Quiz Question #2

[maemae71 0]

I would fold - got to think that the the SB has a pair or is suited up. Maybe, maybe I might play it if the A9 was suited and I was short stack but not in the position you are in.

[bryan21 0]

Blinds: 200-400Ante: 25Stack Size: 14,000Hand: A-9 off suitPosition: Cutoff seat (next to the button)  Everyone folds to you at a 9 handed table and you make it 1200 to go.  The button folds, and the small blind goes all in for a total of 4000, 2800 more to you.  You have minimal information as to your opponents tendencies, but you assume that he has a decent hand.  Do you make the call, or do you move onto the next hand?

In the question Daniel states that I have minimal information on my opponent and I assume that he has a decent hand. Given this information in a real life situation...I'm going to fold. I have plenty of time and chips to make a better move at a later time. Save my money and move on to the next hand.I believe Daniel was posing that we raised to $1200 as an attempt to steal this pot right then and there. Had that worked, great...it didn't...so move on!!!

[CodyHartman 0]

The SB knows the pot odds (Atleast I would hope) and would figure that you would almost be priced in. Therefore he is begging for a call IMHO. 1/3 more of your stack this early is too much to give out on such a marginal hand as A9.I'd put the SB on TT through AA or AK personally. NOT good for you.

[jogsxyz 0]

Blinds: 200-400Ante: 25Stack Size: 14,000Hand: A-9 off suitPosition: Cutoff seat (next to the button)  Everyone folds to you at a 9 handed table and you make it 1200 to go.  The button folds, and the small blind goes all in for a total of 4000, 2800 more to you.  You have minimal information as to your opponents tendencies, but you assume that he has a decent hand.  Do you make the call, or do you move onto the next hand?

Anyone calling 1200 of the remaining 4000 in the small blind must be suicidal. The sb would be out-of-position for 3 rounds of betting. Reasonal players in the sb would either fold or go all-in in this situation. If the range of hands the sb is willing to commit his tourney life included pairs 55 or higher and ace with an 8 or higher kicker, it would be right for the opener to call. From what has been shown on TV finals most players are willing to commit with much less.

[TheSandMan 0]

I accidently voted yes, but I would fold in this case. A-9 offsuit and there is a good chance I am going to be a 3-1 dog in this case. Maybe if I was suited up, but in this case I think the smart play is to fold.

[BattleRoyale 0]

this is exactly the kind of hand that's gets me in trouble usually, but............it's a Fold for me ( at least that's what Lederer tells me, but why would I listen now LOL)

[Loki_the_Cat 0]

I personally feel that it is an attempt by the small blind to defend his blind. They may have a small pocket pair or even the same hand. Honestly if you do not have much information on your opponent then he doesn't have much information on you. It may be worth paying the 2800 to get information. I say call.

[doublesuited 0]

I call. The pot odds might not be there (though they are probably close) . However, there is table image to consider. By calling you are announcing that you are basically unbluffable which will pay dividends later.

[Shaffer 0]

2:1 pot odds, and your opponent is pushing you all in for 4000 with the blinds at 200-400 - that's a pretty short stack, but hardly desperation time. I see no possible way that the SB finds it necessary to push all in with a low pocket pair, ace-rag, or two random face cards. Maybe if I knew more about them, and had seen them making big moves a lot in the past, I would put them on a steal and call, but without direct evidence I err on the side of caution.My best-guess read is probably AJ or better, or TT-AA. Either way you're much more than a 2:1 dog. Save your chips for when you have a better hand, or have an opportunity to take out a shorter stack without having to risk a third of your chips. Fold. Don't even have to think about it.The people that call in this sort of situation are the people I love, since they routinely get me back in the hunt when I'm approaching a short stack in online tournaments.

[nothumb 0]

I'll throw in my 2 cents here for a fold. I would have appreciated a little more info about levels, relative stack sizes, etc. Also, it would be good to know your table image at the time of the hand. But hey, I'm being demanding. If this is a solid player, he can put you on a wide range of hands here. Aggressive players might steal from this spot with as little as any pair, most aces, most paint cards, etc. He should know that his stack size does not give him a ton of fold equity as you are getting a good enough overlay to call if you read yourself as a near-coinflip with his range of pushing hands here. A good player who realizes you are priced into this pot with a decent ace or a medium pair will probably not push with a hand that isn't at least a coinflip against your low-end range of hands, i.e. 33, KQs, AJ, etc. And, knowing you will be tempted to call given the overlay, he will probably play his medium or big pocket pairs fast and push them rather than try to trap you and risk an overcard.4000 chips is getting short, to the point that he is likely all-in or folding most hands pre-flop, but not so short that he's desperate.NT

[TylerBeal 0]

