MTT Dilemma

[LolotheBunny]

One of the main strategies for a big stack to get bigger and bigger is to be VERY aggressive against the smaller guys. The table I played at seemed smart and good. It was a tight table but very aggressive. Mid-late tourney just before the bubble there were several hands like this:

An early caller maybe or so, I put in a raise from MP with AJo and get reraised all in by the big stacks and have to fold. This seemed like it was a very common strategy in that the big stacks would make the small stacks play for all their chips if they put in a raise at all.

How do you defend against this? Play even tighter and push or fold? I don't like pushing all in with Ajo at that point but I am starting to get to the point where I need to make a move or the blinds will eat me alive at about 15BB's left. Do I fold Ajo? Do I push Ajo? It seems like the answer might be push, but that is an awfully big raise and the only people that would call me dominate me while the blinds I win aren't completely huge yet.

[scgolfer]

I think your fold was correct giving your 15bb stack, that hand at best is a coin flip and just as likely dominated, so I look for a better chance later on, you still have the chips to be the aggressor not the caller. As well as your stack still gives any push folding equity.

[LolotheBunny]

This was pretty common practice for the big stacks at this table though and it had already happened to me a couple times as well as several other players around the table. Well, I don't mean that it was happening ALL the time, but it was common enough that the big stacks were definetly pushing us around, as they should. I can't just let them keep doing this or Ajo will be a definite long run loser in tourneys at tables like this. But I can't fold Ajo!!

What should I do similiarly with hands like Ajs, Aqo, Aqs. Also, is it agreed that A10s would just be a bad hand for me to play with at this point in the tourney at this table?

I'm really wondering what I should do because I have to be aggressive and start making a move, but playing these hands is costly. Do I fold these type of hands and instead make the raises with 10js where I am less likely to be dominated?

[chardrian]

Missing too much info. What KIND of raise were you putting in?

How much did the BBs have in comparison to you when they were pushing all-in?

Had anyone called a push so you could see what kind of hands they were pushing with?

If you made an agressive raise and got pushed, I think your fold was smart. I if you made a minimum raise (which a lot of people do at this point since the blinds are now "so big") then you are showing that your hand can be beat and of course you got pushed out.

Being aggressive as a big stack is smart but only if you can afford to take the hit if you are called and still be a big stack. Need more info to see what kind of play was really being made.

[DWDuck]

If the big stack pushes were becoming habitual, I'd be calling with AJo. They can't have premium hands for all these pushes, so I'd bee willing to gamble that I have odds on this. Sure, if you lose your out.... if you win though, you gain some respect and they avoid pushing back on you the next time.

The other solution is to do the pushing yourself. With AJo I'd be tempted. Put the decision on them, don't let them do that to you.

As other posters have pointed out, there is a lot of information missing here. How many people at this table? Size of raise? Frequency of pushing back?

I tend to be a little crazy, but I go with the AJo here.

Darkwing

[LolotheBunny]

Hrmmm, well I was more looking as some advice on general as to what to do in a situation like this rather than in a specific hand because it has been a problem for me, but I can definetly see how some more information would be important.

My and other's raises were not min raises. They were more like 3X BB pretty standard raises. Also, the big stacks weren't pushing back from the BB, more like there'd be a caller, I put out a standard raise from mid position, they push from one or two to the right of me, table folds. As regards to the size of the big stacks stack, they were huge.

[chardrian]

Well, in general, a big stack is not going to push a tight player who just made a standard 3x BB raise all-in unless he knows that the tight player is gonna fold more often than not. Because we are at bubble time it looks to me like the big stack(s?) knew that all you mediocre stacks were playing for ITM not too win and switched into high gear like they should.

I'm at a loss as to whether to recommend an all-in like Darkwing or a raise like 5x BB. Definitely you want to bet a little more than an average raise at this point in the tourney I think. Question is whether or not you want to risk it all. I switch between the two depending on my feel for the table/how much of a puss I'm feeling like that night.

[Bezique]

To your right, you mean they'd already called before they pushed?

If so then you want take them down cus they have marginal hands at best.

With 15 BB don't get worried, from a mid position - if the action is very agressive - then I'd be sorely tempted to fold outright, you are in no hurry to win a hand. You only need to start getting concerned when you've got 4 - 6 BBs left, pending circustances. The speed of the blinds will be very important towards this though.

If you feel like it's all in or nothing then wait for some decent pockets, or maybe an AK.