Anyway not to push with this? Should i have seen a flop first?

[boondockst]

Acekiker is at seat 0 with 2945.
preclose is at seat 1 with 3825.
ELDORADOKID is at seat 2 with 2365.
incubliss is at seat 3 with 875.
jonnyreno1313 is at seat 4 with 2330.
bswift is at seat 5 with 7570.
davidjc55 is at seat 6 with 2850.
jlb45 is at seat 7 with 8430.
Hotpockets21 is at seat 8 with 4470.
CROW44 is at seat 9 with 3875.
The button is at seat 5.

davidjc55 posts the small blind of 50.
jlb45 posts the big blind of 100.

incubliss: A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif A /images/graemlins/heart.gif
Pre-flop:

Hotpockets21 folds. CROW44 folds. Acekiker folds.
preclose folds. ELDORADOKID raises to 200.
incubliss goes all-in for 875. jonnyreno1313 folds.
bswift folds. davidjc55 folds. jlb45 folds.
ELDORADOKID calls.

Was I right to go all in? It was a $5750 tourney and i was down to about 220 of 300 remaining...in my head, i don't want to see a flop first so that i don't get burned by trash cards from the blinds so i am willing to go all in preflop...should i have waited til the flop to decide?

[Brad F.]

If you're worried about calling 200 instead of pushing your stack preflop with only 850 in chips and bb of 100, then you need to rethink your short stack play.

No way IMO that you wait for the flop to push here. You don't win the extra 650 that way from the villian in most cases.

I assume you lost the hand given that you've posted this, which stinks, but you got your chips in with rockets and got a caller, you can't ask for much more.

Brad

[boondockst]

I don't really doubt my play....just very bitter about my AA today...

I was multitabling 0.25/0.50 NL and at EXACTY the same time, i picked up AKs and AA.....picked up my K on that first hand and lost to AA and lost to trip 10s on the second...

that hand, the Villain had KQ and an unbelievable board came of K 10 J 9 8....almost thought i'd made a straight for a second but of course didn't...

I've won about 80% of the time with AA so i just gotta overlook this.

[Jim T]

I smooth call this. While this eliminates your chances of dragging the pot right there with no chance of getting outdrawn, it increases your chances of doubling or tripling up. With JJ, QQ, or even KK, I would push. With AA, I'm willing to take the chance that somebody who would have folded catches something to beat me on the flop.

You mentioned that you think that you maybe should have "waited for the flop to decide". Sorry, but in your situation, with AA you are absolutely going to be pushing all in at some point. The only question in my mind is how much money can I extract from the other people at the table. Pushing where you did really cuts down on your profit potential.

You have to gamble sometimes in poker /images/graemlins/wink.gif, and when you're holding AA it's a great time to do it.

Also, as far as someone in the blinds beating you with a crap hand after catching something, remember that the pot HAS already been raised (though just a min raise). Most players will fold their 7-2 offsuit type hands in this situation - and if they don't, it's longterm +EV for you anyway.

I hate getting outdrawn by a hand that never should have played in the first place just as much as anybody does (if not more), but you have to remember that you make money from those players time after time after time. You just don't notice, it's only when they hit their 1 in 8 (or worse) shot to beat you that it registers.