$11's AK level 1

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

How would you all have played this hand? I am just rebounding from some losing sessions and was wondering if I was too passive on this hand...

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

CO (t760)
Button (t650)
Hero (t980)
BB (t445)
UTG (t800)
UTG+1 (t1035)
UTG+2 (t800)
MP1 (t800)
MP2 (t800)
MP3 (t930)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls t15, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP1 calls t15, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 raises to t85</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Hero calls t75, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds.

Flop: (t215) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7/images/graemlins/club.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 bets t845 (All-In)</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t1060

[gildwulf]

I don't even want to pretend I know how to play AK yet preflop...but the general consensus from this thread (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&amp;Number=2804527&amp;page=5&amp;view=c ollapsed&amp;sb=5&amp;o=14&amp;fpart=1) is that you need to push preflop. There is an important reasoning from Citanul and others that explains it much better than I could.

[tshort]

I reraise to about 160 preflop. If he pushes, fold. If he calls he probably has TT-JJ, AK (maybe even worse at $11s). Easy fold to the push on the flop.

[tshort]

Thinking about this more. I agree that playing this is very tricky. You could raise to about 200. Then push any flop.

If you push this, he will obviously call with AA/KK and you will be dominated. He will probably call with JJ, QQ, and maybe even lower pair, a situation I wouldn't want to be in when blinds are 15/10. There will be times he will call your push with AQ, AJ, and maybe AT. I don't think this happens enought to outweigh the races that are toss-ups or you are dominated.

[gildwulf]

This is the 11s. They will be instacalling with A6o.

[DarrenX]

If it was a weaker raise to say, 50, I would reraise to 150. At 85, I like the flat-call, and I'm check-folding this flop to an all-in as well... it's early, and you don't have a pair.

[tshort]

Lol. I guess I haven't played 11s for a while.

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
Thinking about this more. I agree that playing this is very tricky. You could raise to about 200. Then push any flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

This advice seems suicidal to me. First off, being an 11, your re-raise to 200 will be called. Pushing any flop just seems nuts at this point. You're not desperate, why make a desperation play?

OP began the hand with t980 on level one, the hand was raised after a limper to t85. To me, a push here just screams "AK" and being an 11, your AK will be called by lots of players with a PP of 8 or higher.

Your other options are to call and play the hand OOP after missing the flop 2/3 of the time or to fold.

Given all the factors in this hand (including that the OP is in fine chip position currently) I have no problem folding pre-flop here. I'm sure that I am in the minority on this one.