This is a very instructive microstakes hand. It touches on something you’ll see constantly at $0.05/$0.10: wild preflop shoves from short stacks. Let’s walk through it like a coach would.
As usual, feel free to watch the action as it unfolded.
Hand Summary
Blinds: $0.05 / $0.10
Hero: VoightKampf ($9.85)
Villain: SB ($3.71)
Preflop
Hero: A♦Q♠ (exact suits unknown)
1. Under the Gun Folds
2. Hijack Folds
3. Hero in the Cutoff raises to $0.50 (5bb) from early/middle position.
4. Button folds to SB.
5. Small blind who has just sat down at the table and is small stacked with 37 Big Blinds shoves for $3.71.
6. BB folds.
7. After a good think, Hero calls $3.21 more.
8. SB turns over 8♠ and A♦
Board
Flop: A♥ 6♣ 3♣
Turn: K♠
River: T♣
Result
Hero wins $7.57 with pair of Aces vs 88.
Step-by-Step Coaching Analysis
1. Preflop Open — Excellent
You opened to 5bb.
At microstakes this is perfectly reasonable, especially when:
- Players limp a lot
- Players call too wide
- Tables are loose
Your open accomplishes two things:
- Builds the pot with a strong hand
- Punishes limpers
Nothing to change here.
2. The Small Blind Jam — What Does It Mean?
Villain has $3.71 (≈37bb) and jams.
At these stakes this shove usually means one of three things:
Typical Microstakes Jam Range
Value
- 99+
- AQ+
- AJ
Panic / Tilt / Short stack
- 22–88
- AT
- KQ
- random suited hands
Players with 30–40bb stacks shove way too wide.
88 is a very common shove.
3. Your Decision — The Key Spot
You must call $3.21.
Pot before your call:
- Your raise: $0.50
- SB shove: $3.71
- blinds: $0.15
Pot = $4.36
Call $3.21 to win $7.57
Pot odds ≈ 2.35 : 1
You need ~30% equity.
4. Your Equity vs Likely Range
Against a reasonable jam range:
AQ vs (77+, AJ+, KQ)
You have about 45–48% equity.
Against a looser microstakes shove:
AQ vs (22+, AT+, KQ)
You have ~55% equity.
So the call is clearly profitable.
✔ Correct call
5. Why AQ is Strong Here
Key concept for your improvement plan:
Short-stack jams = call wider
Because:
- Their range is wider
- Dead money from blinds + your raise
- You have position
- Your hand dominates many holdings
AQ crushes hands like:
- AJ
- AT
- KQ
- KJ
And flips with many pairs.
6. Flop Result
Flop: A-6-3
You spike top pair and the hand is basically over.
Villain needed:
- an 8
- runner-runner miracles
You were ~90%+ favorite on the flop.
7. What You Did Well
✔ Good open sizing
5bb is great for microstakes.
✔ Took time before calling
You used More time — good discipline.
✔ Correct call mathematically
AQ is well ahead of many shove ranges.
✔ No fear of the all-in
Many improving players overfold here.
You didn’t.
8. One Strategic Note for Future Hands
Against 40bb shoves, you should generally call with:
Always Call
- TT+
- AQ+
- AK
Often Call
- 88–99
- AJ
- KQs
Usually Fold
- AT
- KQ offsuit
- small pairs
AQ is comfortably in the call zone.
9. The Most Important Lesson
This hand shows a key truth about microstakes:
You make money by calling bad shoves correctly.
Players will constantly jam:
- small pairs
- dominated aces
- random suited junk
Your job is simply:
Call correctly and let math work.
Over time this is huge EV.
Final Coach Verdict
| Street | Grade | Comment |
| Preflop open | A | Perfect |
| Facing shove | A | Easy profitable call |
| Postflop | A | Nothing to do |
Overall: A
You played this exactly right.