Pot limit tournie - short stack play

Online pot limit tournie. Pays 3 spots, 128 starters down to last 13. Blinds are 1000-2000. I have the smallest stack at my table with 3,200. I am in late position with pocket 4s. There has been a small raise up front and 3 callers. Playing puts me allin, but then again so will the blinds.


Should i call and hope to get lucky? I have 5 chances at getting a 4, and should get back at least 18,000 if i hit and win, and possibly more if the blinds call. This gives me enough weaponry to be a force again.

You have a few more hands before you are blinded off. I don't think much of your chances here with so many in, even though you're getting odds. I'd take my chances on hopefully seeing something better, like any ace. 44 is just in need of such a miracle to hold up.


keep playing hard!

I was going to disagree because the pot was going to be large and give him a little room to play. After thinking about it, even if he does win the hand (which is unlikely), he only has one more playable hand before he is all in again, or he is blinded out after 6 times around the table playing 7 or 6 handed with 13 players left. Raise all-in the next hand that is folded to you.

Thanks for your opinions. I agreed with you and folded, but had the misfortune that in this case i would have made trips and won. Thus i was thinking that winning the hand put me above the average stack, so i should have taken my chances. Held nothing after that until A7 in the big blind, and i put my last 1200 in and lost.

Either play is reasonable. You're about 5:1 to hit a set, and you almost can't win without one (on the flip side, when you do hit a set, you'll seldom lose). Here you are getting about 5:1 or better, so going all-in isn't a mistake. If you wait until the next hand or 2 and raise as the first person in, is there a reasonable chance of getting it heads-up with the big blind? If so, I would tend to pass here and go for that play. If waiting and raising later is likely to still end up with 2 or more opponents, I'd go with this hand now.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

I would first push in all of my chips, then immediately push my chair back, ready to depart... Bingo the 4 hits, and I sit back down.


I didnt expect to win, but at this stage would rather go out with a pair than A7.

Another consideration is if you are going for a final table finish or a top three finish. If you are going for a top three finish go for the chance of hitting a set. If you are going for the final table, muck and go all in within the next few hands.


Either way with a short stack you have to get lucky at some point.