Do you call?

Here is a scenario I had to take quite awhile to decide on. I want to know what you would do? The only info I had on this guy is that he would raise preflop every now and then and the same player would always reraise and he would fold. I kept thinking the player knew something that I didn't, as if he had notes on him.

PokerStars Game #17182075076: Tournament #87071806, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2008/05/03 - 20:12:07 (ET)
Table '87071806 6' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 2: offsuitstan (6790 in chips)
Seat 3: JDEnglund (12255 in chips)
Seat 4: muckem06 (7937 in chips)
Seat 5: CHARLI BUKET (6702 in chips)
Seat 6: bigkanga (3691 in chips)
Seat 7: 2LegitToQuit (7275 in chips)
Seat 8: CardLovinCat (8700 in chips)
Seat 9: Tibbs Ribbs (3015 in chips)
bigkanga: posts small blind 100
2LegitToQuit: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CardLovinCat [8c As]
CardLovinCat: calls 200
Tibbs Ribbs: calls 200
offsuitstan: folds
JDEnglund: calls 200
muckem06: folds
CHARLI BUKET: folds
bigkanga: folds
2LegitToQuit: checks
*** FLOP *** [2c 2d 4s]
2LegitToQuit: checks
CardLovinCat: checks
Tibbs Ribbs: bets 400
JDEnglund: folds
2LegitToQuit: folds
CardLovinCat: calls 400
*** TURN *** [2c 2d 4s] [Td]
CardLovinCat: bets 600
Tibbs Ribbs: raises 1815 to 2415 and is all-in
----------?---------------

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Based on instinct i put him on a low pocket pair like 5s and I get out of the hand but I wouldnt criticize a call here as it wouldnt take 2 much more but if I were in this situation ace high just isnt good enough for me to call...

Your problem in this hand is easy, easy to figure out. You had absolultely no reason to limp .This hand was a fold pre-flop. The trouble you got in after is solely due to even being in this hand.

I think your behind here and should fold. He bet out into a multi-way pot on the flop, and showed that it wasn't a steal by re-raising your bet on the turn.

In regards to Rocket's post, I agree 100%. In a full 9-10 handed table, I fold AJo and KQs UTG (In most cases, obviously some situations and some table types may change this, e.g. a very passive table may allow raising or calling from early with those hands)....A8o is an insta-fold UTG though...i play it from LP if blinds are worth stealing, apart from that it's trash.

You have a nice chipstack no need to get crazy n this hand why for what? Ok so you made a play at a pot that you were stuck in and your oppenent reraises you allin. Well your read was off or maybe it wasn't but at that point you just have release. If you were bluffed then fine they deserve it with that move, but to call here is just crazy.

I see it is unanimous, so I'm feeling like I may have made a bad call. This was my reasons for calling.

1. His pattern of raising with nothing
2. I felt he took a stab at the pot after the flop. He didn't have the 2 because he wouldn't have bet a rainbow flop
3. He didn't raise preflop which he often did so I didn't put him on anything significant in his hand
4. I had 3 times his chip stack so I would be hurt but not short stacked by calling
5. His bet was too big (weak is strong/strong is weak)
6. If my read was right he would be out of the game and I will have a nice increase to my chip stack

I was worried about him having the 10 which was my biggest concern. I used up a lot of my extra time making this decision.

As far as me being in there with A 8 off, I was fine with that. After playing an hour or so with the same players it wasn't a bad idea to be in there with a mediocre hand since they were playing rather tight and so was I. You have to mix it up a bit and that was what I was doing. Any raise I would have folded without hesitation.

Anyways, it turns out my read was spot on. He had nothing.

CardLovinCat: calls 1815
*** RIVER *** [2c 2d 4s Td] [7d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
CardLovinCat: shows [8c As] (a pair of Deuces)
Tibbs Ribbs: shows [Qh 9h] (a pair of Deuces - lower kicker)
Tibbs Ribbs said, "sick call"
Tibbs Ribbs said, "nh"
CardLovinCat collected 6530 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 6530 | Rake 0
Board [2c 2d 4s Td 7d]
Seat 2: offsuitstan folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: JDEnglund folded on the Flop
Seat 4: muckem06 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: CHARLI BUKET (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: bigkanga (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: 2LegitToQuit (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: CardLovinCat showed [8c As] and won (6530) with a pair of Deuces
Seat 9: Tibbs Ribbs showed [Qh 9h] and lost with a pair of Deuces

__________________
Real poker players don't cry....

The FLOP determines how good your hole cards are!!

visit me at http://www.myspace.com/tzucanow

You're read was correct and it was a profitable play. So who can say you were wrong
Like others have said the limp utg isn't an optimum play.

Also, If I'd reached the turn in this hand, felt my opponent was weak and wanted to take a stab at the pot, I think I'd bet more.
The 600 bet I don't think achieves anything and in many cases just pumps-up the pot for the opponent should he hit something or choose to bluff.
If I felt opponent had nothing, then maybe something in the range of 850-1000 might take the pot (or force a mistake)

On the whole though, I think you're comfortably stacked and have no need to get involved in the hand.

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This is where you so miss the point. A8x is not a mediocre hand it is an easily DOMINATED hand. You want to play 56s J9s or something upfront as a play ok. Playing A8x upfront is just a plain bad poker decision regardless of the result. Now if you want to raise with A8x, I wouldn't, then I can see merit in that play but not limping with it. That is a sure way to lose chips over time in a tournament.

..perhaps this situation would demonstrate rocket's point better:

The hand above happens, you make the all-in call...You are right, villain didn't hit the board...but he does have you kicked. He shows AJ, and you drop to 5685 chips - you still have a decent amount, but there's a big difference between 5685 and 8700.

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