Idiots

My reasoning behind playing 53o in that situation is because it is extremely easy to get away from post-flop. Let's say you play something like J2 off, simply to try and flop a monster or outplay your opponent. Flop comes J83, what do you do here? It's hard to determine whether or not your opponent has you beat, as a continuation bet would likely come from someone holding AK/AQ as well, maybe even TT/99. When the flop comes JJ5, you think you're ahead, but you don't know that your opponent has AJ. With a hand such as 53, on the flop of 558, you will generally be ahead, as it's unlikely your opponent raised with A5 - it's possible, but more likely that they will hold a stronger ace. I would be more concerned about my opponent holding 88 in this situation, personally. When you flop a straight, it most likely won't be seen, so you can go ahead and bet it, and expect to get raised.

The fact is, if you play a hand with 53o, you most likely know exactly where you are in the hand on the flop, whereas if you take a hand such as Jx/Qx, you really don't, and that's my reasoning - not the 5.3% entirely, its 5.3% coupled with the cards. Worst case scenario, you lose 80 chips. I know we always talk about how you want every chip you can get for those double up opportunities, but I rarely see double up opportunities early on in a tourney, it's not until the blinds get to 25/50 or higher that that idea becomes plausible - and by that point, 80 is not 4 blinds, but 1.6. Yes, double up a couple times and it becomes a decent amount, but are you really going to say you expect to double up a couple hands in a row without wasting a couple blinds on your JTs you limped with, but missed the flop? Hmm..might as well touch upon the subject while I'm there:

JTs is a great hand in that it holds a lot of potential. Flop 2 high cards and you have a straight draw, you have that 3% added chance of hitting a flush, etc. However, it's hard to get paid off with a hand such as JT, as if you hit a flop hard, it's very difficult to get paid off. Hit a straight? Awesome - but no one will call any raises, unless they end up holding a set - in which case, they hold 10 outs on the turn - a solid 22% chance of cracking your broadway. Hold a flush, same scenario - only here there's also a chance you don't have the best hand, and could be setting yourself up to lose a lot of chips. To bring it back to the point of my post, 35o does not hold that vulnerability. Holding trips with 35o after facing a raise is almost always the best hand, and you will almost always get paid off good. Same thing goes for when you hit the straight - even if you merely limp with 35o, or heck - it's a big blind special - can anyone here deny getting paid off big time when they flopped a monster with 35? If you didn't it's because you didn't play the hand well, or no one caught at any point in time. Can anyone here say they've lost huge pots holding 35o, from when they were forced in from the big blind? I highly doubt that, unless they were caught bluffing. Hands of "higher" value, such as JTs, KQs, etc - it is very easy to lose big pots with these hands, and I'm sure everyone here has.

In summary: While it's not smart to push all in with 35o (although if you do, you are most likely 60:40 or 70:30, not terrible odds), it is smart to occasionally call raises with the hand, as implied odds are very high, and there's always the chance you can outplay your opponent.

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1st place, March/April 2008 Sunday League

Fault always lies in the same place, my fine babies: with him weak enough to lay blame.