Would you have done the same?

[Baloosh]

Here's the pertinent info on a local tournament (charity event) that happened last weekend:

A 501(c) charity hosted a two weekend-long event, with 14 different satellite tournaments to the main event last night (Sunday, 2-27-05). Top 30 finisher from each of the satellite tourneys got a seat in the final event, and top place was a seat at the 2005 WSOP and travel+hotel to Vegas during the WSOP, plus $15,000 spending cash. Basically a $25,000 first place. Second place got $2500, third got $1000, etc. etc. on down to 20th place. 11th through 20th got like $100 -- so first place paid major cash, and 2nd through 20th paid a great deal less.

I won a seat to the final event, and it was 420 people playing at the final event. (14 satellites -- top 30 in each satellite get a seat at finals). Down to the last two tables, and I'm the SB, with about $140,000 in chips. Blinds are 3000/6000 with a $250 ante. 10 people at my table.

UTG folds
UTG+1 calls (about $300,000 in chips)
folded around to the button ($200,000 in chips), who raises to $24,000
I look down and see JcJd, and based on my read of the button (conservative player who I've noticed would either raise big with high pairs, or raise the standard 4-5x with AK/AQ/AJ/etc. in late position). Out of the corner of my eye I notice the BB looking at the other table's players' chips...probably trying to get a feel for his position/stack size. He's got his cards in his hand, in typical "getting ready to muck" fashion, so I'm pretty sure he's folding. My read on UTG+1 was that he was an average player, and I had seen him catch a few runners making poor all-in calls earlier to get to his position. I decide to push, since to me it was really all about winning first place. I didn't think I was behind to QQ/KK/AA with the button, since he did a standard raise amount. UTG+1 looks at me and says, "That was a good raise." and folds. By the time I look at the button, he's already counting out his chips to call my all-in. He calls.

Results to follow. My question is -- would you have pushed here as well? Is it correct to re-raise (and re-raise all-in) with JJ here?

Thanks in advance.

[schwza]

if you're fairly confident that the villain would raise bigger with a big pair, it's an easy push.

even without that read, i'd push and hope. if it wasn't a quasi-winner-take-all, i think it'd be a tougher decision, but here i think you've gotta push.

[willie]

[ QUOTE ]


even without that read, i'd push and hope. if it wasn't a quasi-winner-take-all, i think it'd be a tougher decision, but here i think you've gotta push.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is the most important poart about this, and the factor that makes this a clear push given the information you were able to get from these 2.

[Baloosh]

Results: Villian turned over AQ unsuited, and hit the Ah on the river, sending me to the rail to question my play.

[ZeroMan]

analyse your reraise here, what do you want to achieve? a fold by villian, or a call that according to your read is a coin flip proposition. i certainly would not want a coin flip here. best raise it a decent amount and if the flop is favourable push in the rest and hopefully get him to fold and not suck out on you. here you can extract a reasonable amount, but still have enough chips to comeback if the flop is not favourable. with your read you want to be able to outplay the villian and get the best of it not just set all the chips in, and see who wins 50 50 style.

[ZeroMan]

i do see the point of pushing from shwarz's post, but with the stack you have you can still do alot and you dont really need to desperately double up right here.

[Baloosh]

My push reason was two-fold:

1. To get UTG+1 out of the hand, and force it to be heads-up against the button, if he decided to call.

2. To give the button a chance to fold to something more than a re-raise -- since he had me covered, I figured he'd call a re-raise for any amount other than all-in, and then I need for no overcards to hit the flop. Any K or A (or maybe Q... that one's tough) and I can't continue with the hand. My best chance for him to fold was me going all-in.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
i do see the point of pushing from shwarz's post, but with the stack you have you can still do alot and you dont really need to desperately double up right here.

[/ QUOTE ]

you're doing it mostly to pick up the ~40k in the middle now, but with the knowledge that it's very unlikely (assuming the read is good) you're behind. button would have a tough laydown with TT, and may give a bad call with 99/AJ or worse.

since it's basically winner-take-all, hero does not mind taking a 55-45 coinflip with some dead money in the middle (and that's the worst case).

i really don't like putting in a small reraise. you're going to very likely to get called, and won't have any idea which overcards (or other cards) can come to kill your hand. if it comes Kxx, what do you do, check-fold? you've already put 1/3 of your stack in (if you make a small reraise), so that's pretty unappealing. and if it comes rags, how are you going to get paid off by AK? just push and avoid the pain of playing out of position.

[Unparagoned]

Why question yourself, AQ is right in the range you put him on for a normal raise. Granted, you weren't looking to get called, but I can't imagine you were truly disappointed when he turned over AQ. It was a good play.

[sloth469]

I don't hate the play. I sometimes like to cold call w/ 88-JJ in a spot like this. With the winner take all structure of this tournament, I think a min raise and then a push on a non-ace flop might be the best line. If the ace comes I throw out a probe bet and let it go if I believe him when he comes over top. If I don't believe him (and in live play there is a lot of information to draw my conclusion upon) I go broke. Gotta trust your reads!

-sloth

[Baloosh]

I was only disappointed once that river card fell. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I was pretty results-oriented for that hand, but I think I made the correct play, given the situation as it was, and I'd like to think I'd do it again the same way, if I had to do it over. I just wanted to get some other (read: better) opinions of my decision.

[adanthar]

Given those reads, I'd probably just call.

Reasoning:
a)UTG+1 and button are probably splitting outs, and if I'm that sure button has 2 overs, I can't proceed on any overcard flop. Therefore, I don't mind UTG+1 in the hand;
b)Because of the above, the pot on the flop will already be 75K, with 25K of it very dead money;
c)Assuming JJ flops an overpair/set, 56% of the time this is the easiest all in CR ever, which makes it at least a 125K pot that I can take down with very little risk. If you flop an overpair and the button does, too, you are doubling up easily. Moreover, UTG+1 is a fish and may even call his K7s on the T72 board for *his* entire stack.

But doubling through on a 57/43 or better in a winner take all is tempting and I admit it's close.

[schwza]

but we don't know the button has overs - a button raise over a limper with 66-TT is certainly possible. if we flat call here and check an A high flop (whether it's heads up or 3-way), we're conceding the pot to a competent button.

also, the read is "conservative." if we check a rag flop, there's no guarantee the button is betting it for us. he may check behind and take the free card, which is really bad for us.

if we could play it in position with a flat call, that option would be a lot more appealing. but here, i think we just shove it in, knowing (by the read) that we're ahead of the button.