Starting hand questions

Hi members

I have a question or 2 for everyone who wants to answer.

1. What is your range of starting hands?
2. What determines your starting hands,blinds,blinds and antes?
suited connectors,high or low?

Now a quick story!

Was playing in PokerStars early this am 1 of those 100k sundy tournament
think they cost $2.20 to get a shot at like $20k
I won 3 seats this week,but your only allowed 1 so they credit your account with the $11 prize.
So the story
Very early in the tournament I watch this senario unfold
every one folds to sb,sb raises to 90,bb raises to 150,sb insta raises to all'in,bb thinks 30 seconds and the time comes up....so he pushes he shows pp 99....and the sb who pushed first show K2 os
well the story goes that the sb wins with 2 pair.
But my questions are!
Why make that call,does the player not play well and gets lucky?
How can they even think about making a call like that?
Did they think they were pot committed at $90?
I watch plays like this day in and day out and I just dont understand. Can someone shed some light on this for me.
I even question the call w/99 but atleast it was a legit hand!

Anyway that same person donked out to me 10 hands later to my trip aces...he called with T7os w/ a flop of T A 6.....I knew he was loose so thats why I pushed,I knew he couldnt resist!

Bubba24

Maybe you answered your own question here: "that same person donked out to me 10 hands later".

If it weren't for players like him, there wouldn't be a need for a term like 'ATC'. Many millions of dollars are lost daily playing online poker. It isn't because all the players are betting only premium hands, or even a decent range of starting hands.

In large MTT's a lot of the players are going in with ATC. If not, there wouldn't be 1,000 players finishing every 5 minutes (and you did say this was very early in the tourney). After the first hour, do you still see 1,000 players going out every 5 minutes?

My opinion, but worldwide lotto games set the stage for online poker play. $2.20 to get in, for a return of $20,000. All you have to be is - lucky - same as the winning lotto ticket. There are also a LOT of players who can only play if they have established a deep stack early on. They can, and will, donk their way on after that.

I don't have an exact 'range' for starting hands. It's situation, position, stack, reads and more. Changes with each pair of hole cards.

I play position as much or more than the cards.

So your saying you'd play that starting hand and push with it?
Bubba24

1st hand of the game ,no one has a read on any 1
thats a fold no matter what position your in on the first hand of the tournament......IMHO
Bubba24

As others have said...some ppl don't particularily care and will take a 30% chance of doubling up right off the bat rather than try to play "properly". Obviously K2o is garbage and should not be played early in an MTT.

Bubba,

Thank the heavens for Donks like that. They may get on a little roll and may even beat you out of a tourney are abuse you in a ring game but in the long run they are the ones putting the bread on the table for u. As for starting hands it really is all about position, stack size, others playing styles. Don't fall in love with any hand and don't feel you need to call to save face. Remember there will be another hand dealt and another chance to win back what was just lost. Good luck and see ya at the tables. By the way cool avatar and I hate the yanks. lol.

Your right sanpatso....with everything but the yankees....lol
Yes I know they do put food on my table.....I play about 75 tournaments a week on PokerStars and maybe 30 on FT.....ring games at Ultimatebet.....i'm holding my own.....but they (donks) still piss me off.....lol

Bubba24

I game in accordance with blinds and in position

Honestly I was speaking in general, because I didnt read the hand. But the only time that I am really shoving preflop are (1) I put in a good raise with AA, KK, probably QQ or AK and get reraised - the next step is if they want to play then shove (2) I am on the button late in a tourney and am stealing the blinds against a tight player (3) I have a giant stack (again in a tourney) and a small stack pushes allin. Those situations are some of the few times that I shove preflop. I am sure that there are a few more, but I dont do it as a habit. What I was getting at in my first post, was that you should be more concerned about getting into pots when you are in position, letting weak to medium hands go in early position. You can win as much if not more with a weaker hand, when you are on the button. The difference is that you rarely will lose as much...

First hand of the Tournament,no reads. sb agianst bb....bb has position
cards were K2....
rest of your post i agree 100%
Bubba24

i love to play suited connectors in position. I generally raise with a suited top ten hand. I also call the blinds with any small pkt pair

The only thing you can really do easrly in a tourney is bust out. so don't commit all your chips with any hand, even AA so early. If you lose, you're out. If you win, you won the hand ONLY, not the game. Wait till people are playing tighter and the blinds and antes are worth playing for.

I'm just wandering why bet pot when lets say 1/2 or 3/4 can do same thing? lets say someone slow playing you check/raise so if you bet pot instead of 3/4 lets say you lose more chips.

I play with ATC that I think will win. Positon will dictate something,stack size will dictate something,a loose table will dictate something,a tight table will dictate something. The Type of tourney will dictate how I play. I dont care if you think I didn't play proper longs as I stack your chips on top of mine. I like how Phil Ivy say he plays. He adjusts his style to the table not to a set style or strategy. Math and odds of course apply also.