nice stack with AK ($5.50, 2 tables)

[donkbee]

"Final table", not a ton for reads other than that bmw wasn't the tightest player alive. No read for jdubb. Is this a clear push? How about a call?

PokerStars Game #3519060517: Tournament #17457863, Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2006/01/03 - 03:15:13 (ET)
Table '17457863 2' Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: bmw_mseries (1728 in chips)
Seat 2: jdubbz2009 (3635 in chips)
Seat 3: courtiebee (6750 in chips)
Seat 5: Tokuntiki (2962 in chips)
Seat 6: badandy519 (1250 in chips)
Seat 7: kid_nice_33 (3220 in chips)
Seat 8: clamor32 (1405 in chips)
Seat 9: BULLCRAPBOY (6050 in chips)
clamor32: posts small blind 50
BULLCRAPBOY: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to courtiebee [Ks Ah]
bmw_mseries: raises 200 to 300
jdubbz2009: calls 300
courtiebee:

[vqc]

this is not a clear push, if its a push at all.

[Blinky]

You have a stack of 67BB and an excellent starting hand.

Reraise to isolate if you're feeling frisky, or at least call. See a flop. Then lay down Courtiepwnage (tm).

[lowBoy]

I'd maybe call, most likely put in a raise to 1000-1200, be wary of the two big stacks calling/raising.

[donkbee]

Then lay down Courtiepwnage (tm).

lol!

[GatorJH]

My thought process here is as follows:

At this point in the tourney all of the players should be. at least, decent players.

You are up against an early raiser and caller so presumably they both have good hands.

Any raise may entice BMW to shove all of his chips in as he is down there with the short stacks and should be looking for a chance to double up.

You have a great chip stack, so you don't need to go looking for fights with multiple players where the chances of a suckout increase.

With all of the above I would call the pre-flop bet (and fold if anyone behind me re-raises) and then play the hand accordingly at the flop.

[drmcboy]

I like a raise to 1k here, calling bmw push, folding if Jdubbz pushes. Jubbz most likely does not want to gambool with you and bmw will not like having him in there if he is looking at somehting like 88.

I don't hate a call but you must play if you flop TP.

[Toad13]

courtiebee we need to hook-up on a 5.50 table

[fade177]

That blur tool hurts my eyes and makes them do funny things....

Anyways, I go for a reraise here and hike it up to at least 1K, show that chip. With three people in the hand, yes there's a big pot at stake, but most players will back out to allow everyone else to scrap it out. Also, you will probably get a push from bmw which I would call, His push after your reraise should shove jdubbs out, assuming he has anything less than JJ here. When Bmw is all in, the pot is then @ 4K, and u've only invested 1750 in your getting better than 2 to 1 on ur money with AK when ur probably no worse than a coinflip with a chance to become a dominant chip leader at these blind levels and knock one more person out of the tourney. If you lose, you still have 5025 in chips and still have plenty of ammo....

[konahead]

You really don't want a bunch of players in this hand, and if you just call then everyone, including the bb big stack, will be getting great odds to also call.

You have to reraise to 1000-1200 here. If you just call and an ace comes, you're probably getting destacked by a lower set with so many in the pot, so if you just call, be prepared to fold to major aggression even with TP.

I raise to 1200 here.

[gabe]

call. you have lots of chips and you dont want to risk them quite yet.

[drmcboy]

see, I think calling risks more chips, much harder to get away post flop. How do you play if you get action on the flop?

[Werddown]

One problem I usually have in this situation is...

If I call, and an A or K comes on the flop, its virtually impossible for me to get away from it. If they were playing a PP and hit their set, they destack me. If they hit 2 pair, they destack me. Straights and flushes are a little bit easier to pick out.

My question is... In that above situation, when you flop the A or the K, and you meet resistance on a non-threatening flop (no draws)... Are you all in no matter what?

Alot of times at these low level sngs, people will play A + any kicker , and sometimes K+ any kicker into ANY size raise. My biggest problem is using my reads and judgement to decide if they hit just the ace or the king with a worse kicker than me, or if they paired their other hole card.... or flopped a set.

Sorry I got off topic, I guess this goes more along the lines of detecting sets and two pair.

