more on sng/dubble shootout strategy...

i received a question from one of my readers and fellow blogger about how to play back at monkey pushing aggros (like me! :P) late in a dubble-shootout.

here's the scenario:

"2 nights ago I was playing an $11.70 double shootout for 2 guaranteed Sunday Millions seats on Stars and in my first shorthanded table (of 4 players) I crushed it in about five minutes then proceeded to wait an hour (non turbo, doh!) for the final table to roll around."

(smokkee: BTW this is one of the biggest reasons why i hate non-turbo dubble-shootouts)

"Once it started, I played my usual aggressive conservative game until the blinds increased and we lost one or two players, I managed to chip up and by the time we reached the payout-bubble (2 seats, 2 cashes) I was 3rd in chips and very comfortable. The bubble bursts and we lose the last short stack and 3-handed we're all pretty even in chipstacks, then one guy catches a card against me and the other guy in two consecutive hands to get a 2:1:1 chip lead. "

"This is when it got crazy. "

"Chip-leader raises absolutely every hand preflop (Lucko ??). If he's on the button, he's raising 6bb (which at this stage was considerable), if he's in the sb, he's shoving, if he's in the bb (and I was sb), if I call, he shoves, if I raise, he shoves, so I was forced to laydown marginal hands and my raisable hands got reshoved and I was faced with several tough decisions. "

"His range is obviously ATC for the raise/shove, there's no way he's
hitting premiums every hand, we know this for a fact - hands that I
could have made a stand with:
- A5 suited
- J7 suited
- K9 offsuit

Do you reshove his raise or call his all-in with any of these hands on
the bubble?"

my response:

> That guy played his big stack perfectly on the bubble. He put
> tremendous pressure on the other two stacks to gamble or blind out
> waiting for a monster. Most players are not comfortable calling off
> their stack with marginal hands. I would have def called his push
> with A-5 suited.
>
> But, the real key is putting pressure on the other shorty when you
> have a big stack to contend with. If you're 1st to act or Big stack
> folds, you push (not raise) ATC into the other shorty if he's in the
> BB. Big stack is not gonna call your push with crap and as you said
> the other guy was a folding machine (Blinders??).
>
> My CALLING range against a crap pusher is:
>
> Any pocket pair 55 and above
> 89, 9T and JT suited
> Any two broadway cards
> and any Ace

comments/suggestions? -smokkee

just won my seat into Sunday's 100k on Bodog for $11
($109 buy-in)

edit: i just won a another $109 seat to the Bodog 100k thru their $4 rebuy

($8.40 net cost ) i luv Bodog