You have a short stack of say 6BB in the middle of an MTT (i.e. at a table of ten players). You're dealt AA or KK or some other premium hand. Most people would push all in regardless of position.

What do you think about a 2 or 3BB raise instead? You are obviously going to be all in whether it's due to a reraise preflop or your bet post flop. I guess my idea of doing this is to get a caller with a marginal hand involved which will in effect more than double you up.

Does anybody have an idea of the risk/reward for this type of play?

usually i would just push all-in with this hand, the games i play i would usually get a call this short stacked. often enough to make all-in the most profitable play.

i would play as you describe if i knew enough about my opponents to think that this was the only way to get all my money into the pot.

in some situations everyone has a small stack relative to the blinds and so may be wary of calling an all-in so another approach is needed.

I would go so far as to raise just 2xBB (or, gasp, just call). I find it easier to catch a read on the relative strengths of the other hands, and if the flop is something unlikely (like a flush draw for a suit you don't have) then you can still afford to lay down even though it may seem like your lifeline.

After the flop, unless I'm totally scared off, I would raise all-in. I would hope to get 3 or 4 callers to try to more than double up if I hit.

But, then again, I don't have much experience and that might be a fish-food play.

Anybody with more experience than I have a take on this?

Pilket

With a premium hand like that do you really want to be involved in a multi-way pot? A 3x or 2x raise is going to get called by any hand that called the big blind, if they're gonna call the blind they're probably gonna call a weak 2x raise. I always push in this situation to try and double up and avoid getting my hand cracked by 78o or some such hand.

agreed, push.....no reason to get fancy here......even if you just pick up the blinds thats a nice result for you at this point. You've earned one more time around the table waiting for a good hand to push with.


You def do not want multi-callers......

In every position except the blinds, I have found that the best strategy is just to push all in. Any other play looks too suspicious and is regarded by all (except the weakest of opponents) as an attempt to encourage a call with a strong hand, rather than an attempt to see a cheap flop with a marginal one. In contrast, with such a small stack, people will regard an all in move as having some kind of hand, but necessarily a high pair. Thus, you can get calls from some the larger stacks with marginal hands for this situation like KQ, QJ, or Ax suited.

In the blinds, I sometimes take a different approach. With a hand like AA or KK, I ideally want to play them heads up. If everyone has folded to me in one of the blinds, I will occasionally just call or limp and make my move after the flop. The risk of slowplaying is smaller here because I'm starting out with only one opponent.

If I'm in the blinds and there has been one limper, I probably opt to move in when the action gets to me. Again, many opponents will regard this move as a steal attempt by a short stack, and you'll get loose calls by the limper in those situations.

Originally Posted by Cpt. Bloodclot

it depends whether you think you'll get a caller, if you push all in and no one calls you might as well have had 27o...i would base it more on the table than the cards...if lots of ppl have being making big PF raises then just push, if its been pretty passive i'd probably raise 3 BB...all-in is always the safest option with AA

I agree with that maxim with a big stack, but here we're specifically talking about a situation where you have only 6 BBs, and in all likelihood, an M less than 5. Everyone expects, if you play a hand, to play it for all your chips. To deviate from that strategy sends warning bells to everyone and does not increase the likelihood of action all that much. Moreover, because your situation is desperate, your opponents will usually not give credit for as strong a hand as you are actually holding.

With regard to the last point, keep in mind that the circumstances described are that you're in the middle of a MTT, not on the bubble. People are not playing quite as tight at this point, and there are probably a few big stacks at the table. Thus, you can reasonably expect to get action even if you push.

I guess there are times where it is difficult to discuss a general topic or even a slightly specific topic since there are so many variables in play.

The most significant point I have taken so far is what the other players will perceive me trying to do when I put in a raise for half my short stack instead of going all in. Are the players good enough to be suspicious? If not, then it might be a good move. However, if they are suspicious and tight, then maybe doing this play with any two random cards might be an idea.

I suppose now that position will be a critical factor. Making this play in late position might be interpreted as a steal. Now you have to decide if the BB is a defender or not.

I have found myself keeping track of my scale of play related to loose/tight, passive/aggressive and straighforward/deceptive. Of these three scales, I find straighforward/deceptive the most difficult to get a handle on. And I think my original post is part of this.