Final Table Hand at the Legends of Poker WPT Main Event

[Bolivia]

I've got a question about a hand that recently happened at the Legends of Poker main event final table.

So I go into the third day of the main event feeling confident with the 8th largest stack of 63 remaining. I played like a little demon the 2nd day, showing 3 or 4 hands throughout the day (busting 2 players) so my table image among the remaining 3rd day players who had the chance to play with me is exceptional.. During the 2nd day I ran my stack from 29k in chips to over 230k as a result of the combination of catching a few hands and stealing like a Bolivian. Throughout the 2nd day my buddy JC Tran keeps sending me hourly text messages stating "I will kill you if you bluff!!!". I proceed to pass my phone around to players at the table showing them the text messages as I steal their pots (no joke...lol). Thanks JC!

Unfortunately early into the 3rd day I run into a couple of hands forcing me to play a short stack throughout the remainder of the tournament (from around 24 remaining spots down). Playing this way is in general pretty easy cuz you don't have many decisions to make (since you usually have one move), but frustating all the same because you rely on luck, timing, and necessary double up or two if you are ever to regain control of the table.

Well, I manage to slide into the final table with about 150k in chips. With 4 of the remaining line up being Paul Phillips, Doyle Brunson, Lee Watkinson, and Joe Awada, I wish I had more final table time to study and learn from these players. Anyway, the following hand comes down and I want to know how many of you would've played the hand.

We are Eight Handed.

Blinds: 8,000/16,000 - 2,000 antes (so 40k dead money in the pot).

Me: SB 150,000 in chips
Tom Lee: BB 200,000 in chips

Folded to me in SB I have K10o.

Tom Lee ranks among the tightest players I've ever played with (watched him play about 3 or 4 hands from about 20 players down to final table). Tom has highest fold potential of any of the remaining eight players. Like I said before, I havent played many hands in the third day (due to circumstance) so my image ain't so bad either.

What should i do???

If you don't know the results already I will post them later.

p.s.....I have to say, Joe Awada is the nuts, one of the best poker players I've ever played with.

[MLG]

I think push and its not close, by the way try putting this in the MTT forum also.

[Dominic]

first of all, congrats on the great finish! I lost in a super so I didn't get to play in the Legends, unfortunately!

Anyway...about your hand...

easy push...making a reasonable raise puts you in for almost a third of your stack so you might as well push...

if you ran into a bigger hand, that's poker.

any other thoughts?

[jerome baker]

with less than 10bb, u get kto in sb, everyone folds, i still go all in if bb is loose.

nice finish.

[Bolivia]

I figure there is too much dead pesos in the pot (40k) and the player is gonna fold way too many hands for me not to take advantage of the opportunity. I push in, and Tom Lee wakes up with AKo in the BB. We both flop a K, I don't improve and I'm toast. I suck.

JC Tran (yes another vietnamese tournament player!! however, this kid's got serious 4 alarm fire breathing game) tells me he thinks a call is ok in this situation. Tells me I have enough chips to last a couple rounds, and given that it is the tightest player at the table and short stacked Tom Lee won't raise preflop unless he really has a hand, in which case my hand is beat and I can safely fold. Otherwise (unless Tom Lee flops strong) I should be able to outplay the player if we both see a flop.

Any thoughts??

[Trainwreck]

I like what JC Tran said, very insightful, thanks for sharing, sorry about the suicide on that one!

>TW<

[sdplayerb]

without reading what happened, i push all my chips in.
if you made it 50K and he pushed in, you'd be getting over 2.5-1 to call, so would have to.
He probably isn't call without a decent ace or 77+.
pretty easy pushin to me.

[Deorum]

Yeah, I really like JC's advice. Btw, tell him to get his
ass back to Capitol, the 9-18 there is always more
interresting with him in it /images/graemlins/wink.gif Speaking of which, I should
go to bed now so I can head down in the morning.

[37offsuit]

I guess the theory from Tran is that if you call the small blind, he's going to check any hands you do well against and raise the hands you don't want to really play against anyway, so you get all the information you need preflop with the only danger is a flop where you hit your top pair but he nails two pairs ugly where he would have folded to a preflop all in.

Other options:

With 40K in, a raise to 3BB from you on the SB would make the pot 80K and cost him 32K to call. Considering you're in a steal position, he's got odds to call with anything but the worst hands.

I didn't catch this event, so I don't have the other relevant information as far as prize structure and chip stacks.

I don't think pushing here is too terrible, but as Tran pointed out, you're not desperately short stacked and you could get through this hand cheap for another 8K, while still having the chance to win it after the flop.

Likely you would have found a better hand to play, or at least survive enough to pass a few players.

[bobby rooney]

I still like the push better. If you call and he raises, do you feel comfortable folding? He will likely bet a lot of hands there that he would have folded if you pushed.

I busted out of one of the supers in the exact same situation with KT first in the pot, and I feel like I made the right move with the push. Ran into AJ in one of the blinds, but I wasn't that bad off.