Poker Tip Howard Lederer
Poker Lesson #55
Bad Position, Decent Cards
Howard Lederer
April 3, 2006
In the middle and later stages of tournaments, there are often times when
you're forced to make a pretty big commitment on a relatively weak
holding. These are uncomfortable spots because you never want to risk a
large percentage of your chips with a mediocre hand. Things get even
more difficult when you're playing from the blinds and out of position.
For example, say you're playing late in a tournament. The blinds are $500
and $1,000, and there's a $100 ante. You're in the small blind with
$18,000. It's folded around to the button, an aggressive player who raises
frequently in late position. He has $30,000 in his stack and he raises to
$3,500. You look at your cards and see Ad-9s.
You know that A-9 isn't a great hand, but you can't ignore it in this
situation. First off, given your opponent's history, he may very well be
raising with a hand that is far worse than yours. In fact, in this spot, he
could very well have two rags. Another consideration is that there are a lot
of chips in play. Between the blinds, antes, and your opponent's raise, you
stand to pick up over $5,000 in chips if you can take down this pot, which
would be a nice addition to your short stack.
So, you're probably going to want to play this hand. But what's the best
action?
Find out by reading the complete Poker Pro Tip by Howard Lederer.
