Archive Pick: Garbage hand on the final table bubble - PokerStars Sunday Million

This quiz is taken from our archives and originally appeared on 12/17/07. To view the original quiz, along with comments and poll results, click here

What we said then… If you had some more chips to threaten the BB with, this would probably be a pretty easy shove. As it stands, however, you can only make him call 1.7 more to win 2.5 total, so you’re going to be offering him about 1.5-1. He knows that you’re probably making this shove with just about any two cards, so with a decent price and that knowledge, he’s likely to be calling with a pretty broad range. I’d estimate that you’ll generally be getting called about 35% of the time here.

The good news is that you have live cards against a good chunk of that range, and he’s got enough shorter stacks at this table alone that he might be able to see folding to the final table as a possibility and tighten up his range accordingly. The fact that he might fold a little more often than he should in this position combined with the aggression of your table, which means you might not get another chance to open until you’re UTG, makes me want to go ahead and make a play with this hand, garbage or no.

What actually happened: In the actual hand, zoioo had J2o and shoved. Rover10 called with KJo and won the pot.

92 fold. You have at least another orbit to find an ace or pair. J2.. fold still.

Why put different details in?

I am superstitous, I fold.

I just hate those hands with a deuce in them, would shove 97o in a giffy.
Donkish, I know. With the very aggressive table, shoving any two migth be the way to go. I just cant make myself do it. Anyway, with a little luck, one of the other shorties is going to bust this orbit, so you will turn full ring. Unless, eeeh, this is stars, 9-handed rigth? More favoring the shove. I am a chicken.

Tough decision…the mathematically correct should probably be to shove as our fold equity is not that bad…but going out with 92o (or J2o) is just too bad…

yep 97, 65 sooted.. etc 92 and j2 are just too rubblish.

I’m raising at least one bb in this position with any two cards. If I raise, it costs me 450k to win 1 million. At this rate, I only need to win 1/2 the time to make money at this play.

Now that I’ve read the comments, no way I shove, We still have three orbits left and a stack sufficient to cripple any of the players except the biggest stacks. I’d save this play for better cards.

6 handed on the bubble… To me it doesn’t matter what cards you are holding. Everyone has folded to you so six handed against the BB you have to make a play here. With the size of his stack verse yours raising one BB isn’t enough. The pot size alone with increase your stack enough to extend life past 3 other players if you’re careful. With a trash hand like that you push all in and make it as hard as possible for him to call you with anything else but the nuts. Worse case scenario he does call you and you know for sure you have 2 live cards.

My rule: “Never go broke with an upaired, unsuited deuce in your hand”

92 is in literally the bottm 20% of all hands in poker. A2 on the other hand, I’d definitely push (as an exception to my deuce rule). There’s no reason to push now due to the fact you do have a few more orbits in you AND folding now will make the observant players (hopefully everyone at this point) realize you’re not gonna push with just any hand.

I am shoving any two cards here.. sure I’d wish I had a bit more chips - I agree with staff that any BB who has made it that far in Sunday Million is going to call us down with a wide range of hands, but that range is going to be even wider next orbit and given the aggressive table it is likely that we will likely be calling rather than shoving for our tournament life.

The point of likely having two live cards against the BB’s calling range is also a good one - even against KJo we’re only 1:2 dog. That plus some folding equity justifies a push for me here rather than calling all in with a ragged ace or KT few hands down the road.

There are three other short stacks at this table, no need to get stupid. If you don’t get dealt anything it’s probably better to try and fold your way to 9th (then start pushing with everything).

No need to bust with 92. You’ll pobably get called. You’ll probably get beat. Not enough fold equity here.

I fold 9 2 here. Someone said that if we shove we know we have two live cards, however if you look at the actual situation where the player had J 2, they got called and were dominated, I think shoving J 2 is even worse than 9 2, because his calling range includes alot more jacks than it does nines.