[drmcboy]

gabe, come enlighten us on how to play post flop with a call here. I'm with Werd, I go broke if I re raise pre flop and hit TP, but if you call it seems like you must lead then fold to a re raise with TP? I don't see how that is better.

[gabe]

stacks aren't deep enough to get away from top pair on a non threatening board.

if you are worried about a PP, would you rather coinflip with them preflop or only put your more money in when you know you are going to hit the flop? If you reraise and they push you would have to call. Just calling preflop is less risky and in this spot, you don't want to be risking much of that nice stack. If this were the bubble of the FT i would surely reraise.

[konahead]

I'd rather fold than call here. You have 5 players left to act, and if you just call then the 1st one's getting 3.5-1 pot odds - if he calls, the rest are getting 4.5, 5.5, etc. By the time it gets to the blinds, they're getting 10-1 or 11-1 odds and should call with ANYTHING... You HAVE to clear out the field a little here - or fold so you preserve your stack. It's too easy to lose a bunch of chips in this situation - you're just asking for trouble.

You really want to play AK against 9 other players? If so, you better be damn good at folding with your TPTK, cuz it's probably not gonna cut it - and most players will take it to the river with any kind of draw or hand if the pot's that big...

You can call - but keep your trigger finger on the fold button...

[baudib]

I like the push here.

[zenbitz]

I think in a $5.50 - just push. A big enough raise to keep others out is going to commit short stack all in.

A min raise isn't horrible, because it will probably keep the initial players in (or let them re-raise...) and probably keeps the trash hands out.

Kona's point about flat calling is valid if the table is super loose (or even less likely, can contimplate pot odds). On the other hand - you will destack SOMEONE if you hit (and don't hit a set/tp/flush/straight).

[gabe]

I'd rather fold than call here. You have 5 players left to act, and if you just call then the 1st one's getting 3.5-1 pot odds - if he calls, the rest are getting 4.5, 5.5, etc. By the time it gets to the blinds, they're getting 10-1 or 11-1 odds and should call with ANYTHING... You HAVE to clear out the field a little here - or fold so you preserve your stack. It's too easy to lose a bunch of chips in this situation - you're just asking for trouble.

You really want to play AK against 9 other players? If so, you better be damn good at folding with your TPTK,...

or de-stack the fools who call in the BB with A2o BEACUSE THE POT ODDS ARE SOOOOOOO GOOD

[konahead]

Unless the flop comes A 2 X and you bet hard cuz you've got TPTK - but forgot to bet hard preflop to get the A2o to fold....

[Werddown]

I think in a $5.50 - just push. A big enough raise to keep others out is going to commit short stack all in.

A min raise isn't horrible, because it will probably keep the initial players in (or let them re-raise...) and probably keeps the trash hands out.

Kona's point about flat calling is valid if the table is super loose (or even less likely, can contimplate pot odds). On the other hand - you will destack SOMEONE if you hit (and don't hit a set/tp/flush/straight).

The problem here is if you are up against even one PP you are only a coinflip... Why take un-needed coinflips with a large chipstack? I'd rather steal the blinds and raise my made hands to build my stack larger.

I agree with gabe that I would probably push if you were on the bubble, but with this many people left and the blinds still such a small portion of your stack, why not just keep blind stealing and betting made hands / strong draws?

I see a ton of people who have the chiplead and call off shortstacks trying to knock them out and end up losing 1/3rd of their stack, when there are plenty of other players left for them to take flips with. Do that twice and you're now the SS.

The more I think about this, I like the fold preflop. There are still alot of people left to act, and you're probably getting at least one additional caller if you dont raise, and maybe even a push from someone with a real hand that wants to isolate or take down the pot-oddish calls.

I suck at folding AK preflop though so even though my opinion is fold, I'd probably push because I'm stupid.

[Werddown]

Another question to ask here, is are you going for 1st place or just making it ITM.

I think if you are playing for first you might take the flip and still have enough chips to recover from it if you lose, and you'd have an even more dominating stack if you win.

If you are playing for the money, you can just fold it and wait for a better opportunity.

I've decided that I hate calling because I'm giving other people odds to call and might end up with top pair on a huge multiway pot with draws on the board.... and would have to fold to a re-raise preflop anyways... with most of them still left to act...