Bellagio $540 no-limit tournament hand

[M.B.E.]

With 27 players remaining, I have $7000 out of $120,000 in play (i.e. above average).

The blinds are 100-200. In middle position I open-raise to 600 with A/forums/images/icons/club.gifK/forums/images/icons/club.gif. The button makes it 2100 and we're heads up. He has a slightly bigger stack than mine. What's my play?

If my AK had been offsuit instead of suited, would your answer change?

(The tables had just consolidated, so I had no read on the button.)

[Greg (FossilMan)]

All-in or fold, with a strong proclivity towards all-in.

Calling would be a big mistake, given the stack sizes. You can't call 30% of your stack preflop and then fold everytime you miss. That would be horrible.

An argument can be made for calling now, and then betting all-in on the flop everytime. This could cause him to lay down small/medium pairs when 2-3 overcards hit (even when they've missed you), and buy you some pots you would've lost. However, given stack sizes, this probably isn't the best play unless you know the player, and know he can lay down when you make this play.

Get it all in now, and maybe he folds. If not, you're probably in a coin toss. Heck, I've seen guys play AQ in this spot, so you might be getting it all-in as a 3:1 favorite.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Jon Matthews]

Call and see a flop...

Both with suited and off suit. You could be up against exactly the same hand. Also your preflop raise was only 2xBB so he might have put you on an alright ace type hand and could have even reraised you with AQo.

[gunboat]

If the opponent has been aggressive, re-raising frequently and taking down pots that way, go all-in.

If he is a rock, fold unless you are looking for a top spot and are ready to gamble.

If his post flop play is weak and since you are out of position, I would agree that you could try a call, then all-in on any flop. Either you hit or you represent an overpair such as QQ/JJ. Myself, I would be very suspicious if you tried this on a rag flop and I had TT/99 - since I would have expected a re-raise from you pre-flop with those hands.

[Rickfish]

Against an unknown player I'd assume a big pair or AK but some players wouldn't re-raise with AK. Options:
Fold - Not bad. still left with 6400 there will be better spots.
Call - um. Still left with 4900. You need to flop A or K and presumably you'll play a flush draw. None of these will help if button has AA and do you want to bust out on a draw?
Raise - er. No chips left. 5 cards to hit A, K or flush. Big gamble.
Looking at each I think I'd rather fold and wait for a better spot. It looks like the best EV is if button also has AK. Just make sure you don't tell anyone what you folded. In fact, you could say "I think you have me out-kicked" as you fold.

[punkass]

Im not a fan of just calling. If he has the same hand, aggression will the the only thing that kicks someone out. Push it all in PF. If he has AA or KK, that sucks. Smaller pairs are even odds. You kill if he has AQ and such.

AKo or AKs is a tough hand to go allin on if you don't like coin tosses, but I think it's necessary.

[Copernicus]

Calling is a big mistake. Lay it down if the raiser is incapable of an attempted steal and you dont like being on the short end of a coin toss, otherwise its an easy all-in.

I think you'll see almost as many Ax and Kxs as you will pairs if the raiser is at all agressive.

[M.B.E.]

I reraised all in; my opponent called and showed KK. The board was no help and I busted out of the tournament.

It is some consolation that most of you who responded endorsed my all-in play. I was hoping of course that he had a smaller pocket pair (or AK) and would muck. I actually never considered the possibility he had a weaker ace (or Kxs as Copernicus suggested) -- would players in this calibre tournament really risk a quarter of their chips on a hand like that?

After the hand I was fantasizing that maybe I could have won by just calling my opponent's raise preflop and then going all in on the turn (when I had a flush draw), assuming my opponent checked the flop. But even if that would have worked, Greg is right that the raise was too much, in relation to my stack size, to call and then fold if I missed. (If my opponent had raised only 750 instead of 1500 then calling preflop might have been correct.)

Thanks to all posters for their responses.