[DangerMouse]

This is a hand from Sundays NLHE game. There`s been some light hearted comments between myself and Mura over this one so I thought I`d put it out there and see what people think.

The blinds are 100/200 and the action has folded round to Mura in the sb. He has around 5,100 chips and makes it 500 to go.

I`m sat in the bb with Jc 5c and have around 1500 chips. As the action was heading round I`d pretty much made the decision that if Mura made a standard raise I was going to come over the top of him and try and take the pot uncontested. I make the move but Mura calls and shows A-6o

I ended up rivering a flush to win the hand.

Now Mura said he put me on exactly the kind of hand I had. I must admit that surprised me. I`m not in the habit of re-raising all-in with such poor cards and most often when I do that Mura`s A-6 will be in bad shape.

So why make the move at all? Well I couldn`t call, it was either fold or push. I only had around 7xbb left so I decided given Muras likely raising range in this situation it was worth a gamble. If he folds (and I think I`d been playing pretty tight for a while) I make a nice chunk of change. If he calls I`m not likely to be much more than a 40/60 dog. If I lose I`m out but if I win I`ve put myself right back into the game.

So was it a donkdown? Feel free to comment as you will.

[harry_lime]

nothing wrong with the logic but i think mura's going to have to call you with almost anything here as he's only having to put an extra 1000 into a 2000 pot. he has it easily covered and can afford to take the risk.

beyond that, as you say, you probably have 2 live cards and need to make a stand at some point. you can't flat call here so your options are definately fold or all-in.

not the move i would make at that particular moment (maybe if i had another 5-600 more in chips) but i don't hate the play either.

[PoolDemon]

ace rag HU is an overplayed, over valued hand, sure if you hit your ace, you "might" win, but vs almost any pocket pair there's a reason it's not even a coin toss unless it's kicker is also an overcard to most pocket pairs...with only an ace, with a lower kicker, even if suited, is only about 30% to win, but we all have played it thinking what a monster HU hand it is, LOL...

If I was in the BB, I wouldn't even have looked @ my cards in that spot, if it was folded around to Mura, as I would be expecting a raise from him with almost any hand there, so insta push all in, & hope to take it down pre-flop...

overall not a bad play on either part, big stack playing his part, short stack doing the same...

[Miklosik]

When you're the short stack and the big stack in on your right, it stinks.  I think anyway.  I think with blind sizes and your stack, you are right on that edge of having fold equity and anytwowilldo.  If you fold and hope that sometime in the next round you have a better hand, you run the risk of too many people playing it should you get dealt better.  I prefer the HU scenario but not against a stack that wouldn't be hurt with a loss because he has no decisions to make.

I think raise or fold, at this point, are both viable.

[Know-nuffin]

I feel similar to harry, and can understand your thinking even if it is not a play I'd like to make.

Many MLP games seem to get to the final stages with 30% of the players in trouble and 60% more not being unencumbered. Sometimes, who dares wins.

[DangerMouse]

I must admit that at the time I thought I had a little more fold equity than I actually did. Nonetheless I only figured Mura for a weak ace at best and thought he might fold rather than risk running into a big ace or medium pp. Unfortunately for him he made the right read and ended up losing the hand.

KN made a nice point though. The MLP games are usually played pretty tightly and that can result in a lot of push or fold play in the latter stages. Especially true on Merge and one of the reasons I love the bodog games on Friday where the structure allows more play.  Sometimes it`s a case of who dares wins or as I often say "No guts. No glory". I remember Rob getting short-stacked in a game and pushing all-in 5 times in a row without getting a call. I can`t remember if he won that game but it certainly earned him more prize money.

On a side note it was a play that was worth making win or lose. It highlighted that I wasn`t afraid to come over the top of anything I considered a steal and if I were to make the same move later with a genuine hand I was more likely to get a caller.