Satelittle for a Legends Seat, Bubble time and I'm in the lead

[SoBeDude]

A friend of mine didn't like me playing this hand at this spot. He may have a point but I'd like more opinions.

8 people left, 7 seats given out to the WPT event in Legends next month. I'm the chip leader thanks to some overly-tight play by my opponents.

His position is I'm in the chip lead and can most likely post & fold my way to a seat.

Game #908188636 - Tournament Legends $500 - 1,500/3,000 No Limit Texas Hold'em - 2005/07/25-00:27:43.4 (CST)
Table "Legends $500 7" (MTT) -- Seat 5 is the button
Seat 1: KTiddy (12,237 in chips)
Seat 2: steveman (28,968 in chips)
Seat 4: saintfc (8,175 in chips)
Seat 5: wilshasnutz (18,844 in chips)
Seat 7: kaos2 (17,990 in chips)
Seat 8: Sam E Nole (20,575 in chips)
Seat 9: BrooDogg (14,736 in chips)
Seat 10: SoBeDude (32,975 in chips)
steveman: Ante (150)
saintfc : Ante (150)
wilshasnutz: Ante (150)
kaos2 : Ante (150)
Sam E Nole: Ante (150)
BrooDogg: Ante (150)
SoBeDude: Ante (150)
KTiddy : Ante (150)
kaos2 : Post Small Blind (1,500)
Sam E Nole: Post Big Blind (3,000)
Dealing...
Dealt to SoBeDude [ Ah ]
Dealt to SoBeDude [ Kc ]
BrooDogg: Fold
SoBeDude: Raise (9,000)
KTiddy : Fold
steveman: Fold
saintfc : Fold
wilshasnutz: Raise (18,694)
kaos2 : Fold
Sam E Nole: Fold
SoBeDude: Call (9,694)
*** FLOP *** : [ Tc 9c Qc ]
*** TURN *** : [ Tc 9c Qc ] [ Ad ]
*** RIVER *** : [ Tc 9c Qc Ad ] [ Td ]
*** SUMMARY ***
Pot: 43,088 | Board: [ Tc 9c Qc Ad Td ]
KTiddy lost 150 (folded)
steveman lost 150 (folded)
saintfc lost 150 (folded)
wilshasnutz lost 18,844 (showed hand) [ Jc Js ] (two pair, jacks and tens)
kaos2 lost 1,650 (folded)
Sam E Nole lost 3,150 (folded)
BrooDogg lost 150 (folded)
SoBeDude bet 18,844, collected 43,088, net +24,244 (showed hand) [ Ah Kc ] (two pair, aces and tens)

Opinions?

-Scott

[burgi]

I don't like this hand either. If you can fold to a seat, why not just do it. If you lose this hand, you are going to be one of the shortstacks. No reason for you to get into that position!
By the way, this is even one of the few spots where it might be right to fold AA preflop, if there is such a situation.

[bugstud]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't like this hand either. If you can fold to a seat, why not just do it. If you lose this hand, you are going to be one of the shortstacks. No reason for you to get into that position!
By the way, this is even one of the few spots where it might be right to fold AA preflop, if there is such a situation.

[/ QUOTE ]

these blinds are ridiculous. chiplead with less than 11 BB? hell, if the shorty wins then it's a nice fun game of chicken.

I'm ok with it

[soweak.]

I'm ok with it because

1) you cover the guy
2) you will not become the shortest stack
3) the blinds are not coming around to you before the shorter stacks.

The guy with an 8K stack must've been thrilled, good luck in L.A.

[bruce]

The guy who went all in with JJ is the live one. What does
he think you have if you call? Calling is a poor play by him. He's either a small favorite or behind if you call.
Why play this hand when there is a smaller stack?

Bruce

[bruce]

By the way, what site did you play this on?

Bruce

[SoBeDude]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way, what site did you play this on?

Bruce

[/ QUOTE ]

Paradise

[durron597]

I would just move in preflop. None of the big stacks will call you without AA or KK which is unlikely given your hand.

[Lloyd]

Well, I think I'd fold this. It does look like you could fold your way into the money so why take the risk. Once you raise you've got to call.

[billyjex]

i probably fold this because you look like you're in too good of a position to fold your way in (did 8th pay anything?)

what do you guys think of the guy w/ JJ's play? do you wait for a better spot than one where you know you're getting called?

