Comments on this play??

[CrisBrown]

Hi kleraudio,

The pot-sized pre-flop raise is fine, but if you're seeing AK as a through ticket here (and that's not unreasonable), why not go ahead and get maximum fold equity pre-flop with a push?

To put it another way, I don't think there's anything wrong with your push at this flop. If you bet the pot, you're left with only 6xBB (six-handed, where only four pay) if he reraises and you muck. That's an ugly situation. Checking this flop screams weakness and sacrifices 25% of your stack when you fold to his all-in bet. Given that it's a $10 SNG at PartyPoker, there's a decent chance your all-in will get called by a weaker Ace or weaker overcards who are "playing a wish" (i.e.: hoping you're bluffing). So yes, this push is fine ... and in fact there aren't a whole lot of flops where you're not going to be willing to push in this spot.

So ... since you're going to be willing to push on almost any flop here, why not go ahead and do it pre-flop, when you can be reasonably sure you're either a big favorite or at worst a small underdog? If he calls with a dominated hand and catches -- as he would have -- oh well. If he mucks, you pick up a T500 pot, which is nice in this spot.

For that reason, I'd have pushed pre-flop.

Cris