Crazy Short Handed Hand.... how would you play it!?!

[d1sterbd]

I was in a $20 SNG at Party with four people left. UTG goes all in for his last 1100. The Button calls. I call in Small Blind with AQs. I only called even though I only had 80 chips left. The Big Blind, who is the chip leader goes all in. The Button then calls all in. I was third in chips at the beginning of the hand and had to decide whether to call or fold leaving myself with 80 chips. I would be garunteed second if the Big Blind won and third if the Button won or the UTG won and the Big Blind came in second. I copied the start of the hand below. I will show the rest of the hand later. How would you have played this hand?

A. Folded
B. Go All In
C. Call the inital raise and the reraise
D. Call the initial raise but fold to the reraise




***** Hand History for Game 1464027163 *****
NL Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee Trny:8834602 Level:6 Blinds(150/300) - Thursday, January 20, 12:31:25 EDT 2005
Table Table 13786 (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 4
Seat 1: Hardknocka ( $1100 )
Seat 4: mediumryan ( $2330 )
Seat 7: d1sterbd ( $1180 )
Seat 8: rydewithme ( $3390 )
Trny:8834602 Level:6
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to d1sterbd [ Qd Ad ]
Hardknocka is all-In [1100]
mediumryan calls [1100].
d1sterbd calls [950].
rydewithme is all-In [3090]
mediumryan is all-In [1230]
Hardknocka: lol
d1sterbd: XXXX
Hardknocka: here we go
Hardknocka: doit
Your time bank will become active in less than 20 seconds. If you do not want it to be used, please act now.
guess i could fold and garuntee second or third
lololo

[jb9]

I would fold instead of making the original call.

I would have gone all in if the button had not called, but I wouldn't want to be the third person in this hand with only 4 players left.

However, if I did make the first call I would call the last 80 and hope for diamonds (but if my bankroll were a concern, I might fold and take a chance of ending up in the money).

[sofere]

You have to call. You're getting like 2 million:1 pot odds on a good hand (although at least one person probably has you dominated). Only one of the 3 people have to beat the short stack for you to finish ITM (and if you fold your betting the same thing with NO upside). Who gives a crap about 2nd? If you win your in good shape to take the whole shabang. You were willing to put your tourney life on the line to take out the short stack before...now that you have 2 other people helping you, you thinking about backing out for a measly 80???

Your basically risking absolutely nothing by calling here and you have everything to gain.

[Bernas]

You should never of called the initial raise. Not after someone called it in front of you.

[sofere]

Didn't notice that he was 3rd in the pot, thought he was the first caller...your absolutely right.

But given that he did call, he should definitely call the extra 80.

[rachelwxm]

I would probably fold if big stack show AA.

[d1sterbd]

According to the poll, most people would have folded AQs because of the raise and the call. I wasn't going to fold the hand short handed with it costing 450 per round when my stack was 1180. The UTG could have had anything like Ax or any high cards since he was short stacked and about to face the blinds. The Button did not necessarily have a monster hand by calling the raiser since it was short handed play. I had AQs and was also on a short stack so it would have been tough to fold AQs. I was surprised to see the chip leader go all-in and the UTG call for all his chips. Now I knew that my hand was probably not good. I felt that I could surely get third and possibly second if I made an outrageous fold here so I did the unthinkable and folded (Yes I know that this might sound crazy).

UTG: A2
Button: AA
Small Blind(me): AQs
Big Blind: KK

Board: 4d, 5d, 2d, Td, Jc

Big Blind takes the hand with king high flush eliminating the other two players making me second. It worked out like I imagined it would... except for the fact that I would have flopped the nut flush!!!







