Another AKo to kick around

[DougBrennan]

If this forum isn't already too overloaded on the AK question, I've got one that I'd like some opinions on.

UB multi--2nd hand--all stacks between 990 and 1020

I'm in the SB with AKo--blinds 5/10--two MP limpers--CO+1 raises to 20
CO raises to 70
Button folds
I call 70
BB folds
MPs both fold fold
CO+1 raise to 120
CO raise to 520

Now at hand 2 I've got no reads on anyone, but the minimum raise followed by two re-raises seem to me like someone's got AA or KK, and maybe both are out there. Now I grant you that it could just as easily have been QQ vs. AJs or
something of the sort.

Anyway, partly due the the many discussions here I opt for discretion and

I fold.

CO+1 calls.

Flop: A 9 6 rainbow

CO+1 goes all-in for 480
CO folds

and I am left to wonder forevermore if I folded the winner.

Thoughts on my fold? Does anyone think I should have raised the first re-raise
to gain more information?

This hand bugs me for some reason. It started the tourney off badly for me, and I never recovered.

Thanks for any opinions.

[CrisBrown]

dbrennan,

"Now at hand 2 I've got no reads on anyone."

That's the answer to your question, dbrennan. You played it correctly BECAUSE at that point there was no way to put anyone on a hand. AA or KK were certainly possible hands, given the way the pot came out, along with a host of others, and there was no way for you to assign values to any of those hands with anything better than sheer guesswork. Why risk your entire stack on a guess? So, you played it correctly.

The larger issue, though, is why this compromised your entire tournament. You'd lost only 70 chips, which have little or no meaning because it's only hand #2. Yes, you had to lay down AK before you saw that A-high flop, but that laydown saved you a HUGE pile if your opponent had AA, didn't it? /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Think that's an absurd question? Try this:

PSO, $11 two-table sit-and-go, six players remaining (top four pay) and I have a slight chip lead with 8300 vs. the second place's 7900. I catch AA in the big blind. UTG goes all-in for about 1900 (short stack). Button has about 5000 and he calls. I reraise because I'm happy with the pot right there, and I want him pot-committed if I hit the flop so I can bust two players. Now he has over half his stack in the pot vs. an all-in raise and then a reraise.

Flop is A-10-4. I move all-in. As I expected, the button calls. UTG has TT, button has AK ... giving me top set vs. UTG's 2nd set vs. button's top pair. That pot knocked out two bubble players and gave me a commanding chip lead with four players remaining. I went on to win.

I don't fault the short stack for moving all-in on TT from UTG; he had no way of knowing there was someone out there with AA. But the button made a terrible mistake in calling my pre-flop reraise with only AK in hand. Why? Because I reraised vs. an all-in raise and call. He should have put me on one of the only two sensible hands with which to do that: AA or KK.

You made the right play. I'm sorry it tilted you, though.

Cris