End of Day 2 itm of 1500 DC 6m and I'm short. Tough field imo; at least 95% of the players left are either pros or actors and I'm neither. 3-4 more players need to be eliminated for me to ladder up (next pay jump is worth like 1k-1200). Laddering up is not a major concern, though I don't hate money and I'm not rich.

I feel most comfortable playing draw games and LHE but have recently been moved to a table that is calling OE, almost exclusively. I won't have a chance to call a game for another 3-4 rounds.

I started the hand w 5 small bets and have 4.5 small bets left after posting the SB. Mike Leah is BTN and Lisandro is BB. Leah has plenty of chips and Lisandro has about avg stack I'd guess. I don't know much about their LO8 games. Prob doesn't matter for this hand.

Hero dealt A2(35) and Leah opens. I think for 2 seconds and 3b. Lisandro folds and I pretty much announce I'm trying to get it in. Leah obliges and doesn't look unhappy to grant my wish. He 4b and I go all in (5 bet cap).

If I cc pre I will have 3 small bets going to the flop. A2(35) strikes me as a hand that is easy to play postflop; a fit or fold hand that should be easy to discern which, once I see the board. I could also get to play 4 free hands after this one if I cc pre and flop.

At first glance, seems really nitty to second-guess my play. But I'm wondering if the hand provides such an easy fit or fold postflop scenario that I could get away from a small number of flops and happily gii on most? If it's a low card flop, or LLH, I'm happy for the BB to defend. I have 3 small bets left if I whiff and fold flop; what do I have to lose by cc and letting BB in? 3b/gii pre ainec? Or any merit to cc? Would anyone take a different line if this were a cg?

I don't think much about tourney stuff. Some really great players are adept at cash and tourneys. They take quite non-standard lines in tourneys, where there are more factors at play. This might not be one of those times, but I'd like to try and figure it out if possible thx

To me, this is a really clear spot to just call. There's no reason to go broke if it comes all high.

Seems close, I think raising is probably right because cleaning up outs when the blind folds improves equity and we are still happy if he does not fold


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I think I like flat-calling here more than in the A2(79) hand that's been getting so much discussion, for several reasons:

1st, your position:
- You will always be out of position, so a 3-bet wouldn't give you as much control over the action on later streets
- Since you are one of the blinds, you only have one other blind to worry about potentially letting in cheaply
- Because you are in the SB already, you get a discount on the flat call (probably a small consideration; you also get a discount on the 3-bet, though it is smaller in proportion to the bet)

2nd, your hand. These sort of hands are surprisingly mediocre run hot-and-cold heads-up. But your equity in this hand is very nuttish. You are both much more likely to make the nut low and the nut high (wheel) than the A2(79) hand. That other hand has middling hangers, poor low back-up, and a middle flush draw, and will thus often make marginal hands both ways which are likely to escape for half heads-up, but get scooped multiway.

Since A2(35) is more likely to make the nuts one or both ways, it doesn't lose nearly as much equity from allowing a multiway pot. And it has better implied odds.
(Probably the biggest benefit you get from a BB fold would potentially be folding out a junky but still higher flush draw.)

Third, your stack size. It's much smaller here; under no scenario can you reasonably expect to see the hand to completion without getting all-in, whether the pot is 3-way or heads up. So getting control of the pot size on later streets through a 3-bet doesn't do you much good.

It is true that you could fold if the flop is all high cards. But this doesn't happen that often. I think you are going with hand most of the time, even when only one low card flops. So if you do flat call, it shouldn't be in anticipation of folding a bad flop, it should be because you actually want a third player in the pot.

So I'd lean toward a call, though it's pretty close.

Clear flat spot imo looking mostly to lead/gii on 2 low card flops.

Funny enough I was also thinking I like a cold call better here too. With A2(35) the FD does benefit from thinning the field, whereas (A5)23 the above argument is even stronger.

Also, while we shouldn't overrate ICM or be scared of busting out, there are two reasons it's more relevant here. One, as you said, was the shorter stack here. The other is that we're already in the money and a few additional bustouts will move us up the chart. That said I still think it's only a marginal consideration; we're a long way away from the final couple of tables where chip-to-$ equity distortion is huge.

And finally, the flop distribution (mostly a PLO concept) has a different shape; this hand more than the other one can play a game oriented toward either hitting or missing the flop. If it misses entirely (two or three high cards) then it doesn't have much value. Everything I said about junky two pair there is true here, but junky two pair on this hand is a low draw that nailed the flop. There aren't many flops analogous to Q93 one diamond on the other one, enough to hang around but not enough to be excited about. I guess that's just restating what Nick said.

So I don't hate knocking out the BB and I don't hate flat calling either. Much closer decision than the A2(97) hand IMO.

In a cash game, I'm flat calling preflop and I'm not chasing a backdoor low draw if the flop comes HHL (except maybe if the low is exactly a 4 and there's also a card in my suit).

If the opener has an Ace or any pair in his hand, he's ahead of you for high unless he has exactly A234. So even if the low gets there, chances are you're chopping this pot with him—in which case you want the BB calling all the way. Moreover, your best chance to scoop with this hand is to make a wheel, but in that scenario you also want the BB calling all the way.

And I'm never announcing my intention to go all in when I still have a few small bets left; that allows my opponent to optimize his decisions against me.

Compared to A279s situation, I think this is a clearer 3b in a cash game. The button is a lot wider than the CO and our hand realizes its equity better because of its coordination despite having some smaller cards that contribute less raw equity than the 7 and 9.

But in this tournament situation, I think calling has a lot of merit. Those "free" hands could be influential and nudge you from a raise to a call. And this hand is still has that "prefers bigger fields" quality from the PPT rankings that A279s has.

I wonder how well you can theoretically capitalize on the ICM implications presented by this spot. Can you know the situations of those 3-4 shorties in a multi-table setting and account for that hand-to-hand? Clearly a lot easier online. IDK what kind of info is available in this setting as I don't play tournaments (lol donkaments). Thanks for the OP as its a chance to noodle over things but don't beat yourself up too much.