AK preflop: call 1/3 of my stack, push or fold?

[EasilyFound]

$11 SNG. Is this a fold or all-in situation for me? Or is there justification for putting 1/3 of my stack in play and hoping to see a flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (7 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

UTG (t1520)
MP1 (t1850)
MP2 (t1755)
Hero (t935)
Button (t485)
SB (t935)
BB (t520)

Preflop: Hero is CO with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to t325</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Hero ???

[Freudian]

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Or is there justification for putting 1/3 of my stack in play and hoping to see a flop?

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Not if you plan to fold if you miss the flop and he bets out.

[gasgod]

Push.

Most of the time, I think you will take it right there. If he calls, you probably have a coinflip, or if he's loose, you dominate him. The t400 chips in the pot justify this gamble. If he has AA or KK, you should concentrate on being luckier next time. JMHO

Folding seems too weak-tight, and calling leaves him in charge, and also might give the three players behind you a shot at drawing out on you.


GG

[1C5]

Plus that seems like too much of a raise for AA or KK.

I would guess JJ or QQ as a possible hand maybe? Tough call. 3 choices. Call the raise then push on the flop no matter what, or fold PF or push PF.

Tough decision.

EDIT, oh wait it is the $11s, I guess AJ as the hand. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Freudian]

Hehe. I just played a 22$. First hand someone makes a crazy overbet to 350 preflop. I have AK and push. He has KQ. Might add he got the Q on the river.

The moral of the story. Luck &gt; skill

[Phil Van Sexton]

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is there justification for putting 1/3 of my stack in play and hoping to see a flop?

[/ QUOTE ]

no

[1C5]

What do you do here, push PF?

[Phil Van Sexton]

[ QUOTE ]
What do you do here, push PF?

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Yes.

You can't just call because you will not be first act on the flop.

If the hero were SB/BB, a stop-and-go would be possible, but I'd still push and try to get him to fold preflop.

[EasilyFound]

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What do you do here, push PF?

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I called, the called his push on the flop when the board produced 9-8-7 rainbow. I thought about pushing, but he would have been getting more than 2-1 to call at that point, so I figured if he had any minimal understanding of odds (I know, I know, a big if at this level), he would call. Plus, my read was that he was not going to fold to a push. I felt more comfortable calling and pushing the flop if he checked. As it turned out, he had 10-10, and pushed the flop. So I called, and that was that. No help on the turn and the river. I don't know if that was winning thinking, but that is how I analyzed it at the time.

[Phil Van Sexton]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What do you do here, push PF?

[/ QUOTE ]

I called, the called his push on the flop when the board produced 9-8-7 rainbow. I thought about pushing, but he would have been getting more than 2-1 to call at that point, so I figured if he had any minimal understanding of odds (I know, I know, a big if at this level), he would call. Plus, my read was that he was not going to fold to a push. I felt more comfortable calling and pushing the flop if he checked. As it turned out, he had 10-10, and pushed the flop. So I called, and that was that. No help on the turn and the river. I don't know if that was winning thinking, but that is how I analyzed it at the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Basically you called and planned to get the rest of your chips in on the flop no matter what. The problem with this plan is that he will get off cheaply if you are ahead, but you lose your stack if you are behind.

Let's say an Ace flopped, the guy with TT is going to check/fold. You have left it up to him if he wants to put the rest of his stack in, and he'll probably only do it if he is ahead.

When you have a hand like AK, you need to flop an A or K. Once an A or K flops, everyone sees it and you won't be getting any action. If you had JJ, your play might have made more sense.

Alternatively, he could have had AJ like IC5 guessed. If the flop is 987, he's probably going to check/fold and you don't maximize your profit.

[1C5]

Good points.

So to recap why to push preflop. It doesn't allow hands like TT to get off cheaply if they see a bad flop or bust you if they see a good flop.

Also at the lower levels, if you push you are going to beat QQ or lower a good % of the time anyway. (KK and AA, you are screwed but that won't happen often)

And the best part is that by pushing, you will often be dominating hands like AJ or AQ that the raiser will often turn over.

So next time push PF. /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[sng-sam]

Push it's not even close. The overbet screams " I don't want to see a flop" I have the villan on JJ or TT. Push and pray.

[AA suited]

at 50+5, i would have folded. i'm on the wrong side of the coin flip. i would find a better spot to risk my healthy stack.

too weak-tight??? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[11t]

I fold here as well although I play lower limits. Only hand you are very far ahead of that I could see somebody making this raise with is AQ. His bet screams "I have the best hand PF and all I want is the blinds."

I say let him have his 75 and find a better spot.

[Apathy]

Clear push PF.

[Nottom]

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Plus that seems like too much of a raise for AA or KK.

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Am I the only one who runs into AA everytime I think that raise is too big to be AA?

[adanthar]

In a $11, clear push. In a $55, clear fold.

[EasilyFound]

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In a $11, clear push. In a $55, clear fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

In a $55, what do you normally expect a player to have to make a bet like that?

[Voltron87]

A push here would be extremely gangster. A 20 post thread about it is not, however.

[adanthar]

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In a $55, what do you normally expect a player to have to make a bet like that?

[/ QUOTE ]

In theory, it can be a lot of weird crap but it's more likely he has a medium pair as opposed to the typical $11 97o.

[EasilyFound]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
In a $55, what do you normally expect a player to have to make a bet like that?

[/ QUOTE ]

In theory, it can be a lot of weird crap but it's more likely he has a medium pair as opposed to the typical $11 97o.

[/ QUOTE ]

So at a $55, you would fold to avoid getting on the wrong side of a coin flip at that stage of the tourney?

[adanthar]

Yeah, because there's no dead chips to overlay it.

[EasilyFound]

I'm learning. I'm understanding. More dead chips make up for being on the wrong side of the coin flip. That makes sense.