree with it but the biggest issue with it is you are calling off 25% of your chipstack. The only flop you wanna see is something with cards 9 and lower. If an A or any face hits, you really can't continue if he cbets. If he checks, you might be able to take it away.

Like I said it depends on the player but in most cases, I probably fold here and wait. Against a looser, stealing player, I'll play back.

[TheMightyJim2k]

fold.

Calling commits too much of your stack, and in the CT tourney everyone firse a c-bet so you are going to have to fold on the flop most of the time when overs come.

Raising right now is not so hot because you are risking your decent stack against a player who can totally cripple you, and your only raise in all-in. The problem is that the majority of his calling range either flipping against you or has you dominated. The plus is you have decent fold equity because he is a med. stack and you can eliminate him, but I don't think that makes up for the fact that you can pick better spots.

I've been known to jam in with less in these spots before, and what I have learned from my so-so tourney results is that you are better off waiting for a spot when you have more confidence in your hand being good, and you have the first in vigorish.

[Big Mike]

Originally Posted by 99%evil

Shoot...I thought you were posting one of my hands from last nights tourney...I played like a donkey and couldn't connect with anything. Your title got me scared.

LOL, sorry about that!

For a bit more info, this is the final table, 5 places pay. I don't think this will influence the decision much, but I don't really want to sneak into the money, I want to win.
Also, in last weeks CT tourney, I pushed from the BB w 99 vs an MP raiser, who had JJ, eliminating me (very poor play on my part given the stacks and blinds at the time.)

[yeltzen]

Originally Posted by hachkc

I understand your thought process of calling and on the surface I tend to agree with it but the biggest issue with it is you are calling off 25% of your chipstack. The only flop you wanna see is something with cards 9 and lower. If an A or any face hits, you really can't continue if he cbets. If he checks, you might be able to take it away.

Like I said it depends on the player but in most cases, I probably fold here and wait. Against a looser, stealing player, I'll play back.

I don't really love calling, but without any reads I just think folding is giving the guy way too much respect for raising in the cutoff after everyone else folded to him and raising is just asking for a coinflip or worse. I guess I'm too worried about the hand itself, rather than the overall situation in the tournament.