$1.50 NLHE STT Turbo: Button Limps, SB call, raise, or fold Q5o?

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AlexTheOwl

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Winning Poker Network (Yatahay) - 50/100 NL - Holdem - 6 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

CO: 15.2 BB (VPIP: 12.50, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, hands: 16)
BTN: 12.85 BB (VPIP: 24.66, PFR: 8.70, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 75)
Hero (SB): 22.46 BB
BB: 25.74 BB (VPIP: 22.14, PFR: 16.54, 3Bet Preflop: 4.55, Hands: 132)
UTG: 40.25 BB (VPIP: 23.21, PFR: 19.44, 3Bet Preflop: 8.70, Hands: 118)
MP: 18.5 BB (VPIP: 52.78, PFR: 16.67, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 37)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has Q<font color='black'>♠</font> 5<font color='red'>♦</font>

fold, fold, fold, BTN calls 1 BB, HERO:?

9 player single-table turbo SNG.

A boring hand little hand, but it's a situation that occurs frequently.

The case for folding:

We are not deep-stacked, so although one marginal call will not get us into much trouble, making a habit of it will.
The most likely hand we can make on the flop is top pair, but with a weak kicker and two opponents that pair could easily be second-best. Q5o rarely makes flushes or straights.
The Button's Attempt to Steal stat is low (18.75%), and his VPIP is not high, so he apparently limps here with many decent hands. His entire VPIP range is ahead of us. 25% of hands looks like this: [22+,A2s+,K9s+,QJs,A2o+,KTo+]
We are not short-stacked yet, so there is no reason to make a big raise with a mediocre hand.
We are out of position.

The case for calling:

Getting 5:1 on a call here, and we are not short-stacked yet, so the .5BB to call is not very significant.
No one has shown any strength.
Our opponents are straightforward, so it will be easy to get out of the hand cheaply post-flop.
Even if we don't make a hand here, if checked to on the flop, a turn bet is likely to take the pot down.

The case for raising:

No one has shown any strength.
The button seems straightforward, so he is unlikely to be trapping here.
The button's Fold To Steal rate is 100% (5 hands), and the BB's is 82% (11 hands), so both are capable of folding.
My PFR for this table is 15.88% and attempt to steal is 30.73%, so I am probably not viewed as particularly aggressive.

What would you do? What's the worst hand you would call with here? What's the worst hand you would raise with?
 
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thatguy6793

thatguy6793

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You should fold hands like this from the SB. One thing you have to watch getting caught in are SB hands where you pay "just because it's not a full call to see more cards and I already have money in the pot anyway." The reason being that if you do call you play the rest of the hand OOP and if you just play any hand you get (like Q5o) it's going to turn into you just giving away free chips to the villains. Also for a hand like Q5o OOP you basically have to hit two pair to have a chance at winning since a pair of fives is easily beaten and even your pair of Q is beaten by most kickers, so you're chance of winning is even more limited based on what you need with such a wide range from SB. If you do end up calling with hands like this you basically have to check-fold any hand that doesn't hit on the flop because your more than likely behind even before the flop. I'd suggest tightening up your range from SB and only really playing hands like pairs (only top pair if there's a lot of action ahead), suited A and top suited connectors or play very similar to how you would in UTG. From the BB though (just to note) you can check any hand you want preflop if no one raises and hope for the random set or something like that but otherwise, check-fold.
 
Gabinho12345

Gabinho12345

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When button only has 12BB I think the best play is to just fold.
 
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AlexTheOwl

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Thank you for the thoughtful responses.

I snap-folded, because Q5o is trash.

I have a bad habit of acting too quickly in online poker, which is one of the reasons I'm better at the live game. Right after I folded, I decided that although Q5o really is trash, this is a situation where raising with any two cards is profitable.

I'd raise 3BB for the reasons stated in the first post. But I think any of the three options is reasonable.
 
AlexGrinStar

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hmmm ... I do not like the idea of ​​raising here... a game without a position with such a card is not very pleasant...
 
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AlexTheOwl

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hmmm ... I do not like the idea of ​​raising here... a game without a position with such a card is not very pleasant...

I am not happy if I get a call or a 3-bet! But most of the time they fold, and their 3-bet stats are not high.

I am risking 3BB to win 2.5 BB, so the risk is proportional to the prize.

These are straightforward players who are capable of folding. If I do get a call, depending on the texture of the flop and the number of callers, a c-bet, or a bet on the turn if checked to on the flop, might be profitable.

And of course any two cards have a chance of making a good hand.

This is a turbo tournament, and the blinds are getting high, so I cannot sit and wait for perfect spots to come around. It is time to take some risks, as long as they are smart risks.
 
AlexGrinStar

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I am not happy if I get a call or a 3-bet! But most of the time they fold, and their 3-bet stats are not high.

I am risking 3BB to win 2.5 BB, so the risk is proportional to the prize.

These are straightforward players who are capable of folding. If I do get a call, depending on the texture of the flop and the number of callers, a c-bet, or a bet on the turn if checked to on the flop, might be profitable.

And of course any two cards have a chance of making a good hand.

This is a turbo tournament, and the blinds are getting high, so I cannot sit and wait for perfect spots to come around. It is time to take some risks, as long as they are smart risks.


The player on the BB is not bad, and he has not said his word yet... from the BB position, you can do this, but with SB ... I do not know ... if the BB calls and the BTN calls, you can lose a lot of chips with this game...
Well ... who does not take risks, he does not drink champagne);)
 
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AlexTheOwl

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if the BB calls and the BTN calls, you can lose a lot of chips with this game...

It is always possible to lose, but I am smart enough not to lose my stack to a straightforward player if I only have top pair with 5 for a kicker. If I was a "calling station" then it would be better to fold pre-flop.

If I get two pair or better and lose big, well, there is no poker without risk.

Usually my opponents fold and post-flop play is not an issue.

But as I say, I think folding, calling, and raising are all reasonable.
 
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trent32la

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Folding >>> Calling >>> Raising, this deep.
 
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