Pocket Tens vs Over Cards Pre-Flop

gahdoh

gahdoh

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Total posts
45
Chips
0
(- edit - woops shoulda posted this in poker strat forum. my bad :joyman: feel free to move mods thkx)

This has really been bugging the crap out of me over the past couple days. Nearing the end of either a SNG or MTT I have been getting pocket tens on bodog in late position with an early position raise (usually 3-4.5x the bb raises). It is folded around to me.

Now here is my dilemma. The blinds by this point are usually pretty big. 100/200 or 200/400 with antes, so blind steals are essential for stack survival. So big raises pre-flop are fairly un-respected.

What would you do in this scenario.

My current response, which has felted me 6 times over the past 4 days so something must be wrong, is to push on the raiser and take control of the hand. If the early position raiser was stealing I take him off right away. If he has 2 over cards he must feel very vulnerable to a pocket pair, which is exactly what I have, and if he actually has KK or AA, well... thats poker.

However, each time I've made this decision the player takes his sweet time thinking then calls. This has happened exactly the same way 6 times in a row against 6 different players. What shows up? Ace, Queen off suit each time.

Coin flip right? I still should be in decent shape. But getting felted 6 times in a row burns against over pairs.

What am I doing wrong here? Should I just call pre-flop raises and hope to hit a 2 outer (this doesn't make sense to me)? Fold my tens? Only re-raise? Bah...

Help would be appreciated.
Thanks :eek:

- gahdoh
 
Last edited:
ChuckTs

ChuckTs

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Total posts
13,642
Chips
0
What are the stack sizes? Reads on your opponent(s)? Your table image? How many players are left?

It's very tough giving an answer to such a general question. Posting a hand history of the hand in question will give you much better responses.

In general, by the time 200/400 comes along, TT is an instant shove for me if someone's raised ahead of me, but again that's being general.
 
gahdoh

gahdoh

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Total posts
45
Chips
0
- Average chip stack is about 1800. (chipleader is 3500ish)

- I'm at 2600 in chips, villain is just above me at about 2800 in chips.

- villain has been padding his stack by raising a lot pre-flop since the rest of the table was extremely skiddish pre-bubble.

- in the SNG instances there were 6 players left out of 10 in an extremely tight game, which is why blinds were nearing 200/400 with antes.

hope that helps flesh out the scenario. thkx
 
ChuckTs

ChuckTs

Legend
Silver Level
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Total posts
13,642
Chips
0
Well with 2600 at 200/400 (4.5BBs), and a looser, more aggressive opponent, this is a no-brainer shove.

If you got unlucky and got outdrawn, that's just variance rearing it's ugly head. This is an autoshove.
 
Effexor

Effexor

Cardschat Elite
Silver Level
Joined
May 13, 2006
Total posts
1,773
Chips
0
I agree, I'm shoving here as well. Can't lose every coin flip, although tbh I'm not convinced thats true the way things have gone for me lately.
 
blankoblanco

blankoblanco

plays poker on hard mode
Silver Level
Joined
May 16, 2006
Total posts
6,129
Chips
0
blinds are high and you're running into hands and losing coinflips. i mean, it's just basic bad luck and hopefully will turn around. you shouldn't play it any differently. i'm 0 for my last 8 coinflips on full tilt, it happens
 
pedroman7

pedroman7

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Apr 28, 2007
Total posts
352
Chips
0
I agree you have to move in here knowing if you get called you will lose half the time.
 
Top