AK, level 1, all-in?

[dfscott]

I've been trying to play less early, since I find myself hitting level 4 with 500-600 chips. However, I felt like I had to play this one, but maybe I didn't? You decide...

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP1 (t240)
MP2 (t1095)
MP3 (t760)
Hero (t775)
Button (t930)
SB (t860)
BB (t800)
UTG (t800)
UTG+1 (t1145)
UTG+2 (t595)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG calls t15, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP1 calls t15, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP3 calls t15, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t100</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, BB calls t85, UTG calls t85, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to t240 (All-in)</font>, MP3 folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t775 (All-in)</font>, BB calls t715, UTG folds.

My thoughts were that MP1 could be pushing with any two, based on his prior play, and my push would shut out BB and UTG, who I really didn't want in the hand. Is this too aggressive and/or flawed thinking?

[TruFloridaGator]

Good play.

[citanul]

i like your play, and your reasoning. getting called by a player behind you is eh, it happens sometimes, but hey, sometimes (possibly often) they call with crap.

citanul

[gasgod]

AK wants to be all-in PF, and this doesn't look like the exception to me. I agree.

GG

[wuwei]

Nice hand.

[bones]

I consider myself a solid favorite in the 20s, but I'm not (and I doubt anyone else is) enough of a favorite to not try to get all of my chips in with AK pre-flop. With the rare exception of something like 2-3 all-ins before my action, I'll do what I have to to get my chips in. You will be shown AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, 44, etc. so often that it will far outweigh the times you're on the bad side of a coin flip or run into aces or kings.

On a side note, I'd imagine this is one of the major adjustments in moving up in levels.

[TheUsher]

Your re-raise is good to isolate the all-in player and try to have some dead chips in the pot as an added overlay, but your initial PF raise is kinda bad IMHO. This could be a reason why you're getting late with few chips as you'll miss most flops and you're just creating a big pot here which will require a big continuation bet on the flop.

BB cold-call should sort of scare you too if you're thinking of going all-in as there's a higher probability now they'll call an all-in. (in higher levels this might be more true). If BB didn't call, I'd really really like this all-in.

[Blarg]

You had reads on his pushing with any two based on his prior play when the BB was still only 15? That's either good reading or he did some bizarre stuff previously. I can see his pushing just because of his terrible chip count, though.

That said, you have $580 in the pot and a very good hand, but it doesn't stand up to a broad field very well, so you want to isolate. Your push was an attempt to do just that, so it seems sensible to me. You put yourself at relatively low risk compared to the amount of money you can win if everybody folds except for the guy already all-in, and at a chance to make a helluva scoop if you get a call and manage to eek out a win over one or both of the all-ins. I like it.

Your chances to lose are always good in this kind of scenario, but the potential reward seems to be exceptionally large if you win this time -- $1280, it looks like. You don't get that many opportunities to pick up that much dough with such a good hand.

[tech]

[ QUOTE ]
You will be shown AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, 44, etc. so often that it will far outweigh the times you're on the bad side of a coin flip

[/ QUOTE ]

44 pretty much IS the wrong side of a coinslip.

[TheUsher]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You will be shown AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, 44, etc. so often that it will far outweigh the times you're on the bad side of a coin flip

[/ QUOTE ]

44 pretty much IS the wrong side of a coinslip.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think he meant based on the whole range of hands his opponent was on.

[dfscott]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You will be shown AQ, AJ, KQ, KJ, 44, etc. so often that it will far outweigh the times you're on the bad side of a coin flip

[/ QUOTE ]

44 pretty much IS the wrong side of a coinslip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I was worried that BB had a pair.

Not to turn this into a bad beat post, but I went from ecstasy to agony in about 3 seconds, as I had about the best possible situation pre-flop. MP had K /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif, while BB had Q /images/graemlins/spade.gifJ /images/graemlins/spade.gif making me 50% to win. However, they managed to coax out 3 of the remaining 8 spades (without coaxing out a fourth to go with my Ace) and mortally wounded me.

So, I'm trying to see past the tilt to the play, which looks like it was reasonable.

[curtains]

One pretty irrelevant thing I do, but I like to raise people by even amounts. For instance instead of making it 100, I make it 115 to charge them a flat 100. I don't know if it makes any difference or not but it just feels right somehow. For instance in the 10-15 round if theres a limper, I'll raise to 65, charging them an even 50.

Anyway I think it's basically not very relevant, but it's just something I do.

[TheUsher]

[ QUOTE ]

One pretty irrelevant thing I do, but I like to raise people by even amounts. For instance instead of making it 100, I make it 115 to charge them a flat 100. I don't know if it makes any difference or not but it just feels right somehow. For instance in the 10-15 round if theres a limper, I'll raise to 65, charging them an even 50.

Anyway I think it's basically not very relevant, but it's just something I do.

[/ QUOTE ]

I love doing this on Level 2 w/ 1 limper and making it 130. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Blarg]

Sounds kind of like the sales theory that says $99.99 is cheap, but $100.00 is expensive.

[Deuce2High]

[ QUOTE ]

One pretty irrelevant thing I do, but I like to raise people by even amounts. For instance instead of making it 100, I make it 115 to charge them a flat 100. I don't know if it makes any difference or not but it just feels right somehow. For instance in the 10-15 round if theres a limper, I'll raise to 65, charging them an even 50.

Anyway I think it's basically not very relevant, but it's just something I do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow... I do the same thing. Big numbers appear to bigger!

[curtains]

Yes in level 2 I make it 130 after a 30 limp too.

[TheUsher]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

One pretty irrelevant thing I do, but I like to raise people by even amounts. For instance instead of making it 100, I make it 115 to charge them a flat 100. I don't know if it makes any difference or not but it just feels right somehow. For instance in the 10-15 round if theres a limper, I'll raise to 65, charging them an even 50.

Anyway I think it's basically not very relevant, but it's just something I do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow... I do the same thing. Big numbers appear to bigger!

[/ QUOTE ]

Now if you really want to be crazy, do you ever bet weird amounts to make it seem like the bet is bigger than an even bet since it'll show more chips on the screen? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[curtains]

Nah I don't stoop that low.