What would you do?

[chardrian]

I'm at work so I can't get my hand history, but the hand was...

$30 rebuy/add-on. Blinds are 15/30.

I was in early position with AhAc. UTG limped in. I raise to 120. Button, SB, BB, and UTG call. Flop comes QsKsKd. UTG checks - and now fans, it's time for you make the call. What would you do here?

[DWDuck]

You said UTG checks... I imagine SB and BB checked too....

I'd push.... then again, I play R&As with the intention of R-ing if I need to. In an R&A somebody will call your all-in with any Q, so you're just hoping that nobody has the K. Heck, in an R&A somebody might call you with a lower pocket pair or a gutshot straight draw.

But if I put myself in your shoes (not wanting to rebuy)... I put out a 1/2 pot bet. If I get called or reraised, then I back off.

Darkwing

[chardrian]

I didn't like the flop one bit 5 way. I checked, button goes all-in (over 3,000 chips) with 600 in the pot. Everyone folds to me. What do you do?

Before telling you what I did - I gotta say I agonized over this. The all-in bet was just so dumb. The button is either he's retarded with a Q or maybe a draw, or he's retarded with the K and not trying to suck $ out. He has proven to be one of the screw it I'll rebuy and make the table "chip rich" players once already when he CALLED an all-in with 77 on a board that had 9TJA. He also went all-in with JK on a board that had 37J and someone with 5J called him.

[gabe]

I just push preflop because I would have a crazy image and anyone with any half decent hand would call me. But I think we play different

[chardrian]

I actually like to make some money with AA - didn't want everyone to fold. It was still too early for me to realize that this option might have been the best one at this table. So far (in less than 15 hands) the table had had only 3 max in a hand that was raised 4X BB. That's what I was looking for.

[gabe]

If you had a crazy image and pushed with AA, most likely, everyone wouldn't fold. That's what I said.

[chardrian]

I get what you are saying. Too early for me to have a "crazy image" sorry.

[DWDuck]

This just comes down to the "how do you play an R&A" tourny again. In an R&A, I push with this every day. In a freezeout I play it differently. In a freezeout however, I'm betting this wouldn't be a 5-way pot, so you'd likely be able to put out a cheaper continuation bet. Your opponents probably have Q8s, T9o, A4s and 33 for all you know. You're asking us to tell you "what would we do?" in an R&A when you're trying to play it like a freezeout. Unfortunately nobody else on your table is playing it like a freezeout. That adds a lot of complication. In a regular tournament, button probably has something. Here? He MAY have a Q. I'm betting he doesn't have a K, otherwise he would slowplay it and hope somebody pushes on a later street. I call here. Then again... I play it like an R&A, not a freezeout.

Darkwing

[chardrian]

I agree. Long story short. I folded my AA with 1200 chips left but I was very very close to calling and then rebuying for 3,000 chips to take these suckers out. Anyways, I doubled up soon enough. Kept clawing my way up. Eventually got to about 85th (they were paying 90 out of over 800 entries). Got stuck (it became a game of push or fold and people in front of me kept pushing when I had no cards to back it up). Got down to like 110 out of around 130 and finally everyone folded to me on the button with A6 so I pushed, got called by SB (big stack) with AT and there she went out in 128.

Just adding more fuel to the see you shoulda rebought and added on theory, I know I know. But I'm considering this to be a valuable experiment. I'll keep posting results.

[allLiving]

Pushing on the flop almost always gets a caller by only someone who has you beat. You gotta go AI preflop here, or accept the fact that you have to fold here, unles you wanna gamble and rebuy

[ZenOffsuit]

Call, no question. THis is an odd bet for someone with a K in his hand....maybe that is his intention....either way, get all your money in and if you bust...REBUY!!

[SnoT_III]

The only way I could see him making that bet is with a powerful draw. He has the chance of taking down the pot right there, and if he doesn't he still has some outs to save his ass if someone has the king. However, there is no telling how some people play it, but if you didn't have to rebuy and still got far in the tourny then I would try and evaluate what happened at the end of the tourny.
Would those extra chips have helped you see a few more orbits and finish a lot higher than you did? I don't really play in big tournies so I don't know how much this would have changed where you finished, but maybe calling and then re-buyinh if you were beat would be a smart move.

[gabe]

playing scared in the rebuy hour is not profitable

[chardrian]

playing scared in the rebuy hour is not profitable

I agree. Playing stupid (I know you think my not rebuying is stupid, but let's move beyond that) at any hour isn't profitable either.

However, because it was so early - I think this guy really was a table chip rich theory guy who was more than willing to lose 3,000 (for the 2nd time) in order to bring 3,000 more to the table. I shoulda called. Had never played him before so I wasn't sure if he was just a dumbass or would actually tighten up after the first hour.