Great laydown?

[Chicago Kid]

First hand of an SNG. Blinds 25/50, starting stacks of 1500.

One off the button, dealt AA. Three limpers to me, I raise 7x the BB, making it 500 to go, SB calls.

Flop comes Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif 8/images/graemlins/club.gif Q/images/graemlins/club.gif and SB goes all-in.

I'm not sure where to put this guy, as I've never seen him play before. Part of me is thinking KK or a smaller pair, or a flush draw, while the other part believes he may have a queen.

As I considered my predicament, I remembered a passage in TPFAP, which dealt with calling an all-in early a tournament with KK, and why people do it. The passage dealt with a pre-flop call, but I felt that the point of the passage, to an extent, applied here.

So, after much deliberation, I laid the AA down.

Good laydown, or wimpy wussout?

FWIW, I went on to finish in the money, finishing 3rd and doubling my buyin. That's not justification, just a factual account.

[stupidsucker]

I wouldnt call it a "great" lay down at all. Perhaps not even a good one.

He smooth called you preflop, and then pushed from the SB on the flop. I think you were just hit by a stop and go of some sort. I will call this every time.

IMO there isnt a hand out there that you should smooth call 500 chips preflop on the flop. AQ? QQ? KK? Qx? I doubt this guy had the Q, and I think you layed the best hand down.

My question is... How did this guy play the rest of the tourney?

[nuclear500]

I would make a side pot that he had Ax /images/graemlins/club.gif

Smart laydown? Depends on your superstition of the flush.

He may have had a queen, but if he did he altogether over bet it.

[Chicago Kid]

Sorry--should have put that in...

He played a solid game as the table wore on. He had the chip lead for some time, and showed down very few hands.

Of those that were shown down, he played mostly good starters, and won most of them. But, he suffered a few river beats in the middle stages, and wound up finishing 5th.

[Cashcow]

I don't know about "great laydown", but probably a good laydown. Many people will never laydown pocket As, but you must remember they do get beat, and many more times than you would think.
My philosophy, early on in a tourney, if there is a pair of overcards on the board, and I can't beat the set, I'm folding. Later in the tourney, may be another story.

Good laydown in my opinion.

[tallstack]

I can't believe that the sb would go all-in first to act on the flop if it hit him hard. If it did hit him hard then why not sit back and let you force the action? You have already shown big aggression with your PF raise, so you would be expected to bet if it's checked to you.

The only guesses I can make on his possible hands are KK (thinking that he would just call pre-flop and make sure an ace didn't fall on the flop), or AK of clubs. Being the first hand though, he could be a gambler and have just about anything.

Getting 2:1 on the call makes it too hard for me to lay down. His bet also screams weakness to me. I would call every time.

Dave S