AK in BB

We are all in the money in a small tournament. The blinds are T200 and T400 with T100 antes. Each of the two remaining tables has seven players. A weak player in first position goes allin for T1400. A player in second position whom I do not know ponders inordinately long and calls. There is no SB. When the action gets to me in the BB there is T3900 in the pot. After posting the BB I have T6000 remaining. I raise allin without hesitation. I am called by the player in second position without hesitation who holds pocket 5's. I am gone. What do you think of me busting myself in this fashion?

Not knowing anything else about the players or the situation, your raise is fine. If you're going to raise, the point is obviously to get the third player out, and since the pot is more than half your stack, all-in is the best raise.


Some people will say maybe you should have let him see the flop, and then bet, because he then would've folded his 55 after seeing 2-3 overcards that you're betting. Of course, some of those same people would've told you you should've raised preflop if you had just called (and a 5 flopped, along with a K or A).


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Hard to tell without knowing more about the type of game you were in. But unless I knew the players to be people who would raise with one high card A6o, K3o, or perhaps two suited cards, I would have folded. You are not in a bad chip position where you need to make a move right away, so no point in going up against a raiser and a limper like that. With two of them there was a very good chance that one had a pocket. I would have been more likely to do what you did with a pocket, even a middling one like 77 (though this is hypothetical /images/smile.gif ). I hate to say what another person does is wrong since I am no expert, but i will say what you did was risky and not a solid or secure move.