[SoBeDude]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, I think I'd fold this. It does look like you could fold your way into the money so why take the risk. Once you raise you've got to call.

[/ QUOTE ]

The call was never in question.

[davidross]

THis makes for a great theoretical discussion. As you say, you got the chip lead because everyone got tight. I'd love to know what your overall strategy was, how big a stack did you want to accumulate before coasting? I love how everyone says you can fold AA and just coast. SOunds like the small stack will be the only one playing, and eventually it will be your turn to be the small stack.


I do think I push here rather than the raise you made, in case they don't realise they're calling for all their chips.

[Lloyd]

I think if I'm him facing a raise from the chip leader (but not so much the chip leader that he can just bully people around), I know I'm behind his range of hands. I think AK is the worst hand I'm facing and about the only hand I'm ahead of is TT and I'm not even sure that could be in the range (meaning if I'm the chipleader here I'd be raising with pretty much just big pairs).

[Lloyd]

[ QUOTE ]
THis makes for a great theoretical discussion. As you say, you got the chip lead because everyone got tight. I'd love to know what your overall strategy was, how big a stack did you want to accumulate before coasting? I love how everyone says you can fold AA and just coast. SOunds like the small stack will be the only one playing, and eventually it will be your turn to be the small stack.


I do think I push here rather than the raise you made, in case they don't realise they're calling for all their chips.

[/ QUOTE ]
I definitely agree that pushing is preferable to just raising. There is only one person who has a big enough stack that you could fold if he re-raised, and I'd take a chance that he doesn't have a big hand as I think he folds all but AA/KK.

I don't think we can fold every hand in this situation. Certainly I'd be playing AA and KK, maybe QQ.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]

His position is I'm in the chip lead and can most likely post & fold my way to a seat.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is true; there are three stacks with less than 5 BBs. I don't think you have any business being in this hand; just fold and enjoy the seat.

I think an interesting question would be what chip position you would need to be in before you should play this AK.

[gumpzilla]

[ QUOTE ]
I love how everyone says you can fold AA and just coast. SOunds like the small stack will be the only one playing, and eventually it will be your turn to be the small stack.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are three stacks with <5 BBs. As soon as any one of them makes a couple of steals, the others are going to start getting nervous instead. Basically, there are enough people who are in an insecure position that there should be plenty of jostling here and SoBe is very likely to be able to fold into a seat. I think this would be a tougher decision if he had KK, and even then I think I might fold. With AK I really think the risk is far greater than the reward.

[SoBeDude]

[ QUOTE ]
THis makes for a great theoretical discussion. As you say, you got the chip lead because everyone got tight. I'd love to know what your overall strategy was, how big a stack did you want to accumulate before coasting? I love how everyone says you can fold AA and just coast. SOunds like the small stack will be the only one playing, and eventually it will be your turn to be the small stack.


I do think I push here rather than the raise you made, in case they don't realise they're calling for all their chips.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi David,

IMO, a raise looks more like a real hand than a push. A push from EP looks vulnerable, like a pair of 7's or ATo praying no one calls. But a raise says I have a hand and I want to play, not I have a hand but I want everyone to fold (as I think a push says).

As far as coasting, it was nothing of the sort. I was in the lower rank, and quite often in last place in chips. Twice I shoved from UTG with J9sooted and all folded, paying my trip through the blinds. the second time I did it (back to back UTG hands) I then got a walk in the BB next, so scooped back to back pots. with those three scoops I moved in to first.

Also realize as chip leader I have only 11 BBs. this is not a deep stack. Although as leader, many things have to happen before I bust out, so given that I just need one bad thing to happen to one player, my friend has a valid point that folding everything MIGHT be the right strat in this spot.

Lets look at it in reverse. lets say his jacks hold up and I lose a major chunk of my stack. no I'm still not in last place, but I'm in front of the blinds and could quickly find myself in last place and struggling for my life, being forced to play a hand and win to say in the hunt. Or I could have folded my AK and someone still busted out the next hand or two.

So given all this, what decision is correct? so far all we seem to be getting is gut feelings, with nothing substantial to back them up.

Personally I think the AK play MIGHT have been a mistake, but one that worked out.

-Scott