Tough AK hand on the Bubble.

[XChamp]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (4 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

UTG (t4370)
Button (t2440)
Hero (t2105)
BB (t1085)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t800</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t2105 (All-In)</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG calls t1305.

Flop: (t4610) 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Turn: (t4610) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t4610) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t4610

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
UTG has 7c 7s (full house, sevens full of twos).
Hero has Kd As (one pair, twos).
Outcome: UTG wins t4610. </font>


I think I should have called and if I didn't hit the flop, fold. What do you think?

[Pepsquad]

[ QUOTE ]
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (4 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

UTG (t4370)
Button (t2440)
Hero (t2105)
BB (t1085)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t800</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t2105 (All-In)</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG calls t1305.

Flop: (t4610) 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Turn: (t4610) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (t4610) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t4610

Results in white below: <font color="#FFFFFF">
UTG has 7c 7s (full house, sevens full of twos).
Hero has Kd As (one pair, twos).
Outcome: UTG wins t4610. </font>


I think I should have called and if I didn't hit the flop, fold. What do you think?

[/ QUOTE ]

No! You played this hand well. When he isn't folding this hand (and he will often) you have him dominated OR are on the wrong side of a coin-flip the vast majority of the time. Don't even think of playing this hand differently!

Pep.

[TylerD]

I don't think this is a tough call. You will be dominating more times than you are dominated, the rest of the time you will be on a coinflip and given the pot odds/blind size this is no bad thing.

[TheCat]

This kind of situation is something I’ve been pondering over quite a bit recently. I’m inclined to think there is nothing wrong with a push as in most cases you will be dominating or on the right side of a coin flip.
Another way of playing this is stop ‘n go, call his raise then push on the flop regardless of the cards. You also have another option of contesting the pot only if the flop hits you. This is good when your trying to squeak into third place.
I guess it’s situational which is best. <font color="red"> Isn’t poker complicated </font>

[J-Lo]

Alright tyler, u like the push here, but... what range of pairs are u pushing vs his minraise? What if 3 stacks are even and one large stack?

[Raiser]

I think calling the raise would be bad here. You'll miss more flops than you hit and I'm not a big fan of calling 40% of my stack only to be forced to fold a lot of flops.

It would really help to know how the big stack has been playing. If he has been playing correctly and is pushing/raising a lot of hands then I like your play a lot. But if he is a tighty then I really think I'd fold this here. The BB will be down to t400 after the blinds get past him unless he wins a pot. I'd rather wait and open push than get involved in this pot with the big stack.

Flame away.

[EverettKings]

[ QUOTE ]
This kind of situation is something I’ve been pondering over quite a bit recently. I’m inclined to think there is nothing wrong with a push as in most cases you will be dominating or on the right side of a coin flip.
Another way of playing this is stop ‘n go, call his raise then push on the flop regardless of the cards. You also have another option of contesting the pot only if the flop hits you. This is good when your trying to squeak into third place.
I guess it’s situational which is best. Isn’t poker complicated

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, it sure is, but not here. I push before I can blink.

If you call, you have 1500 chips left in a 2000 chip pot. Regardless of what flops, you have to continue the hand. You can't check/fold a flop that misses you because AJ, KQ, etc will bet at that flop miss or hit.

To stop n go doesn't make sense here either. The purpose of a stop n go is to get him to fold postflop that he wouldn't fold preflop by hoping that he misses. The hands that you will fold out with a stop n go are the hands that you dominate, and the hands that will call you are pocket pairs. Thus, you're giving dominated hands a cheap out, giving pocket pairs a way out when they get behind (77ish folds on an A high flop), while still being called by pocket pairs when they are well ahead of you (77ish calls on a J84 flop). This is the exact opposite of what you want.

With AK, you're looking to see five cards and double up. This is among the most clear-cut decisions that you will ever face IMO. Push

-Kings

[TruFloridaGator]

This is a good push.

[nova]

I'd say push here as well: figure if you call the raise, the BB can close betting and see the flop, then you are against 2 hands. While you 'could' get away from the hand by seeing you didn't hit the flop, I'd assume getting all the money in pre-flop per the coin flip scenario