Interesting scenario

[sykotik489]

I was down to three in a 30 person live tourney yesterday and the following took place:

I'm on the button with about 38,000 in chips.
Other big stack is SB with around 30k
Short stack is BB with about 9k.

Blinds are 1k/2k

I get 10 10 and raise 3x
SB (Big stack) pushes.
BB folds.

The debate after the tourney was over was whether or not to call here, SB is solid but I have a pretty good read on him and am around 90% sure he doesn't have an overpair. Also my last two hands were 55 and QQ so he might have been getting tired of me "stealing" the blinds.

My take: If I win the coin flip I win the tourney, short stack has little to no chance of coming back, even if he was a better player than me, and he wasn't. Since I always play tourneys to win and not to move up, I call. Not to mention if I lose I still have a stack relatively the same size as the short stack so it isn't inconcievable that I could still finish second, though my BB is next.

Buddy's take: I should wait until we eliminate short stack and then chop perhaps, or at least take second.

Payouts were

1st: 530
2nd: 350
3rd: 220

or thereabouts.

What's your take?

[chardrian]

Give me a better range of your opp's hands and I'll tell you.

Since you don't think he has an overpair - what are the chances he has an underpair? If there's a decent shot at that, I insta-call.

[zenbitz]

If you don't want to gamble, you should have pushed pre-flop. Since you didn't, you have to call this push with TT! If Big stack has a clue, he knows that you are worried about finishing 2nd and can push over with anything.

[sykotik489]

I don't mind gambling, and there is little chance of an underpair. I'm almost positive (as I said) that he has two overs.

I wasn't worried about finishing 2nd either, like I said, I play tourneys (late stages) to win, if I play aggressively and bust out 3rd then it is no more dissastisfying than if I play weak and get 2nd.

[JeffreyGB]

I call here everytime, unless I have an incredible read. If you're 100% positive this is a coinflip, this is a very +EV and +cEV call. Even if you include overpairs in his range, along with 99 and 88, this is +EV. Given the history you mention, I want to include at least a 10% chance he's bluffing with any two...making it even more +EV. So yes, call.

[chardrian]

I call too - I just find the range of hands odd. How can you put someone on simply overcards? I don't get how you can 'read' that someone simply doesn't have a pocket pair.