***** Hand History for Game 1464027163 *****
NL Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee Trny:8834602 Level:6 Blinds(150/300) - Thursday, January 20, 12:31:25 EDT 2005
Table Table 13786 (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 4
Seat 1: Hardknocka ( $1100 )
Seat 4: mediumryan ( $2330 )
Seat 7: d1sterbd ( $1180 )
Seat 8: rydewithme ( $3390 )
Trny:8834602 Level:6
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to d1sterbd [ Qd Ad ]
Hardknocka is all-In [1100]
mediumryan calls [1100].
d1sterbd calls [950].
rydewithme is all-In [3090]
mediumryan is all-In [1230]
Hardknocka: lol
d1sterbd: XXXX
>You have options at Table 13974 Table!.
Hardknocka: here we go
Hardknocka: doit
Your time bank will become active in less than 20 seconds. If you do not want it to be used, please act now.
guess i could fold and garuntee second or third
lololo
d1sterbd folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4d, 5d, 2d ]
yeah
** Dealing Turn ** [ Td ]
** Dealing River ** [ Jc ]
Hardknocka shows [ Ah, 2c ] a pair of twos.
mediumryan shows [ As, Ac ] a pair of aces.
rydewithme shows [ Kd, Kh ] a flush, king high.
Hardknocka finished in fourth place.
mediumryan finished in third place and won $40.
rydewithme wins 1060 chips from side pot #2 with a flush, king high.
rydewithme wins 2460 chips from side pot #1 with a flush, king high.
rydewithme wins 4400 chips from the main pot with a flush, king high.
Hardknocka has left the table.
mediumryan has left the table.

[Voltron87]

You should have folded after the all in and the call. Not only is AQs not a good 3 way all in hand, but someone is all in. Sure AQs might win but you are usually not a big favorite.

[adanthar]

Oops, I'm the call/fold vote and I thought you were first in after the all in. Yech, easy fold.

[mcpherzen]

[ QUOTE ]
I wasn't going to fold the hand short handed with it costing 450 per round when my stack was 1180.

[/ QUOTE ]

All the shenanigans of how this hand actually played out aside, there is a pretty important concept here. And that is, if you can't fold AQs shorthanded with this action, you are going to struggle becoming a winning sng player, and probably really have a hard time moving up in levels. Your AQ wants one opponent, preferrably a smaller stack than yours taking a stab at this pot (like UTG did). Once UTG gets a caller, and with the big stack still to act behind you, your AQ is toilet paper...fold it as quickly as possible and watch the fireworks as you cruise into the money. Remember this is a sit-n-go where the greatest thing in the world when you're a small stack on the bubble is for 2 (or more) of the bigger stacks to tangle with each other.

By the way, for all the same reasons, AKs is also a clear fold here. Once you can make that play, you're better than 95% of all players online.

--Zen

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]

fold it as quickly as possible and watch the fireworks as you cruise into the money. Remember this is a sit-n-go where the greatest thing in the world when you're a small stack on the bubble is for 2 (or more) of the bigger stacks to tangle with each other.

By the way, for all the same reasons, AKs is also a clear fold here. Once you can make that play, you're better than 95% of all players online.

--Zen

[/ QUOTE ]

I voted fold -- does this mean I'm ready for the big time! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[d1sterbd]

I actually posted this for the "shenanigans", but I have learned something by all the responses saying I should have folded and not thought twice about it. My thought is that my hand figured to play well against the short stacked player UTG. He could be raising with any high cards or any pair. The Button indicated that he had at least somewhat of a strong hand by calling, but since we were short handed and someone was raising every hand... it didn't mean he had a monster hand. I fully understand that calling would have been a mistake at a full table, but we were short handed and I was short stacked. If me or the Button would have won, than I would be third place or better.

[rachelwxm]

[ QUOTE ]
I actually posted this for the "shenanigans", but I have learned something by all the responses saying I should have folded and not thought twice about it. My thought is that my hand figured to play well against the short stacked player UTG. He could be raising with any high cards or any pair. The Button indicated that he had at least somewhat of a strong hand by calling, but since we were short handed and someone was raising every hand... it didn't mean he had a monster hand. I fully understand that calling would have been a mistake at a full table, but we were short handed and I was short stacked. If me or the Button would have won, than I would be third place or better.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree that you hand might well dominate UTG raiser, but the flat call by button with half of his stack should scare you.

[ddubois]

[ QUOTE ]
the flat call by button with half of his stack should scare you

[/ QUOTE ]
I think we may be putting far too much emphasis on this flat call. I am not sure how universally understood the "re-raising to isolate" play is at the $20 level. It's possible that button is calling with the same range of hands he'd re-raise, superficially thinking that UTG is all-in so it doesn't matter, and also thinking that no one will come in behind anyway since he's effectively announced "I got this one". In other words, I am not convinced that AA is much more likely that 77, based on the preflop action up to hero's first call.