satellite bubble AK hand

[M.B.E.]

Down to last three players in this NLHE satellite; stacks are:

SB (me): 5,400
BB: 2,400
button: 16,000

First place gets a $650 seat; second gets around $500; and third gets nothing. Blinds are 100/200, ante 25.

The big stack on the button has been raising frequently but not every hand. He also has been gratuitously showing big hands (TT, QQ, etc.) after many of these raises when the other two of us fold preflop.

Obviously my general strategy here is to play conservatively, in particular avoiding confrontations with the big stack, hoping that the small stack makes a mistake and loses all his chips. He has a while before being blinded off.

On the hand in question, the button raises to 600 and I have AKo in the small blind. I consider folding, but we seem to be too far from the end to be folding AK. I didn't want to raise all-in, because I thought the button would call if he had a pocket pair. So I decided to call, and then move in on the flop if it was ace- or king-high.

The BB folded, and the flop came Q-8-3. I checked, the button moved in, and I folded.

[ohkanada]

I can't argue with your play. Sometimes a weak tight play is fine. Although 1st is nice, taking 2nd is certainly fine.

Ken Poklitar

[Tyler Durden]

I think I played in this satellite. Started at 12:30 AM EST right? I was the jackass that busted sixth. What's your name on Stars? You weren't EmmittSmith were you?

[JARID]

As I was reading the situation the solution that came to mind was exactly what you ended up doing. I don't see a problem here.

[M.B.E.]

No, it was a different one. Stars runs these around the clock.

[M.B.E.]

[ QUOTE ]
I can't argue with your play. Sometimes a weak tight play is fine. Although 1st is nice, taking 2nd is certainly fine.

[/ QUOTE ]
There was not much difference in value between first and second. Also, first was very unlikely because the button's stack was so large. Finishing third would be catastrophic considering it pays $0 and I currently have a decent chip lead over the third-place player.

The 500 chips that I used on the preflop call was almost 10% of my stack. The idea behind my strategy is that 2/3 of the time I will just forfeit this 500 chips, which brings me down closer to the third-place player. Also, I may still end up going broke if the flop comes ace- or king- high;for example, the button might flop two pair or a set, or might call the flop with a draw and get there. This last possibility is unlikely of course, but do I want to risk it, considering that by just folding I have a pretty good shot of taking second place which pays $500? Another possible bad outcome is that the short stack could reraise all-in, and the button call. Then what would I do?

[La Brujita]

I think you played it correctly.

[jwvdcw]

As an aside...I think thats a terrible payout structure to have such a huge difference between 2nd and 3rd, yet little difference at all between 1st and 2nd.