criticize my play...

[ph_il]

bodog $5.50 SnG. 7 players remaining. Blinds at 50/100. Im sitting on 1250 and had been pretty much card dead the entire time. Im in late position with 4c4s and there is a 350 raise before me, only blinds and raiser are in the hand so far.

My options:
-Fold: Really dont want to this because 44 is one of the better hands I've seen.
-Call: Hope to see a set, but will probably have to fold to any flop bet if i dont hit.
-Push: And hope to take the pot down right there. If not, pray opponent doesnt have an over pair and at best its a race situation.

I decide to just call and hope to see a flop. Even though Im risking a 4th of my stack, the blinds a few hands behind me and I'll just have to push with anything decent. I know Im really taking a gamble on this hand, but blinds were raising soon and I was short stack.

I call and BB calls. Pot size = 1100.

Flop = 2c Qd 3d. BB checks and raiser pushes all in.

My options now:
-Call and go all in.
-Fold.

Raiser could be holding a Q, an overpair to my 44, overcards to the board, or is on draw-most likely a flush draw. If opponent is holding a Q or over-pair, then im drawing to a 2 outer, but if opponent is holding overs or is on a draw, then i (probably) have the best hand. Also, the bet seemed a bit fishy because if I or BB held a Q, there is no doubt we would call. So, the raiser was risking a lot of money when a simple bet would give him enough information. It also seemed like a real out of line bet for an overpair to the Q. (AA or KK), but it did seem perfect for a semi-bluff. I put opponent on an Ax hand-AK or AJ possibly and called for my remaining chips. as for the BB, I didnt expect him to call because he had checked the flop and the BB folded.

I held 44 and opponent had 77

Turn was a 4 and river was a 7 to bust me out.

Im not mad I busted out, I think I made the right read on the flop and thought my hand was good.

My question is: did I risk too much on my 44? I couldve easily folded and waited for a better hand or a better situation. What are the flaws on my part in this hand?

 

[tenbob]

Its fold or push here. 44 isnt really a hand to be pushing with either. Your not deep stacked enough to set mine here so calling should be out.

I fold here and push ATC in postition rather that play here.

 

[Stefanicov]

easy fold you want to be the raiser with junk not the reraiser oh ya calling is horrible so much of your stack on an 8-1 shot

 

[calibanboy]

I agree with the above comments.

regardless of pre-flop play here. One key points here is that when you call you all-in you are

a) "Hoping" that you are good.
b) Only have one way of winning - eg beating his hand
c) Only have 2 outs if you are losing.

therfore I see this as -ve in the long term.

To me the only time you want to be "all in" is when

a) you know ( very likely ) you are winning,

or,

b) you are first to act, have a good hand and you have a large number of outs if you find out you are currently losing. This way you have two chances of winning - eg a fold by the rother player or winning with best hand by the river.

or

c) your chip stack is so low you have to do something.


hope this helps

 

[ph_il]

I see. I made some mistake.

Thanks all.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

Calling is pretty much the worst thing you could have done preflop. You simply can't call off so much of your stack with a low pair here because (a) you aren't getting set value, and (b) being in position, you can't stop and go, and are most likely going to be faced with a bet you can't call on the flop.

I don't think you can shove preflop because against an EP raiser you don't have a lot of fold equity (you didn't give the raiser's stack or exact position though, which is pretty important here). If you were in the blinds you could call and open-shove pretty much any flop (stop and go), but here I just fold.

 

[dj11]

Your flaw is the same flaw that kills me, and probably most of us way too often. You were card dead for a while, with little action, and got frustrated and felt the pressure of the blinds and over reacted to the possibility that 44 might be good.

Take out the first part of that equation, say the cards have been kind, you have a good stack, the upcoming blinds are no threat and these same cards come.

Big difference?

To the raise I would have folded, but you put the situation well and I if I did anything other than fold it would be a shove. Definitely a damned if you do, and damned if you don't situation.

 

[tiltboy]

Poor call preflop. I have been guilty in the past of similar.

Problem is that you built up a pot higher than your chipstack that can make it hard to walk away from which is not so good particularly with a hand like 44.

I would prefer all in than calling in this situation but would prefer folding to a raise above all.