You've gotta make this call.Like a previous poster said. If the SB had AA KK QQ AK.. something powerful he would want others in. Raising all-in usually means steal because people dont raise with AA etc.. with only 1 or 2 possible callers. AK the SB wants those A,x rag to fall cause he can pounce on them with his monster kicker. And then possibly triple up. not making this call is giving away your blind and costing you money without gaining any crucial information on a player you already know little about.Think why you know very little about this player.1) he's short stacked- Could be a rotten player playing bad cards- Could be making bad moves at the wrong time2) You know a tight player after only a few hands. - very disciplined- plays only premium hands- is very focusedThats how I look at it and thats how i defend my call. My Read on the small blind is still K,x maybe suited because hes probably a very reckless player.Take Care,Tyler

[SexyStudThang 0]

If this is the best situation Daniel can come up with to spark some conversation he's got some work to do!!!! (Im for hire, $50 a post). This is a very easy situation where you got yourself into a pot that you're going to let go. 2-1 (the odds you're getting on your money) is not nearly enough to get involved in a pot where at least 75% of the hands you're going to be up against are going to be 3-1 shots or worse, and the hands you wont be dominated by you're only even money. You've lost 1200 leaving you 12,800 chips which is still plentyof chips it seems at this level. You've got to assume that your skills are going to carry you further than putting 4000 at risk with a marginal hand that can only be marginally ahead in any all in situation. I wish I could write out a long thought out answer about why this is right but there just isnt enough that can be said, he's not stealing and you can't call anything but a bluff.No if's and's or but's : this hand is cuts

[critters 0]

It seems like a pure math problem to me, given that your stack is not in real jeopardy. There is 4600 total in the pot (200+400+1200+2800), and u need 1600 more to call. So you are getting 46/16 pot odds, almost 3 to 1. What are his relevant holdings:small pair (22-88): correct to callbig pair (99-kk): u are getting about the right pot oddsAA: u are in trouble, but this holding is unlikelyDominated Ace (AK-AT): u are slightly less than 3 to 1Anything else: correct to callYour opponent is getting low on chips, and may be playing u to have made a move (especially if you're Daniel !!).Overall seems like a clear call.

[JoRaff 0]

In addition to my previous posts, I put the SB on a suited connector, 7-8 to 10-J. Seeing a raise, I don't think he's trying to steal the pot. I would say he's looking for a call from me, and yet, will still be satisfied if I were to fold.You may not put him on AA, AK, KK becuz he didnt slow play it...but there's been a preflop raise before him. I would think he's assuming that the raiser (me) will call because I'm already "dedicated" to the pot. You've already given money to this guy, don't give him anymore.Do not race, you need an ace to win it, it's not cool.

[mmbapmashida 0]

I say call, you still have a lot of chips even if you lose. And your opponent could be trying to protect his blind with a hand like K-Q.

[doublesuited 0]

I say call, you still have a lot of chips even if you lose. And your opponent could be trying to protect his blind with a hand like K-Q.

noone is addressing the metagame considerations here which i think is the point of the question. If you show the table that you are going to call with ace-rag, players will be wary to play back at you since they lose some folding equity. Also, if you win this showdown, you will have a dominating stack and will be able to steal more blinds.

[wrto4556 0]

You always gotta watch out for the small blind. If the small blind raises he means business. And we have A with a weak kicker. The A9o is probably dominated. The small blind could easily fold a mediocre hand and wait for the next 8 hands that he gets to see for free so that he can get all his money in the middle with a better chance of doubling up.Also, someone said the SB was defending his blind...why would he defend T200 that aggressively? It's too early in the tournament for blinds to be a big deal."Chips gained are worth less than chips lost." Keep your big stack and wait till you know you're ahead before you risk 1/3 of your chips.PS. Took me a while to think of this answer...don't think I could do it in the 5 minutes they give you to go into the tank.

[naugie 0]

I still say call. Image and gathering info, and future bets. You will prevent future bluffs, but will also gather more calls on your big hands. People will possibly raise for value with weaker holdings. Also, Daniel said you assume he has a "decent" hand. I don't rate AA or KK on down to JJ as a decent hand. I rate them as awesome, very good, and better than decent pre-flop. And since we don't have much info on this player, we have to consider the possibility that he thinks KQ is decent, as well as QuJu, and other weaker holdings. Don't forget, either, that we raised from the cutoff. If this guy is good enough to know that QJ is not something to freak out about, he is good enough to spot a raise from a raising position. To quote a John Malcovich, " He's in a position to raise." Also, if he assumes we know a weak ace is weak, than all of these hands I mentioned above that he could think are decent actually are decent now, not because of the cards, but because over 50% of you are screaming to lay it down. I also must say, the small blind probably means business when he raises into a crowd. Otherwise, it could easily be a resteal or he just wants to limit possibilities for a draw out.

