Foxwoods $2000 NLHE Final Table Hand

[Toro]

My friend is catching some grief about the way he played this hand and asked me to post it to get some opinions. This was a $2000 buy-in NLHE event in the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods last Fall.

Four players left, chip stacks as follows:
Seat 1: 380,000
Seat 2: 120,000 (hero)
Seat 3: 24,000
Seat 4: 78,000 (villian)

Prize money as follows:
1st: $154,000
2nd: $94,000
3rd: $59,000
4th: $42,000

Blinds were 4000/8000 with a 500 ante. Seat 1 is the BB and Seat 2 is UTG. Seat 4 is the SB and has been very aggressive.

UTG has AKo and has a plan to try and trap Seat 4 in this hand. He has limped before and Seat 4 has come over the top so he limps with the AK hoping seat 4 will raise and his plan is to re-raise all-in.

So seat 2 open limps for 8000. Seat 3 co-operates by folding and as expected seat 4 raises but he raises all-in. Seat 1 folds. Should seat 2 call or fold here?

[sdplayerb]

i'd call. he got what he wanted, the guy to come over the top.
the SB doesn't have AA or KK, as he wouldn't push so big.
So he is a big favorite or a small dog..that is what you want.

[sfwusc]

As much as I hate it. I fold.

Here is the reason---seat three is going out next unless someone screws up.

I play for place here. Waiting out seat 3 is worth $17K. Then I would take on seat 4 for 2nd.
After surviving that---i go after the big stack.

I will take whatever checks people will give me along the way.

I dont like calling an all in with AK. If I had AA KK then i would call.

If you lose you are going to go out third or fourth.

just my thoughts.

SWUSC

[Lurshy]

I don't love the trap with a hand that may need to improve to win (would rather open raise PF).

Hero was looking to bait the sb, and the sb came as hero wanted. I don't know what villan's standard raise was but with the blinds 4k/8k and him less than 80k a push is not surprising. Especially if he thinks he has a bunch of folding equity based on history and the escalating payouts... Unfortunately SB would certainly push if he had any kind of a pair though given the situation.

Hero does have the villan covered.

I call.

[betgo]

Easy call. AK 4-handed???

I think the trap is fine if you think you will be raised. He may very well fold to a limpraise, fearing a big pair, particularly if he wasn't raising with much.

[Hotrod0823]

If you're going to fold to a raise with AKx then why waste the 8K for a limp?

He got what he wanted a SB push its and easy call I think. You are still left with 40K if you miss and can wait out the short stack.

Are you playing for second of first. Adding almost over 80k to your stack would make the guy in first a little less of a favorite vs. your 200K stack. By calling you all but guarantee second place money, at worst get third place money.

Then again I've never played for that kind of cash but folding AKx seems weak to me.

[Ship_it_tome]

this is absolutely the easiest decision for two types of players, those who play for hourly rate and those who play to win, in this case, you are playing for both, and you have the easiest call in history.

[Toro]

Anyone taking into account the big jump in payouts from 3rd to 2nd?

[drexah]

I agree with the earlier post...why waste 8k on a limp if you are going to fold to a re-raise? He got what he wanted, he has to call this. AK 4 handed with an all-in raiser who like you said is aggressive and has done this before. if 17k is a HUGE deal to this guy then im sure he can fold and wait for small stack to go out. but who knows, small stack could double up a few times and this guy wishes he called. Not sure how better of a situation you can get at this point for a good chance to win 150 grand. He's either a huge favorite or a small dog and i think he has to call this. He is still at least alive if he loses and has a good chance of outlasting the other small stack. call. results?

[srw5n]

That's more of a case for raising IMO.

There's already 13K in the pot with blinds and antes. So I don't see why he would want either the larger stack or the other medium stack in the hand with middle pairs, when a raise probably forces them out.

Further if no one raises now he's lost on the flop. If some one does raise he's likely facing a PP and now probably has to call while behind.