hand in PokerStars WCOOP satellite tourney

i'd appreciate comments on the following hand. This is a PokerStars super satellite for the $1000 buy-in main event of the WCOOP. buy-in to the satellite was $30, and with 45 players, first place would get entry to the big one, and second place $400, and that's it. at this point we're three handed. player 1 on my right is a prohibitive chip leader with $45,000. player 2 on my left has slightly less chips than me with about 8,500 (I have about $10,000). blinds are 600/1200, ante 75. we'd played about 10 hands three-handed at this point. player 2 has folded just about every hand in three-handed play. player 1 has raised just about every time he's in the small blind and im in the big. ive folded to his raises and stole a couple of big blinds from player 2. This hand, im in the big blind and get a pair of 8's. player 2 folds and player 1 raises the minimum, making it 2400. he's played pretty aggressively since becoming a huge cheap leader and i think his hand is not that great. i raise all-in and he calls it down. he turns over an AKo. An A hits and im out in third place and out of the money.


Comments/Critique on this play appreciated. sorry if this is long winded, i wanted to give sufficient information to describe the situation.

I don't think you want to mix it up with the big stack too much in your position. In this scenario, the big stack will (should) call any all-in bet you make. When he raises, you're probably better off folding or just calling with your 8's and deciding whether to play on once you've seen the flop.


You are in the worst position to steal from the smallest stack, because the big stack will be in the "safe position" and you need him to fold before you can try to steal from the small stack when he's in the BB.


When you big stack folds from the button (UTG), be aggressive against the smaller stack with a raise from the SB. He sounds like a "card player," waiting for good cards. Heads-up play isn't about good cards. Apply the Gap concept and attack from the SB.

The fact you say he has been raising everytime you are in the BB and he is in the SB means he is not raising with quality cards everytime. So 88 is most likely the best hand.


Seems you have 3 options:


1) Folding. I don't like this since you most likely have the best hand.


2) Calling. The problem with calling and waiting for the flop is he may well go all-in with any flop. With 88, the flop will most likely have overcards.


3) Raising all-in. I tend to like this option. This option is even better if he will call you with J3 or K2.


The raise all-in approach seems to give you the best chance to make 1st. If you are happy with 2nd then calling/folding is okay but you have no guarantees which one of you will find a quality hand so 3rd is also quite possible.


Ken Poklitar

ohKanada@hotmail.com

As Ken says, the all-in move is a play at 1st, not just getting in the money. You could have folded to the raise, but then he's made another steal and you and the other player are battling to stay alive.


Sure the $400 would have been nice, but you want a shot at that 1st place prize, right? Doubling up there with the 8's would have been a real good start at getting there!


You were ahead.. just got unlucky.


Thems the breaks..


CHiP