Late level AK - best play here

[lowBoy]

PokerStars Game #3592807654: Tournament #17831378, Hold'em No Limit - Level X (400/800) - 2006/01/10 - 13:33:52 (ET)
Table '17831378 1' Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: GrootyHooter (3255 in chips)
Seat 5: spillchuk (8850 in chips)
Seat 9: johnmolson (1395 in chips)
GrootyHooter: posts the ante 50
spillchuk: posts the ante 50
johnmolson: posts the ante 50
spillchuk: posts small blind 400
johnmolson: posts big blind 800
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to GrootyHooter [Ac Kh]
GrootyHooter: ???

johnmolson was pretty tight with his hands and didn't seem cognizant of stack size issues, spillchuk was a standard TAG player.

[shooter]

1350 in the pot already and 800 big blind. Push pre-flop. Hope that AQ, AJ, or KQ calls.

Hmmm...On second thought, I'm wondering if this is one of those +EV chip moves, but -EV$moves, since molson is about to go out anyway. I think I still push, and pray that other opp folds.

[STIdrivr]

raise and try to get heads up with the short stack all in. He can call with many hands like any ace or K J.

[shooter]

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of min-raising. JohnMolson should call with any two cards. If spillchuck pushes and molson folds, I think you have to fold here. If Molson calls, then I think I could find a call. I'd be interested to hear what others have to say about this. In particular, some of the big math geniuses out there.

[Sprayed]

I think it's a push. If you 3x raise you are AI pretty much anyways. Min raise leaves you with 1655 which makes you somewhat pot committed. I don't think that you can just wait for the short stack to bust out. The big stack may call one of the short stacks AI with a marginal hand and double him up. You're ITM so play for first. That's probably against the ICM way of playing it though.

[ZenOffsuit]

I raise this 2.5x BB

[AHiltz]

edit: this is aimed at shooter

Min raising is a horrible idea.

If I were the big stack, and had anything, I would know that if you min raised, that the short stack HAS to go all-in due to the odds. So, 1350 in pot, min raise of 1600 + 595 from all-in of shorty = 3545 . So, big stack gets 2.95:1 odds on his call from the small blind.

Either be a puss and fold and see if biggy can take care of business, or grow a set and push like you should.

[Rondavu]

PUSH

[mcatdog]

If you don't go all-in without even thinking twice about it, there is no way you are a winning player.

I actually think your chances of coming in third are greater if you fold here than if you push.

[zenbitz]

You can't raise less than all-in because that's like giving the big stack a free sandwich. If he's a donk, he'll just call you and now you have to play post flop against a big stack. If he has a brain he'll just push because you cannot call him.

Note that if you push, and both call - if you beat short stack and lose to big stack you still get 2nd.

[konahead]

This really depends on your goal.

If you are the type that wants to move up in the money with as little risk as possible, call and check it down w big stack - unless you hit flop, then push. Shorty just put 850 in the pot and has 545 left. If you want to ensure at least 2nd, I wouldn't push here - cuz if sb big stack calls you, bb will (should) fold anything but AA-QQ, and that's not your goal. Your goal at this point is to eliminate the short stack.

If you are the type that goes for 1st once you hit the money, push.

me - I push this every time. I have an M of 2.4 - I'm in push/fold mode and this is a good push hand. And I can still damage big stack - he should fold here without a solid hand. (Any worse of a hand than KTo and I fold here.)

[mcatdog]

In this situation I would be going all-in with any pair, any ace, any king or queen with a decent kicker, and also hands like JTs, J9s, and T9s.

[lowBoy]

Glad to hear most everyone is in agreement of a push here and to those who are advocating raising - you should be pushing or folding.

I pushed, big stack called w/ 88 and I was out in 3rd. Usually I don't sweat this, but in this case where blinds are so high I thought I'd get some opinions.

[Aplomado]

A call or min-raise here is a waste of time. This is an all-in or fold hand guaranteed.

[TLR]

Push, if you pick 1200 thats nice, if you get called thats nice too since you are most likely ahead

[zenbitz]

You can't fold AK here, and you aren't folding to a re-raise or folding on the flop, so just push. If you had QQ/KK/AA you could min/raise or limp and get the rest in on the flop. So push.

You are only ~2x short stack. If short stack steals the blinds, he near doubles up. If he gets called by bigstack and wins (50% or so) he near TRIPLES up.

I can see folding like A8 or KT or 44 or something... but not AK.

[WildBobAA]

This is the easiest push ever.

[Aces]

Auto-push.

[elanto]

this is a simple push..you have 4 X the BB and cant wait around for a bigger hand than AK...If everyone folds youll win a nice pot and if they call youll probably be ahead...


-anto

[baudib]

please push this all day.

[lowBoy]

Good to hear, guys - I don't think I'd ever fold this without some heavy arguments for $EV with the short stack going out soon.