10+1 sng at pokerroom. The very first hand I start out on the button. A couple callers and then one guy goes all-in. I have 10 10, and figure what the hell, if I lose right away I can just buy in for another one. So I call he has QQ, but i end up catching some cards and winning. Winning aside, I realize that this was a bad play. My question is what would you call this bet with QQ? KK? I think if you are only calling it with AA you are losing some value, as maniacs will do this with smaller pocket pairs JJ, 10 10, AK, or sometimes even nothing. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Brett

The bigger question is what would you do @ the WSOP, first hand, you are dealt AA on the button, the UTG player bets $2,000 and a MP go's all in, followed by the cut-off seat going all-in.

The betting is now on you, the blinds and the UTG player will still need to act.

I fold, how about you?

Yes, I have the best hand, but up against multiple players, my advantage is affected and even if I win, there are 5 or 6 days left, and the chips I could win would surely assist me, but does not garantee me anything. You can't win until you make it to the final table.

On the other hand, if I lose, I am out 10k and done for the entire week! And another year..

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Now, a sit n go, the way you stated it, I'm all in with AA but not with TT!. It's $10 and another one starts in 2 minutes, and if I do win the hand, the chips I garner will allow me to (or should) to dominate the ONE table and remaining players. I just can't pull the trigger on all-in that early with a hand like TT, as I normally would be confident my play during the event can eventually wear down my opposition and put me into the money or win the event, without taking this early risk.

With TT, any overpair, any hand containing an Ace, King Queen or Jack that catches a card beats me. Not to mention any underpair that can still catch and beat me. Too many ways to lose (and I did not count flushes and straights). Of course, if later in the tournament, chip stacks various sizes, shorthanded pots, would dictate a different action from me, but early on, this one is mucked to an all-in.

IMHO

Speaking as someone who plays only the small (10 and 5) SnGs on Party and UB, I am only calling for all my chips on the first hand with KK and AA. The goal in these small stake SnGs is to make the money, every single time- everything else, even doubling up on the first hand, is a secondary consideration to this primary objective. I would therefore not be calling an all in bet with anything worse than KK in this spot- even QQ should be thrown away, in my opinion, although you can justify an all in re-raise on the first had (clearly not applicable here), perhaps, due to the additional equity from the possibility of the other guy folding. QQ is a much weaker hand than AA or KK. As you point out, he could easily have AK- so you are a coin flip for all of your chips on the first hand, which is not what you want.

You are, of course, absolutely right about the fact that so many inferior hands get involved at these levels. However, that should be an incentive for you only to get involved with premium hands, preferably those that dominate an opponent, early doors, precisely because there is so much madness.

Look at it this way: because these players are so poor, you, as a more intelligent player, will wait for them to knock each other out and, more importantly, for those spots when you know you are ahead. If you wait, these situations will come up, and you will be in a far better position to capitalise on their weakness then, rather than leaving it in the lap of the gods by calling for all your chips early doors.

if you would fold AA first hand in the WSOP you should definetely not play. KK easy fold but if your planning on folding AA preflop just save your money unless 10k means nothing to you and you just want aan experience and dont care that you will give yourself no chance to win or even make the money.
QQ is big enough to gamble with early in a sitngo. your likely to have the best of it and first out is the best place to be other than third or better(dont mean to imply that you should that is incorrect).
matty

Last night, at a $10 SNG, two morons went all in first hand on 4-3o and 8-5s. I had to laugh, thinking of this thread. One guy actually wrote, "I don't know why people sign up and never play a hand." He went out pretty quickly.

There was one guy who never played a hand. I thought he had signed up and clicked Sit Out. (There are people who do this, because, believe it or not, they'll make third about as often as most people who actually are playing.)

With five people left, he suddenly came alive. He blew the doors off every player left. I have his name written down, as I don't want to face this guy again.

Hello, first of all. First post here. I've been reading stuff at ThePokerForum and just recently found this one. Useful stuff here as well.

First, my response. No way I go all-in on hand one with TT. JJ, for some reason, maybe. QQ more likely...and probably do. KK and AA, every time in a $11 or $22 SnG.

I'm responding, though, because I'm currently in a tourney on Paradise ($22) where I just went all-in on hand one for the first time ever. I got AA in MP1, one caller before me. I raise up to 100 (starting with 1000 chips). Guy three to my left min raises. "Uh-oh. AA? KK? Wait, I've got AA. Woo hoo." Dealer calls the 190, I go all in, reraiser calls and dealer folds. He had AQc. I fully expected to get sucked out though, and he did have one club and one Queen on the flop. Nothing after that, though, and I doubled (plus about 200) on the first hand. Woo hoo.

Of course, we're just down to 7 and I've got 2130 chips (down about a hunny from that hand) and I'm only second stack to a guy with 3000 chips (who happened to suck out AA with 99...flush, no less, not even a set).

Anyway, hello. And I'll be seeing ya.

Well, got 2nd in said SnG. I chickened out when we were three handed. I had 1500 or so chips to a guy with 1700 and the other dude with 6800ish. They were both all-in before me in the BB with 55 and I folded (hoping to guarantee 2nd...like a girlyman). Chip leader had ATo and other shortstack had 22. 10-3-3 on flop, only to have a 5 hit the turn. Would have tripled up and had about 4500 to 5500 chips, but I played for second, and got it. Bad move? I was thinking I was up against three or four overs and very likely one overpair (big stack got that way with monster hands three way...which doesn't mean a lot, I know).

Anyway, 2nd place after my first all-in on first hand tourney ever.

I would have folded it as well. You are likely up against an overpair, but if not, many overs so that very few overcards are good for you. It just so happened this time, there was and underpair on only 2 overcards. A low PP is very bad in multiway pots so its a good fold. It wasn't playing for second, it was just playing smart.

I have tried this a few times and each time I have tried it, it has worked. If I get KK or AA in late position (or any position for that matter) and go all in when I get them the first hand of a SNG you would be suprised how many times you get a caller lol. I have only tried this in the 5 and 10 levels though.

Last week, either first or second hand, and I'm in late position and get A-A. Raises and reraises and two of us are all in. AA vs. KK. The third guy who folded had QQ. K comes on the flop and I'm done. Thought it unusual to see these three big pairs in the same hand, and so early.

Some of this has been brought up in other posts, but here's my take on it:

Since tournaments and SNGs are about survival, it is in general better to not put yourself in a position to get knocked out than to put yourself in favorable positions multiple times where there's a small possibility of getting knocked out.

Preflop, you have AA. There is one allin player and four callers on the first hand. If you call as well, what are your chances of surviving against 5 "random" hands? What are the chances that all 5 others won't hit something better than your hand? Sure if you win the hand, you'll have enough chips to dominate the rest of the field, but by folding you saved yourself the effort AND made it so that you couldn't get knocked out in those first few spots (thereby increasing your chances of making the money.

Just a thought.
/d