I have struggled with this one recently: Lets say your in a NL MTT of 30 people and you're down to half the field.

In CO+1, CO, or button positions what do you like to do with middle suited connectors (say, best J 10 and worst 5 6) if you have no callers ahead, or maybe one limper, your M is between 10 and 15 and your stack is average?

If you create big pots every now and then by your style, fold it, you'll lose more than you'll gain. If you're like me and play a lot of small pots, even with big hands, you wanna raise. This depends on a lot of different factors.

1.) Are you a big stack? (40+BB's)
Obviously, you wanna open-raise with a deep-stack to your normal raise and take a stab at good, low to ten hi flops for your normal flop bet. With position, bet on any checked flop.

2.) Is it a good tourney structure where a lot of people are deep-stacked?
I only like deep stacked tournies like the ones on UB where you can slip a lot of jabs. If the avg. stack has 40+blinds and I havee at least 30, I'll jab at this, but only to open-raise. With someone else in the pot, I'll limp or call a raise up to 3BB's. In deeper stacked-tournies, you play with the same people for a long amount of time, which is GREAT, so you'll pick your spots a lot better.

3,) Is your table aggressive or weak?
If the table is aggressive, I'll limp because people will play back at me and I don't want that. If it's weak, I'll open-raise every pot in the last 3 positions with a deep stack, no matter what the cards. In middle position, I'll be more discretionary.

Weak tourney players seldom open up and vice-versa for aggressive players. I can hit the brakes and having that ability is a must for connectors. I'm used to being played back at, so I have no shame in folding. Aggressive players generally will only aggressive players with big hands and slowplay. If an aggressive player puts in a big bet, I'll move in at times because there's no reason to bet so big other than to re-steal.

When a weak player plays back, I'll get out of the way. Weak players are scared to play flops, turns, and rivers, so I'll get every chip I lose to them when they create a big pot for me when I have a big hand.

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you wnat the vblind in this situation... riase the standard amount that have take the blinds no contest lately.

KJ

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Originally Posted by Girevik
Heck, I've seen people go nuts with middle pair!

In HoH II, Harington explains why small pairs and suited connectors loose alot of value in the "yellow zone" you need good implied odds to play these hands and the current stack sizes make that impossible. I think making a move at blinds is fine if they're tight players, b/c these hands hit more than absolute junk. Unless there a quite a few limpers, I think these are raise or fold type situations.

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BB is t100
Preflop: Hero is UTG with :3d :5d,
Hero raises to t500

You're making a move from the blinds. There's no such thing as making a move from the CO, button, or the blinds. The word's out on "moves' from those positions, so they're no longer "moves." They're common play. They're expected. You're not jumping out from behind a bush.

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psssh, semantics. I meant raise to steal blinds, whatever. I think the OP puts us in the CO or CO+1 so, not out of the blinds.

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BB is t100
Preflop: Hero is UTG with :3d :5d,
Hero raises to t500

most tournament player have no concept of position. the word isn't out. it is very unusual to get played back at.

I was speaking in the context of the thread which in the late stages of a tourney. I'm not saying that it doesn't work. I'm just saying that when you're in the late stages, people are conscious of it and are less suspiscious of your MP raises.

Whether they "know" or not, they know from themselves because they're more tempted to steal from those positions. That's nature. If you really think you're being tricky in the late positions or the blinds before the flop, you're giving yourself too much credit.

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Yea, I just meant a normal "your in the blind you dont have shit, and you really dont want to play shit oop" kinda raise. The ones you see every orbit.

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BB is t100
Preflop: Hero is UTG with :3d :5d,
Hero raises to t500

it has nothing to do with being tricky, it is playing smart. the fewer people to act behind you, the less chance of someone having a playable hand.

and no, most of them dont do it themselves, they limp and raise with the same hands from whatever position they are in, no matter how many players entered the pot.