Hu Sng On Stars

[SGFULTON83 0]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em,Tournament, 10/20 Blinds (2 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.comButton (t1500)Hero (SB) (t1500)Hero's M: 50.00Preflop: Hero is SB with A, 10Button calls t10, Hero raises to t60, Button calls t40Flop: (t120) A, 2, 3(2 players)Hero bets t100, Button raises to t1440 (All-In),Hero???OK, its the very first hand here so no info whatsoever. Easy fold or easy call?

[MetalFingers 0]

how much was buy in? id say prolly an easy fold. villain could limp the button with 22,33, A2 or A3, the way the hand has played i think we are up against bottom set here or at least 2 pair. Looks like a limp call where the flop hit him pretty hard. I think we can rule AJ+ out because he would DEFINITLY be raising with that, and you could possibly be looking at 45 for the flopped straight, but i think thats unlikely. Throw it out and look for a better spot

[mk 11]

hero snap callz and holds vs flush draw

[BeaverStyle 1]

I'm guessing this is a low-limit HU sng.Considering you have no knowledge on this player, I would say fold. However, being HU, many micro players GROSSLY over-value their hands. He could easily have A4-A9, as well as a deuce with a flush draw. I don't see many players limp/calling w/ AJ+ HU, but considering our lack of knowledge on villain, it's possible. All things considered, I call and hope to make a buy-in real quick, lickity split.

[LJB723 0]

Call. He limped the button ergo, he's bad. This could be a worse A but is probably something like .

[Mercury69 3]

Villain didn't raise or re-raise preflop. I call.

[SlackerInc 0]

Call. He limped the button ergo, he's bad. This could be a worse A but is probably something like .

Limp button = bad? I limp buttons all the time and I have a good HU record.

[TrueAce13 18]

I play low limit HU sngs...I will never fold this the first hand. Fade the FD. Win moneyzzzz

[XXEddie 0]

Being the first hand makes me want to call. The is a good chance we are ahead. So I call and either win a buyin quick or move onto another one quickly

[TrueAce13 18]

Limp button = bad? I limp buttons all the time and I have a good HU record.

Personally, I think we need to be raising our button most of the time, limping I think is too weak and we can pick up a lot of pots using position in our favor

[SlackerInc 0]

Being the first hand makes me want to call. The is a good chance we are ahead. So I call and either win a buyin quick or move onto another one quickly

This is a great point. The way the hand played out, though, I strongly suspect A2 or A3, shoving to protect against the flush draw. A4 or A5 is also possible (as is a total donk play), but I doubt it's a higher ace than that, meaning there's a strong chance we need to catch a ten.

[SlackerInc 0]

Personally, I think we need to be raising our button most of the time, limping I think is too weak and we can pick up a lot of pots using position in our favor

We can still pick them up postflop using position, they'll just be smaller pots. I don't mind raising liberally when the blinds are really low, but when they are a little higher I think it unnecessarily swells the pot and makes for more shortstacked poker, essentially. But then I like to play very patient HU if it is at all possible with the stacks and blinds. I have had many an opponent complain "COME ON, PLAY!" or otherwise grumble that it is taking forever to play me (and I don't mean that I take a long time to act, just that I play a patient, smallball style). Seems to put them on tilt in fact, which is okay by me. What really cracks me up is playing the no blind increases deep stack HU tourneys and running into people who are impatient. Why did they choose this structure if they want to zoom zoom zoom? LOL

[TrueAce13 18]

Well if we are going by the smallball approach to HU it is to use your position and raise many buttons (though I have only watched the sample video of it). By doing this we are taking the small pots and not getting involved in pots unless we have something good

[SlackerInc 0]

Well if we are going by the smallball approach to HU it is to use your position and raise many buttons (though I have only watched the sample video of it). By doing this we are taking the small pots and not getting involved in pots unless we have something good

That might count as smallball at a higher limit where people fold tight. I find that people mostly call in the BB when you raise from the button. So now you've got a bigger pot and are going to have to C-bet most of the time unless you want to be real weak. That's a big investment in a pot when you've got 9-3o or something (I should have mentioned I almost never fold the button either).

[SGFULTON83 0]

I called, after some thought, and villian ended up having a set of three's. I actually considered folding since I am pretty sure I can outplay most people at this level, but I wondered why he would bet so much with a hand that beats me. I guess thats why they are called donks, they do stuff I wouldn't dream of doing. Or possibly I'm the donk! Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess.

