You can't raise fold 9bb. Half the table is sitting out and you have a strong starting hand. Easy shove. Just a cooler.

Super standard shove here for 99, couldn't ask for a much better hand in this spot given our stack size.

Thanks gents!

I agree with everything you've said, didn't know if I'd made the best play with it though. Thanks for the feedback, it's helped a lot!

Guys I have had a serious deja vu encounter.

In a simlar freeroll tournament I had made the final table:




I had 13,557 in SB. Prior to this on quite an aggressive table, I had folded 66, A-7s, A-9 (after a complete from SB to me in BB and board coming 2 10 10 rainbow). Most of these players had been loose and spewy with marginal hands (22, Q7s, Rag Aces etc, all willing to call jams preflop light with this garbage) on previous tables.

Folded to me, I shoved with the 88 and BB calls with QQ. Out I go, once again.

Once again I have been ironically burned by the snowmen. And, yes, I realise that this is a similar spot to before but bear in mind that:

1) I had taken more notice of player's propensities. If I can get a call from A-X then I am a happy man.

2) I feel very unlucky that I had one player behind & he happened to have me crushed.

The blinds were going to start doing some serious damage to my stack if I hadn't taken a shot, is this the right mentality in this spot and after battling so many people to get to the final table?

What's the money situation here? Have the bubble burst or is there places to go until the money?

99% of the time the shove is fine, possibly only folding considerations if it's the money bubble with a couple of shorter stacks going through the blinds

Just unlucky to run into an overpair again.

Final table but bubble is at 4th- Top 3 are payed and only 9 players left.

Yeah, I guess. As I said, aggressive pool willing to call with A or even K-high preflop, sometimes not even suited.

You should shove much much wider then mid pockets in both these spots.

All these hands show higher profit shoving from SB then folding if there is antes 22+ Jx+ T2s+ T4o+ 92s+ 96o+ 83s+ 86o+ 73s+ 75o+ 63s+ 65o 53s+ 43s

Thanks Prostaker,

I'm a reasonably good tight player, most of the hands you have suggested I never would have considered shoving, particularly off-suit cards with a big gap like T4 or 96. I suppose if they are right for this situation then I will take it on board though. I hope to become solid enough that you will stake me in the future when I'm a high-roller and not a free-roller.

I just placed 2nd in a freeroll, got lucky a couple of times but apparently you need to get lucky to win a tournament. Final hand was A9 vs 33 preflop; no more luck for me and couldn't hit either of my cards. Thank you again to the three of you, I know you have only given me help for a fairly specific situation but I think I internalised your advice during this game and that's what helped me out!

Happy to hear man! Keep in grinding and learning

Well done man, keep it up

Completed another Freeroll & placed 2nd once again, the spot got me thinking of a question you guys might be able to help me with.

I suck at HU play, regardless of tournament or ring game setting, although my opponent was pretty weak-tight. I have looked at ICM and the "M" principle (can't remember it's name but it concerns the cost of each blind & ante total per orbit) and I think I was playing well. When we got to HU he had a chip lead of about double mine. I got up to almost matching him a few times but then I either went card dead or lost a pot here and there for about 30 mins. After some big rises and falls, I got down to about 50,000 chips, he had 150,000. The blinds were getting pretty big, about 6T, 12T, I think. Anyway, I shove A-3o and he calls me with T-8o, he catches an 8 and takes the victory.

Anyway, my question is how should I approach resources and information about HU play? Most of it seems tailored to cash game situations, I understand that there is a difference between tournament and cash game strategy but I am concerning myself with different thought processes than I might in a ring game.

Is it wise to just learn more about HU play generally and apply it or look for a specific article/coach/page regarding HU play in a final table scenario?

Thanks in advance, you beasts!