MovingIn

The QQ-AA hand is just a cooler and I'm not sure what it's doing in the OP.Few players are paying such super-specific attention to your preflop raises and showdowns that they only put you on AA-QQ if you raise such as you did in the KK spot. They can certainly put you on ranges as any reasonably good player in a deep stack tourney would... but a reraise by Hero after folding to many reraises could also be seen as Hero tilting and/or trying to retake control of the table, a bit light (AQ+, 99ish+).At the same time, the dude who 4bet to 5K didn't shove, and that certainly reeks enough of AA to

Wait a minute... from your OP: Even if you build a big stack beforehand... if you're bubbling out every time and not cashing, that's not success. Success is cashing. You've got the building big stacks part down. You just need to make sure you get into the money now.But you're running into beats with your entire stack in. When and why is your stack going in preflop in these situations? But that's getting into deeper questions about your strategy and that's outside the scope of your question. Really, I don't think the bankroll issue is a big issue here. You have the roll to play 1.20s and

You're really not out of a reasonable roll for 4.40s assuming you're a consistent winner... but if you're cashing in the 1.20s while struggling with the 4.40s, perhaps you're changing your approach when you step up. Perhaps you tighten up too much in the 4.40s? The tone of your OP indicates you don't feel a lot of control as you get close to the money in the 4.40s. What kind of a stack do you typically get to the bubble with in each format?

Guys, stacks in online SNGs just aren't deep enough to play pure smallball. You can exercise some smallball strategic principles in position when the blinds are low, the flop comes right and you're not seeing too many opponents on a flop, but generally the faster tourneys online require more focused, aggressive strategies.Also, smallball is about manipulating players' tendencies and bluffing them off of pots, but so many of your opponents at the micro level are oblivious to anything beyond 1st level play that any lines taken to set up smallball-style bluffs usually won't work because your vil

Both ideas were simply suggestions off the top of my head. I'm not sure myself about this spot so I threw them out there.

Man, that reeks of a bluff. No other postflop reads? Any showdowns by villain?Other than thinking that maybe he got there with 77, 99 or K9, or snuck in with KK, it just looks like a bluff. All he'd have to reasonably fear is a set or AK, because anything less probably couldn't call that shove.

The big question to me isn't whether or not to call so much as why this big stack would overshove in the first place with 50+BB here. If this is a bluff, then why not raise less? Is he afraid of an overshove from one of the shorties, so afraid that he's willing to risk you calling and stacking him?The other stacks open shoving or overshoving, I can understand: they're starting to get short, but have enough chips to be able to dissuade callers and steal the blinds. But this guy is the biggest stack that isn't you: why is he shoving here? Has he done this a lot? Has he done this before at a

Who here likes a raise to set up a bluff if we miss our NFD+Gutshot, and who here doesn't mind calling with our NFD+Gutshot?

Unless you are playing a true high-level deepstack tourney, or you flop a monster with little chance at getting outdrawn, you typically shouldn't slowplay a decent made hand. Slowplaying top pair on a multiway flop in a fast tournament is a great way to get sucked out on, and when it happens, it's usually your own fault if you gave those gutshots and backdoor draws a cheap opportunity to get there. Bet the flops you hit. Maybe you fold everybody, but you assure yourself of a pot rather than improve the chances that you lose it.

I'm okay with the PF limp behind, but I think we need to bet this flop (~100-150). FD's are coming along no matter what, but we don't want any backdoor draws, weak pairs or Ace highs getting a free shot to outdraw us.

If villain had us crushed with a 9, AK, a set or 2 pair, I'd expect he would bet the river after no action on the turn. If we have any fears on this river about getting slowplayed, villain likely has the same fears about us.I'm curious for more takes on whether to bet or check behind here, as this is a dicey spot to bet. I'd be willing to value bet ~1/2 the pot though.

If he's shoving the button every time, I probably call.

You're certain villain is that tight here? That's awfully tight for a short stack.

