Stack sizes would be nice, and are you near the bubble yet?

In my opinion, 88-TT is a difficult hand at this stage of the tourney. Flat calling here just doesn't seem great to me, folding is okay. I don't mind 3betting if you expect to have a fair bit of fold equity preflop, and have a solid plan for what to do postflop if you get flatted. When you get 4bet shoved, easy fold.

Like Knight* said "Stack sizes would be nice, etc"

Unlike Knight* I don't mind a flat call vs TA/EP w/99 given the info you provided. Btn's shove all-in vs 2 TAs both raising is as easy a fold as there is!

There has been a huge increase in 3 betting mid-pp and even shappy aces (A-T, A-J) in the last year taking solid poker (ABC poker some would call it) yet another step toward playing craps vs LAs. I blame TV for a lot of it since the 2 bet has come to mean nothing and a 3 bet a challenge boardering on a bluff! Your re-r w/99 falls into this catagory of over-agg play and it cost you 3.5BB it didn't have to. With a EP TA raiser your 99 could be the best hand preflop and with position could win up to 2/3 of pots postflop. Vs a re-r from the btn, it's an easy fold if the EP calls - getting too expensive and you've lost position. TA doesn't always equate with re-raising - a cold call in position always catches the attention of an earlier raiser.

Actually, considering stack sizes I think I call. You're putting in 13bb to win 45bb, so good price even though you're likely up against a strong range.

Ao8, what is our plan when we flat? I hope it's not to sethunt. We also put ourselves in a position to have to fold if we get 3bet squeezed.

Originally Posted by KnightofNarg

Actually, considering stack sizes I think I call. You're putting in 13bb to win 45bb, so good price even though you're likely up against a strong range.

Ao8, what is our plan when we flat? I hope it's not to sethunt. We also put ourselves in a position to have to fold if we get 3bet squeezed.

Flopping a set would obviously be the best outcome for a midpair but that's only happening 1/8 of the time whereas the flop will miss the EP pf raiser 2/3 of the time. HU and in position, 99 could flop the best hand vs AK, AQ, etc or steal if EP shows any weakness with overcards. My plan is A) flop the best hand or B) steal a missed board and C) fold to playback.

B/c the pfr was an EP TA I would expect high cards or big pp as should the rest of the table. By cold calling I'm showing I also have strengh - at least enough to call a TA from EP. By flatting I'm opening the door to both pricing in spec hands and to a 3 bet squeeze however at a price I can afford to risk - only the original pfr! By isolating vs a TA with a 3 bet I HOPE to get position HU but I've also opened the door to a 4 bet or shove from that player and/or as was shown in the opening thread, getting squeezed anyway by the Btn.

Here our hero only had 20 BB so could not afford the min re-r to 7BB which was 1/3 of his stack is very close to pot committed! How does he play a flop with 2 or 3 braodway cards? If he was inclined to isolate with a re-r I think it should have been all-in. I also think he's getting too short to fold a made hand like 99!
But flat calling only cost 3.5BB and if re-r from behind he can either shove or fold according to his preception of whether Btn was making a move (squeeze) or really had a hand (big pp) - AND with the addtional info of EP folding ahead of him. If EP had called or re-raised again a fold would be automatic IMO and at min-cost. Folding to a Btn 3 bet still left him with 16.5BB - enough to still apply pressure in future hands so if an error, not a crippling one.

Flat calling by a TA isn't necessarily a weak play vs another TA in EP and the Btn should have known this but 4 bet anyway. That's pretty powerful and I would be inclined to believe he has the goods to back it up until shown otherwise. But your point was that by flating I was opening myself up to a 3 bet squeeze and yes I was (as well as pricing in the SB & BB with spec hands) - but the min-re-r opened up betting to a 4 bet from the Btn or EP as well as a shove from EP. I got the same info from a flat call as was gained from a min-re-r and it would have cost me less which is pretty important with only 20BB to start with! Any re-r is at risk to another re-r and if you didn't have a hand strong enough to make it, it's going to cost ya. That doesn't mean you shouldn't occationally make a re-r to try and isolate, but pay attention to your stack size and be prepared to fold a hand that would have liked to have seen a flop had you just flatted. Flatting or re-raising both have risks attached, but it's what each costs (%) your stack that may be the most important consideration in making a decision of which you choose to play.

I think Ao8 covered it, but basically if you want to play marginal hands you want a solid plan.

At the point of the call, you're calling 13bb's into 45bb's. Without ICM involved you need like 28.8% equity. Best thing to do is play with some ranges using pokerstove and see for yourself if you can find a call or not.

About 3betting MidPP's and AJ/AT. This is pretty standard anymore, if you're going to bluff, you might might as well do it with the top of your folding range. Though if there's more value in calling with a hand than bluffing, better just to flat and see a flop.

You shouldn't really be looking for spots to flat 20bbs deep imo. Good way to kill your stack size, 20bb is a good size to look for resteal spots.