AJos - push or fold

[Shorty35]

Live tourney $300 buy in. Approx 200 players now down to 21. Payouts begin at 15 according to normal top heavy structure.

Stucture has gone to hell and most players are in push or fold mode. Ante is 300, sb 3000/bb 6000.

Villan 1 is "big stack" with approx 90K. He raises to 15K in EP2. The raise is made with genuine hesitation (and villan seems generally weak), so I do not believe he has a monster.

Villan 2 is a micro stack of approx 8K who pushes.

Hero is button with AJos amd 46K (average).

My natural instinct is to push, with substantial fold equity against Villan 1 and a virtual freeroll against Villan 2 if villan 1 folds. But there also may be merit to waiting given the structure and the likelhood that several players will be all in before the blinds get to me again.

What's my move?

[Rduke55]

I like the push (with your read of course).

[grandgnu]

I don't know what the payouts are, but you're a medium stack, but short compared to the blinds. While you certainly could push and try to isolate the short-stack and snap off some free chips from the large stack, if you get called you're likely behind.

You have position, so you could flat-call and hope it gets checked down. Or, you could fold and wait out another 6 players and make the money.

Depending on what YOUR goal is in the tournament, that will determine what your play is. If you're trying to win the tournament and take 1st place, then a push is most likely in order, although a call with position might allow you to check it down all the way and possibly win a nice pot, and give you two hands to eliminate a short-stacked player as well.

A fold means you can likely squeek into the money, but it limits your chances of accumulating chips.

Most pro's might push all-in in this spot, since the villians raise will provide you with some money back (provided he folds to your push) and allow you to virtually freeroll to eliminate the short-stack.

I might just call and check it down though, giving myself an out and not committing myself to the hand.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
I like the push (with your read of course).

[/ QUOTE ]

i like

[Shorty35]

I pushed amd my insincts were right; villan 1 was weak. Of course, that didnt stop him from calling with 44 and spiking a 4 on the flop. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Villan 2 had AK, but when villan 1 called the bulk of the pot was between us. Maybe villan recently watched moneymakers infamous call with 33.

[betgo]

You only have 7.5xBB. I wouldn't expect to have much folding equity as raiser is getting great pot odds to call. However, AJ is too strong a hand to fold that short stacked, unless you had a strong read that raiser had a monster.

I would just open push if I was the original raiser, but that is sort of a matter of style. I would call with AJ even if he had open pushed.

When everyone is this short stacked, it is best to play very aggressively. This is mainly because the blinds and antes are huge, and also due to the top-heavy payout structure.