Steps 200+15 on the bubble w/AKo
 

the background:
I typically two table the NL 10s & 20s at party, with a smattering of NL $20 & $30 multis thrown in to the mix (one or two a week). Good results at all levels that I play. I've had a freeroll into a step 3 two table for quite some time, and today i had a chance to use it (i realize this is the 1-table forum, but i believe the question is better suited to be asked here). After getting my head ready and sitting down at the table, after a couple of hands i realize that i inadvertantly signed up for a LIMIT tourney. Not my strength by any means. Probably a grand total of 250 ring hands lifetime. Guess I'll just sit tight, play the top ten, and shoot for 9th place so that i get a do-over. (1-6 move to step 4, 7-9 do over, 10-11 move down a step.

The action:
Down to 10 from the 20 that started. One more gone and I get my freeroll back. Two ultra shortstacks to my left. Only the third hand after filling up the final table. Big blind will jump to t300 in about 30 seconds.

Party Poker Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind t200 (10 handed) converter

CO (t3075)
Button (t3565)
Hero (t845)
BB (t485)
UTG (t1630)
UTG+1 (t4220)
UTG+2 (t420)
MP1 (t3100)
MP2 (t1931)
MP3 (t729)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, <font color="red"> Hero ??? </font>


and then, two hands later ..

Party Poker Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind t300 (10 handed) converter

MP2 (t3075)
MP3 (t3565)
Hero (t745)
Button (t85)
SB (t2230)
BB (t3820)
UTG (t420)
UTG+1 (t3100)
UTG+2 (t2231)
MP1 (t729)

Preflop: Hero is CO with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, <font color="red"> Hero ??? </font>

Re: Steps 200+15 on the bubble w/AKo
 

1 is tougher than 2, but I think your chip position is such (six big stacks, four short, the sixth has double/triple the seventh) that you probably need to fold both.

Re: Steps 200+15 on the bubble w/AKo
 

and that's what i did. ..well, almost

Re: Steps 200+15 on the bubble w/AKo
 

just curious as to why in hand2 u do not go all in, because the big stacks will call....and thats bad?

just a note, i dont play tourneys but was doing some research and found this interesting post

Re: Steps 200+15 on the bubble w/AKo
 

Under "normal" tourney payout structures it would be a crime to fold both of those hands, but this particular step 3 tourney is different. The payouts are extremely flat (1-6 move to step 4, 7-9 do over, 10-11 move down a step.) There is nothing gained by finishing 1st vs 6th, or 7th vs 9th, therefore chip preservation outweighs chip acquisition. This, of course, highlights the luxury of having a mid to large sized stack and being able to steal from all the weak/tight players such as myself (only w/t in this particular situation [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

[ QUOTE ]
just curious as to why in hand2 u do not go all in, because the big stacks will call....and thats bad?

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, in this particular situation, that would be bad. AKo is not such a huge favorite against one or two random hands to warrant me getting all my chips in the middle. The player to my immediate left will be forced all in the next time the blinds come around, and there is also a short stack four doors down with t420 in chips that has t450 in blinds headed his way.

As I mentioned in the beginning of my post, I inadvertantly signed up for a limit tourney instead of NL, felt a bit out of my element, and was content to just get my freeroll back.

To be results oriented, the second hand was actually played to the river by the SB &amp; BB.

flop: 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
turn: 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
river: 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

I would have had nothing but ace high.

Finally, as an example of probably what NOT to do, this hand played out a few hands later (not that I'm complaining, because it gave me the results that I wanted). BB in this hand probably should have just let his cards go.

Party Poker Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind t300 (10 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

UTG (t3075)
UTG+1 (t3565)
Hero (t445)
MP1 (t85)
<font color="#C00000">MP2 (t1930)</font>
MP3 (t4270)
CO (t840)
Button (t3130)
SB (t1931)
<font color="#C00000">BB (t729)</font>

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, Hero folds, MP1 folds, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, <font color="#CC3333">BB bets t729 (All-In)</font>, MP2 calls.

Flop: (5.36 SB, t1608) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Turn: (2.68 BB, t1608) 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

River: (2.68 BB, t1608) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: 2.68 BB (t1608)

BB has Ac 7c (high card, ace).
MP2 has Jh Ah (high card, ace).
Outcome: MP2 wins 2.68 BB (t1608).