Final Table Hand

Live $50 rebuy tournament. 1st place pays $7,000. Last two tables get payed. I just sit down at the final table. All solid players at table. I have $20,000 T, which is about average, with holdings ranging from about $15,000 to $30,000, except one player on my immediate right has only one chip left ($500). First hand dealt at final table gives me AQs. The blinds are $3,000 and $1,500, so my stack is just over 6 times the big blind. All fold to me. There are 2 players plus the button to act after me and before the blinds. What is my play? Options and thoughts are:

1) Pass. Remain uninvolved in any pots for a while and hope a few players knock each other out before I get involved.

2) Move all-in. I only have just over 6 times the big blind so I'm going to need to be making a move soon, and this is as good a hand as any. I've still got enough chips to intimidate players from calling unless they have a monster, and I've got a good enough hand to fair decently in a show down if that's what it comes to.

3) Flat call and see what the flop brings before I get committed. The benefit of this play is that I can get away from it if someone comes over the top of me. The problem is that by just flat calling, I'm virtually begging someone to come over the top of me, with maybe a weaker hand. Don't I need to take a stand here, and if so, aren't I better off having gone all-in in the first place in the hope of avoiding a confrontation? Also why give the blinds a chance to hit the flop?

4) Make a raise to say $6,000, i.e. twice the BB, in hopes that the blinds fold, but if someone comes over the top of me, I can still get away from the hand. I would still be left with $14,000, and hopefully would pick up another playable hand befor it's too late. My problem with this alternative is that it looks so weak, you're still begging for someone to come over the top of you and take the pot away from you on a power play. You also are very apt to get called by the big blind. What's the vote?

I am moving in here. You could make it 10K it is enough to get people to fold at this stage, and the raise looks fishy enough that you might have AA. Still it will be hard to fold if re-raised. I just move in, and hope I dont get called, and if I do, I get called by 10-10 or the like.


BTW one reason to move in is to get the thought out of 88's mind that you MAY fold to a re-raise. You really just want him to fold here. Moving in permits you to avoid hands like 44-99 from calling, 10-10 and JJ depending on the player. Clearly AK, is still playing, but moving in may just get another AQ to fold. Obviously a good thing.

Thanks for your response. What would you do with pocket 77's in the same situation?

77 is tougher, because the hands that will call you are bigger pairs and AK (maybe AQ). no smaller pairs are likely to call. You will be in bad shape more often than even mone when called.


If I am the big stack, and there are no big stacks behind me, I move in (or move them in to be more accurate). If I am one of the shortest 3 stacks but still 6BB I move in because people are waiting for me to bust.


If I am in between I may just muck, or do a 2x the BB thing and lay down to a re-raise.


People will muck to a small raise this late because nobody wants to waste chips.


If I had 77 in the BB when you moved in with AQ (if that was your question) I would call if I was the big stack, or the small stack and muck if I was an average stack.

Wednesday nite is turny nite for me. Usually about 100 entrants.


Last week I made the final table. Down to five players. I go all-in in late position with pocket 7's. Button calls and shows AA's and wins.


Last nite I make the final table again and go all-in with AQs. I also had the benefit of having a read on the remaining players to act who looked like they were going to fold, EXCEPT the guy to my immediate left who calls my all-in with his pocket KK's. No ace hits the board and I'm done. I never had a single pocket pair all nite (except 22's which I mucked), yet I still made the final table. So I feel good about my play and results overall, but wonder if I am doing anything wrong at the final table playing hands like this.

There's only a 10% chance to run into a dominating hand and the blinds are almost 1/4 of your stack. Anything other than going in here would be a mistake, IMO. (You don't want to invite smallish pairs or even king-high hands take a shot at you.)


cu


Ignatius

Moving all-in is best I think, for reasons detailed above, passing and calling are close, and the "mini-raise" is by far the worst. If I am the BB and I don't think you have Aces (and this is the easiest tell in the world to pick up, when someone makes a small raise, working out whether they want you to move in or not) I bang it all in with 72.


Andy.

Andy,


I'm curious if you would expound upon what you feel are clues to reading whether your opponent who has made a "mini-raise" is baiting you into moving all in, or would really prefer that you not. I don't feel I'm very good at making that read, so I'd appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.


--Chip L.

Hi Chip,


It varies from person to person and picking up tells is something we all improve on with experience. Tells are normally most prevalent when something particularly stressful or unusual happens - like when someone finds Aces and desperately wants to get doubled up. What they actually do varies as I say but this is something you can practice constantly when you are not in the pot. When someone raises, try to suss out whether they have a good hand or a monster, then check your conclusions when you can.


By contrast, when someone is under pressure and really doesn't want a call, they often react differently. It's quite common for people to "freeze" or tense up. Again just test yourself the whole time, and when it is you who has to call or fold, take your time and give them a good old stare. It's fun to do even if you know you're going to fold :-)


Andy.