24$+2$ FT - AKo on the button, call an all in or fold?

[Gobbatino]

Hello, long time reader/lurker, first time posting here. I've been in a bit of a downswing and decided to start posting some critical hands that seem to repeat themselves just much too often in hopes that you guys can give me a hand.

So it's early-mid game and I get AKo on the button. After a 3xBB raise the SB shoves and I've seen him do that a few times before but he's not extremely loose. My M is ~14 so I'm not in a critical spot or anything. Call or fold?

This sort of situation has happened far too often in the last ~20 games where I've been waiting for a good hand for ages and my stack is slowly getting lower and lower only to go up against AA, KK, QQ or even lower PPs. I'm wondering if I'm just putting too much value on AKo or even AKs. Should I be more careful putting my tournament life at stake or am I simply being unlucky that my AKs/AKo keep going up against strong PPs?

Thanks in advance!

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em Tournament, 80/160 Blinds (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from

UTG (t5770)
UTG+1 (t2740)
MP1 (t8220)
MP2 (t2381)
MP3 (t3620)
CO (t4740)
Hero (Button) (t3465)
SB (t6341)
BB (t8730)

Hero's M: 14.44

Preflop: Hero is Button with Ks, Ac
2 folds, MP1 calls t160, 3 folds, Hero bets t640, SB raises to t6341 (All-In), 2 folds, Hero calls t2825 (All-In)

Flop: (t7250) 4c, 3s, 5s (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: (t7250) Qh (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t7250) 7c (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t7250

Results:
Hero had Ks, Ac (high card, Ace).
SB had Kd, Kh (one pair, Kings).
Outcome: SB won t7250

[Gobbatino]

Take 2: And again, this time on the 200k Double Douce, fairly late in the game. Same question, overvaluing AKo? Should I have called and played the flop, perhaps?

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em Tournament, 1000/2000 Blinds 250 Ante (9 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool

MP2 (t73533)
MP3 (t50963)
CO (t61159)
Hero (Button) (t19649)
SB (t182481)
BB (t53219)
UTG (t54492)
UTG+1 (t55204)
MP1 (t36304)

Hero's M: 3.74

Preflop: Hero is Button with Kc, Ad
3 folds, MP2 bets t6000, 2 folds, Hero raises to t19399 (All-In), 2 folds, MP2 calls t13399

Flop: (t44048) 4d, 5s, 10h (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t44048) 3d (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t44048) 9c (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t44048

Results:
Hero had Kc, Ad (high card, Ace).
MP2 had 2s, As (straight, five high).
Outcome: MP2 won t44048

[baudib]

1. don't show results
2. I'm sure I have folded AK somewhere along the line with 20 BBs, but I can't remember doing it. With 10 BBs it's instashove regardless of action in front.

[bjsaust]

Would you have posted hand 2 if he hadnt hit his straight? If he'd folded PF?

[fjuanl]

These are both easy shoves preflop. Don't even think about folding

[Gobbatino]

1. don't show results

Woops, I'll hide them next time.

Would you have posted hand 2 if he hadnt hit his straight? If he'd folded PF?

Point taken. :P

These are both easy shoves preflop. Don't even think about folding

I wouldn't normally, it's just the fact that I kept losing my stack to plays like this. And it's frustrating after spending 3-4h in a game and going out like this. I suppose that's being very results oriented, though.

On another note, I normally am tight throughout all early game, playing only AA, KK, QQ, AKo, AKs, AQs along with some speculative hands if I can see the flop cheap (usually from the blinds). This works well and I usually make it to mid game with a decent stack but I run into trouble at this point. I can't stay as tight as I was early game or I am eventually blinded out. If I get good cards then it's no problem and I make it into late game. Most of the time, however, the cards don't come and so I try to steal once per orbit (especially once antes start). But the main problem is if one or two of my steals don't work out, get shoved in my face or I simply don't hit the flop and a c-bet doesn't do it, I am suddenly short stacked and facing all in or nothing situations. Any tips to avoiding this? Loosen up earlier, maybe? Be more selective on my steals? I'm very open to any suggestions. Thanks again for your input.

On yet another note! :P I've read through all the excellent articles posted on FTR and some other sites (thanks to those who wrote them, by the way). Anyone have any sources for good articles regarding MTTs? If not, I'll just keep stalking chardrian on FT - learned a lot from that!

[Poker Orifice]

Sometimes it can be difficult to get in steals (on some tables). Or when you do, you get reraised or shoved back on.
You say you're projecting a tight image.... look to try to go for the occassional re-steal instead (player read dependent & table image obviously). Can be a bit risky.. but often is necessary. You'll take down the same as you'd be getting in a couple of steals. It's usually pretty easy to find likely candidates to re-steal from.

[chardrian]

Hand 1 - I am no longer fistpumping when I make this call, but it is still a call. 3850 in the pot and 2800 to call = 42%ish equity needed. Against a very tight range of JJ+/AK here you still have 40% equity and add in the few times where the bigstack is getting frisky with hands that you have dominated and there is just no real way to fold here.

Hand 2 = fistpump, hi 5 monitor, go wheeeeee and chuckle at how bad people are for opening with A2s there.

[hopeful]

I used to worry about overvalueing AK but so many people will push all in or call an all in with worse aces and dominated hands like KQ that it more than makes up for the times you are slightly behind under pairs. Of course when you have AK it is less likely they will have AA and KK.
I am with Fjuanl on this one shove pre.