Is this a good move?

[nickthefool]

Final 3 of $5 SnG, i have 9k before posting sb of 300, bb has 8k and posts 600, button has 1k. I get dealt AK, button folds, i raise to 1800, bb calls, flop comes 7T5, i go all in, opps would have about 5k if he folds. Do you think this is a good move or not? I got the feeling he could have called with any 2 really and was hoping to hit flop.

Anyway he turns over 77, so obviously it is results orientated but it made me wonder if i made a good play at all here. I think he probably calls with a T, a 7, maybe a 5, possibly A high, and if he folds then i am in a good position to probably win, if he calls with one pair then i am roughly 1 in 4 to pretty much win the tournament (would have over 90% of the chips). But if i lose this then i come 3rd most of the time. As it turned out the other short stack went all in next hand and won, then i was in the hand after and lost to finish 3rd.

Basically the main things i was thinking i could have done differently :

Go all in preflop - doesn't get me a lot of chips if i win, but it''s better than losing, right? Also unless he has AA or KK i have a coinflip at worst if he calls, though he isn't calling this without a pair, AQ, AK i think, possibly AJ but unliklely (i went all in earlier with AQs when 3 handed and he called with AQo, he had roughly 2x my stack at that point though)

Make continuation bet (about 1200?) on the flop - but then do i fold if he goes all in, and what the hell do i do if he calls???

Any thoughts/comments appreciated.

[a500lbgorilla]

Just open pushing to buy a pot 3 handed is never a move I like with your stack.

"Go all in preflop -... but it's better than losing, right?" This is not the proper way to analyize your poker play. You have to seperate actions from results.

With that said. If your op only had 10bb (or a 6k stack) then pushing preflop is fine. Other fine lines are merely cont betting this flop. Fold to a push, shut down to a call unless you hit. I sometimes like to check/raise them AI HU with AK unpaired on low flops.

-'rilla

[nickthefool]

Thanks, good advice. One day i will learn to not make stupid plays

[gabe]

I sometimes like to check/raise them AI HU with AK unpaired on low flops.

why?

[a500lbgorilla]

I check when I feel they're capable of a bet without a pair. And I'm not completely dead to a call.

-'rilla

[vqc]

Raise preflop
Cont bet
if he flat calls, go into check/fold mode if u miss
if he pushes over, fold.

[TLR]

With the short stack of 1K you really want to bust him out first, I would not risk too much in this case against the other big stack

[nickthefool]

With the short stack of 1K you really want to bust him out first, I would not risk too much in this case against the other big stack

That's what i hoped he was thinking lol. But i can see this was a bad play by me and not bad by him. I just got carried away with aggression really and wasn't thinking straight.

[AHiltz]

I would be inclined to fold this preflop. 6/10 of the short stacks chips will be in the BB the very next hand. Get him the hell out of the way and go to work on the other guy.

[a500lbgorilla]

I would be inclined to fold this preflop. 6/10 of the short stacks chips will be in the BB the very next hand. Get him the hell out of the way and go to work on the other guy.

This is horrible for reasons that should be painfully obvious to yourself.

You can redeem yourself in the eyes of your Lord (me) if you can tell me how you have wronged me so.

-'rilla

[AHiltz]

That's just me. I love heads up and usually slaughter my opp. Not having solid figures in front of me, but I'd say somewhere in the 70-75% win rate hu. So, I'm not afraid to possibly miss out on a few chips and wait for the other guy to go away.
This is only an option since the small stack is either all-in next hand, or the hand after. If he had a bit more life I'd play the AK.

Oh, one more thing, Do You See Why?

[nickthefool]

So you are saying, 3 handed, you would fold AK from the sb?

[AHiltz]

So you are saying, 3 handed, you would fold AK from the sb?

I'm saying 3 handed, with the chip lead you've got, and the small stack about to die, I (as in me) would probably fold anything other than AA, KK, QQ. I'm not saying that this is the best option, but that's what I would do. I sure wouldn't be going all-in unless I caught a damned big piece of the flop.

[drmcboy]

I just threw up in my mouth.

[Staresy]

I would be pained to lay down AK on a full table, let alone 3 handed.

[nickthefool]

Same here. Preflop, unless there's more than one other person all in, at $5 tables, you are much more likely to come across AQ/AJ than AA/KK imo, and there's always the odd idiot who plays Axs or bluffs with any 2. Not so long ago i went all in with AK early in a STT and was called by 54o (he won incidentally by hitting his straight, but i recovered and won the tournament anyway). The more people that go out, the more chance someone will think you are bluffing and go all in with Ace high or K high, which is what you really want when holding AK.

[AHiltz]

As I said, this is VERY situation specific. That is the only time I would lay down AK 3 handed.

[Khabbi]

The best case scenario that I can see for myselft in this situation is that I loose my standard 3x pre-flop bet and a continuation bet before I got into check/fold mode.

I fold to a re-raise or any bet on the turn/river.

No way I can lay this down pre-flop, nor can I just let the pot go if I miss the flop.

[AHiltz]

This is how you look at it. You have 9k, next is 8k and small stack is 1k.

Say you play the AK. Well you're raising that shit, so you raise it to 1800 (3x BB). SB calls. You are now at 7200. So now the flop comes 7T5. You continue bet for 2000. He calls or goes all-in. So now you have to lay it down and you are at 5200 in chips. Damn near half of your stack prior to the hand. If he only calls on the flop you now might be thinking of trying to bet and take the hand on the turn. If you do that you've just risked most of the rest of your stack. Your chance at first place has deminished and your chances of coming in third would greatly increase.

Now look at it my way. You fold. You have 8700. Other guy has 8300. Small stack has 1000. There is a damned good chance that the small stack is gone next hand. Now you are heads up with practically 50/50 stack sizes.

Spit the barf out of your mouth and comment.

[drmcboy]

Well, if you know the flop and his hand ahead of time, it's a great fold, I'll give you that.

In the real world, you raise AK three handed because it's likely the best hand. Most of the time opp will fold. Most of the time he calls opps are not going to hit a set on you, and your continue bet wins the pot. Or he calls with AQ/KQ and goes broke when you both hit top pair.

You talk about getting HU with close to even stacks, but if SS stays around for a bit, both he and other tall stack are going to eat your lunch if you're folding everything but AA, KK and QQ.

[storm75m]

Well, if you know the flop and his hand ahead of time, it's a great fold, I'll give you that.

In the real world, you raise AK three handed because it's likely the best hand. Most of the time opp will fold. Most of the time he calls opps are not going to hit a set on you, and your continue bet wins the pot. Or he calls with AQ/KQ and goes broke when you both hit top pair.

You talk about getting HU with close to even stacks, but if SS stays around for a bit, both he and other tall stack are going to eat your lunch if you're folding everything but AA, KK and QQ.

Nice reply...
Quoted For Truth

[AHiltz]

You talk about getting HU with close to even stacks, but if SS stays around for a bit, both he and other tall stack are going to eat your lunch if you're folding everything but AA, KK and QQ.

Reread what I said. I would only be folding that hand and attacking him while he is in the BB.