Stacks are getting short for blinds/antes, and villain's around 15BB himself. Unless the shover was pretty tight (and we have no read here so oh well), I'm calling. We'll typically see a wide range here, like QT and 55 wide, and this could even be a stone cold steal attempt. Or it could be a little of both, with a weak ace or T9 that still has some value if called. If he has AA/KK/AK, he'll have to show it to me.

We're probably heads up with villain, and at best we see a lot of lesser offsuit broadway stuff, weak aces and weaker pairs along with the usual premium stuff from villain's shove here... if not a wider range given his short stackedness. This may even be a kamikaze steal attempt. Remember, villain's short, we're in the money, and even given he shoved last hand, he's probably either looking to collect blinds and sneak into a bigger stack, or shove anything semi-reasonable on any hand he can and try to get a lucky double up.The blinds are a bit short for everyone so I'm not as fond of my bigge

Actually, rather than saying never, two questions should get posed here: what range do you expect villain to resteal with? How often does villain resteal here?Either way, the chances typically aren't very high. And while the other player(s) yet to act are factors too, villains in those spots should pass a vast majority of the time.In sum, we shouldn't be reluctant to steal just because one of the blinds has a short resteal-friendly stack, because such a villain usually will not overshove. And when he does, we can dump our steal hand if we don't have enough equity to call.

Though you're far from the money and have a good chip position without this pot, you're ahead of much of the 2nd shover's range and you still have a relatively competitive stack if you lose the hand. Lean towards call.

What's funny is that, in the 85o thread in question, I actually admitted I was initially wrong.And yes, I do admit in other threads when I realize my initial judgment was incorrect, but keep up the selective memory and insist it never happens, especially when you're keep deep in an ongoing treatise on why I will never be good at poker.When I get in a tough spot where I honestly have no idea how to proceed, I'll be more than happy to post a thread about it. Meanwhile, in the future, if you believe I'm wrong about something, you're welcome to explain with some detail what makes my decision wron

Okay, folks, looshle's just trying to give constructive criticism. How is this comment constructive? Expound, since I'm not getting the deeper logic from this sort of totally constructive criticism.I'm not sure what looshle's frustration with weak-tight play has to do with his disagreement with 'shoving is EV'. I'm sure there's an argument to be made against 'shoving is EV'. I'd rather he explain his POV with some degree of detail that sit here and give me the typical poker forum garbage about how I don't know anything about poker because I don't see things his way. How is that garbage c

Yeah play them more like this

Play at the level you feel comfortable playing at, but continue taking shots here and there at higher levels, provided you have the bankroll to do so. You want to remain profitable, but you don't want to stagnate as a player either by remaining at a certain level indefinitely.

If you're tempted to fold AQ/AJ, do it when they're offsuit. You probably want to see the flop if they're suited and stacks are deep enough that you can dump them on a bad flop, given the nut flush capability.

If you're going to play any smallball at all, do it with deep stacks (>50BB) and always in position. Focus on stealing pots opponents don't seem to want. But really, play in faster tournaments needs to be more longballish and aggressive, because you're simply not going to get a lot of decent chances to win pots and build your stack... but if you're too loose (and smallball is a fairly loose strategy), you're going to piss away chips most of the time in these tournaments. Other players will play fast themselves, many are novices who don't have the ability to sense real danger, and either

The only way I consider calling is if the big stack had played fairly loose pre, was kind of running the table over, and I knew he would shove here with a wide range that 88 had a significant equity edge over. But this is an easy fold otherwise. Few big stacks would shove here with another big stack in the blinds without a big pair or AK. You're probably either racing or crushed by a bigger pair here.

Given stacks, shoving is a bit drastic with KQo, even if villain is loosely 3betting pre. Any Ace or pair has us beat before the flop. I'd shove him back with AT or a small pair before I'd 4bet him with KQ... not that I'd necessarily play back at him here.As for the initial raise size, it's fine if you're building a pot for value. It's not if you're trying to punish the limper and blinds or dissuade callers behind, because it's too easy a call given the pot size.