[TrueAce13 18]

I called, after some thought, and villian ended up having a set of three's. I actually considered folding since I am pretty sure I can outplay most people at this level, but I wondered why he would bet so much with a hand that beats me. I guess thats why they are called donks, they do stuff I wouldn't dream of doing. Or possibly I'm the donk! Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess.

What stake was this at?

[SGFULTON83 0]

What stake was this at?

$5.25

[MovingIn 0]

I called, after some thought, and villian ended up having a set of three's. I actually considered folding since I am pretty sure I can outplay most people at this level, but I wondered why he would bet so much with a hand that beats me. I guess thats why they are called donks, they do stuff I wouldn't dream of doing. Or possibly I'm the donk! Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess.

It could be 3rd/4th level thinking: he may have shoved with his monster thinking you would put him on a weaker hand trying to bluff you off the pot since a better hand would typically want to keep the opponent in the pot.

[BeaverStyle 1]

It could be 3rd/4th level thinking: he may have shoved with his monster thinking you would put him on a weaker hand trying to bluff you off the pot since a better hand would typically want to keep the opponent in the pot.

That's essentially what happened, whether or not he knew that he was thinking 4th level thinking.

[SGFULTON83 0]

It could be 3rd/4th level thinking: he may have shoved with his monster thinking you would put him on a weaker hand trying to bluff you off the pot since a better hand would typically want to keep the opponent in the pot.

I checked the villians sharkscope numbers afterward just to see how he normally played and I don't think this was the case, although either way it worked and looking back I could have folded and probably faired better but like I said hindsight is very clear.

[MovingIn 0]

That's essentially what happened, whether or not he knew that he was thinking 4th level thinking.

Well, yeah, he could well just be a dumb donkey that said 'ZOMG SET!!11 [shove]' But not every player that makes a donkey play is just a donkey. Some donkeys CAN think past the 0th level.

[CoranMoran 0]

I called, after some thought, and villian ended up having a set of three's. I actually considered folding since I am pretty sure I can outplay most people at this level, but I wondered why he would bet so much with a hand that beats me. I guess thats why they are called donks, they do stuff I wouldn't dream of doing. Or possibly I'm the donk! Hindsight is always 20/20, I guess.

When thinking about what play you should have made on the flop, compare it to what you would have done if Villain had played more standard.If Villain check-raised a normal amount, you surely would have called, right?When the turn comes a blank 7 and he bets out, you aren't folding, are ya?A blank 8 then hits on the river.The pot is already very big, so he makes a normal sized all-in bet there.Too much in the pot to fold your Top Pair now, right?Point:If you are going to call down this slower, "more normal", all in push over all three streets,then you should clearly be willing to call this huge all-in flop bet which looks like a much weaker hand.--CM

[SlackerInc 0]

When thinking about what play you should have made on the flop, compare it to what you would have done if Villain had played more standard.If Villain check-raised a normal amount, you surely would have called, right?When the turn comes a blank 7 and he bets out, you aren't folding, are ya?A blank 8 then hits on the river.The pot is already very big, so he makes a normal sized all-in bet there.Too much in the pot to fold your Top Pair now, right?Point:If you are going to call down this slower, "more normal", all in push over all three streets,then you should clearly be willing to call this huge all-in flop bet which looks like a much weaker hand.--CM

I wasn't talking about this specific hand so much as the general idea that just completing in the SB (button) is the sign of a bad HU player. I don't like to fold my button HU, which means I will call with junk hands like 63os or whatever unless I'm against an aggro villain. My point is, why should I raise (or fold) with such hands?

[SGFULTON83 0]

When thinking about what play you should have made on the flop, compare it to what you would have done if Villain had played more standard.If Villain check-raised a normal amount, you surely would have called, right?When the turn comes a blank 7 and he bets out, you aren't folding, are ya?A blank 8 then hits on the river.The pot is already very big, so he makes a normal sized all-in bet there.Too much in the pot to fold your Top Pair now, right?Point:If you are going to call down this slower, "more normal", all in push over all three streets,then you should clearly be willing to call this huge all-in flop bet which looks like a much weaker hand.--CM

This is a very solid point, there was probably no getting away from this hand without any information on the villian.

[SuperJon 175]

That might count as smallball at a higher limit where people fold tight. I find that people mostly call in the BB when you raise from the button. So now you've got a bigger pot and are going to have to C-bet most of the time unless you want to be real weak. That's a big investment in a pot when you've got 9-3o or something (I should have mentioned I almost never fold the button either).

But isn't that what you want?I love when people call my button raises heads up. The majority of the time they have a weak/marginal holding, and unless they hit the flop hard, I'm able to take it down.