What to do?

[sykotik489]

You are down to the final three at a live tournament. Started with 30 players and 1500 in chips. You were the massive short stack (about 15k 15k 5k) when 3 way started but recently took a nice pot to put you in second. The big stack remaining pushes all in with you in the BB.

You look at AKo. So the question is: do you risk going out 3rd for a shot at the chip lead and a probable win? By the way you are fairly positive that the big stack is pushing with a medium pair.

payouts:

1st 550

2nd 340

3rd 250 (the top 5 paid)

[Fnord]

How much blind money is in the pot? The prize structure if flat enough that I don't see how you can pass up on a good overlay. Finally, the big stacks range of hands he MUST include worse Aces. We might even have an edge over his range.

[sykotik489]

theres the small blind 500 plus your big blind 1000.

I don't see the chip leader risking it with AQ or AJ at this point he has second covered almost 2:1. and the short stack by almost 10:1.

[ilikeaces86]

Man up and push your chips in the middle. You not sure he has a middle pair when makes that push. You could likely have him dominated.

[arkana]

Theres only 2 hands you are afraid of. If you feel you can outplay them without gambling you might consider laying this down but otherwise Id call. Unless the short stack player is really close to busting out then I dont think its worth it.

[boost]

I go for it, the payout is flat enough.

[aleksandr]

Edit - still call that crap fool, but why is he pushing here? I think it's just poor play, and also, I think he's looking for a call from someone who thinks he's bluffing, and not folds, unless he's trying to adjust his table image.

A fold here isn't devastating. If you think you can win this with the big stack, then you're probably 2:1 to triple or quadruple your payout. And given all that I put him on AQ or AK, as I think he'd play QQ KK AA slower than that, he wouldn't pull this with mid PPs either unless, and he might pull this with absolute junk, KQ, or AJ, depending on his style. I say you're a big winner out of this play over time.

[ensign_lee]

I'm going to assume folding would still allow you to stay second within a good margin. YOu never mentioned stack sizes in relation to the blinds or anything.

Fold that shit. Wait 'till later. Steal some blinds back. everything will be allright.

[drmcboy]

call

[Grand_MasterB]

i say call. at worst you are a coinflip and at best you have him dominated.

[sykotik489]

Everyone seems to be in agreement to call. I could have stayed second easily but with the structure the way it was I wasnt crying about winning 270 either so I called. "play to win" as it were.

He had 88 flop nothing turn nothing river....my A.

two hands later I took him out when he had KQs all in preflop vs my 99. 9 hit on the turn.

and two hands after that I won the tourney with K8d by flopping the nut flush.

The last hand was my only mis play as the pusher had A 9. He almost runner runnered me as well. Flop A Q rag turn Q but the river was a 4 so I dodged the bad beat forum. Though I most likely would have won the tourney anyway as I had him outstacked almost 20-1 before that last hand.