[naugie 0]

What if instead of A9, we held 66. Would you guys call then? Because if you would, then you are only putting him on an ace. Not the high pair you keep saying. If you are only putting him on an ace, than there are only 4 combinations that you are saying, each with 16 possible dealings. There are only 64 possible hands you are talking about. If an ace is decent, the A9 beats 7 of them, and loses to 4. At 10 times the big blind. I would rate an ace on the small blind as "decent," especially against a steal or if it was suited.

[naugie 0]

It seems like a pure math problem to me, given that your stack is not in real jeopardy. There is 4600 total in the pot (200+400+1200+2800), and u need 1600 more to call. So you are getting 46/16 pot odds, almost 3 to 1. What are his relevant holdings:small pair (22-88): correct to callbig pair (99-kk):  u are getting about the right pot oddsAA: u are in trouble, but this holding is unlikelyDominated Ace (AK-AT): u are slightly less than 3 to 1Anything else: correct to callYour opponent is getting low on chips, and may be playing u to have made a move (especially if you're Daniel !!).Overall seems like a clear call.

I recommend you recheck the quiz question. It's 2800 more to call.

[TightInn 0]

Here's how I would assess it. First, add up the money that would be in the pot if you were to call:200+400+(25*9)+(4000*2) = 88252800 (your call) / 8825 = ~32%Thus, you must have a 32% chance or better to win this pot in order to call.As critters explained, you are probably up against either:22-88, Tens-Kings, AA, or Ax (with x being 10 to king)22-88: ~47%Tens-KK: ~28%AA: ~7%Ax: 26%Now, knowing little about this guy, I say average all of these together because I really think that he could have any of these and each hand is about as likely as the next. If the average is LESS THAN 32% then you have to fold. If it's greater than 32% then you should call. And it comes out to ~35%, so I think you should call. The only other point worth mentioning is the consequences of winning or losing.I don't know for sure if 14,000 of chips because I don't know what each of you started with. But, you do have 35x the big blind and since one player is down to 10x the big blind I am going to assume you are at least one of the larger stacks. This in mind, you are probably considering the fact that you can knock out a player (who you don't really know is strong or weak, so I'd assume he's on the weaker side, though at the same time you don't know him or his play style and so that could give him an edge), and at worst you would lose an additional 2800, and that would knock you down from 12,800 to 10,000, which isn't terrible, though if you win it will give you 18,825, which would be a relatively significant amount of chips and would help you win the tournament.All things considered, I say call him.P.S. It's my first post here but I'd like to say that I'm a big fan of yours, Daniel. "Good Luck" (that's what poker's all about, right?) in the Player of the Year race. I've played with a couple of guys that said they played with you in person and said you were a lot of fun. Maybe I'll get a chance to play with you in some tournament sometime soon (though I must say, my goal in life is to outdraw Phil Helmuth in a large tournament).

[naugie 0]

I don't think you should include your call into what the pot is offering you. It will skew the results. The pot is offering you 2 to 1. 32% is a losing call. 33% is break even, which you should avoid, purely speaking of math. it's 5600 to 2800. not 8825 to 2800.

[CoreyBrown 0]

I say fold based on what I would do in his position if I have AA, KK, AK, QQ.If I was HIM, I would push here too. Play as if I am hoping you feel pot commited, or if you would assume I am making the "defend my low pocket pair" play.Knowing I have 4k left, if I flat called 1200 I would feel stupid for leaving myself no ammunition no matter how good or bad my hand is.So if I was in his position I would do this with AA, KK, AK, QQ, JJ, 1010, AQ. I might even do the defend my low pockets and expect the race that I am going to get.So now with that look how many hands dominate, how many hands are 3-1, how many hands are races.I don't like those odds. I fold.If I had a ton of chips I'd call and hope for the best, but being left with 10k ain't cool.

[PreFlopQuiz 0]

Ho K. In this situation I call the small blind. Sure pott odds are against me a little bit here. But my thinking is this:It is more then possible that with a small pair such as 5-5 and everyone folding infront of him but myself, he figures I raised just to scare out the the buitton and SB. So that makes his small pair a favorite, and he is short stacked so at that point he either folds or goes all-in. We know his decision. So based on my thoughts of what he is thinking, I figure I have prety much a 48% chance of taking this hand. But, I would also be knocking someone out (assuming tourney), therefore making it a good call.I am fairly new at this, so it will be interesting to hear your answer Dan.Peace

[TightInn 0]

I don't think you should include your call into what the pot is offering you.  It will skew the results.  The pot is offering you 2 to 1.  32% is a losing call.  33% is break even, which you should avoid, purely speaking of math.  it's 5600 to 2800.  not 8825 to 2800.

Of course you count your call when calculating pot odds ... Your money will be in there when you call, you have to count it.