FT MTT hand

[Aces]

Live 54 person 100+10. Final table, eight left. Blinds very large in relation to stacks.

Me(UTG+1) 825, probably in 7th place
Avg Stack 1687
Blinds 100/200

UTG folds. I raise to 700 with A9 off(trying to feign strength, I'm ovbiously AI either way). The way the blinds are and people are playing, I probably could fold through another orbit and move up to 4th or 5th if I don't get any cards. I decide to play, I'm only dominated by TT-AA or AK-AT. Some of the A hands MIGHT fold. 99 not likely. Only seen one orbit or so, table leaning slightly tight, but hard to tell too much.

Do you push this hand or wait?

[Spook]

I push.

[Andy Holt]

The way the blinds are and people are playing, I probably could fold through another orbit and move up to 4th or 5th if I don't get any cards. I decide to play...

Whoa, whoa, whoa. They won't just knock each other out in the course of ONE ORBIT and watch you fold your way to victory with less than 1 BB, will they??? No, they'll be waiting for YOU to bust out!

It's all your stack or nothing here. Push or fold. But don't try to "feign strength" to get a blind steal or whatever, you want to double up here. You NEED to double up here. You have to push or fold. I would push.

[konahead]

push preflop

[Aces]

I agree. 700 was more or less a push. 77 goes AI over me and AK calls. The sevens win and he triples up.

I like this tourney but it's irritating to have the blinds so high at the FT. But that was my third 8th place in a row at this monthly tournament so at least I'm cashing.