AA utg

[Shanemex]

We're just in the money of a $50 MTT on party and I am dealt AA UTG. I have just over 5 BB left. The table has been pretty aggressive without many flops. I limped, the button and SB called and the BB checked. The flop was K43 and the blinds checked to me. I went all in, the button called, and then the SB checkraised all in and the button folded. He had 44 and I got no help. Should I have just gone all in preflop?

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
Should I have just gone all in preflop?


[/ QUOTE ]

yes

[Chief911]

Yup. No need at an aggressive table to try to draw a bunch of people in (And therefore lesson your chances of winning). You'll happily take the 1.5BB's you get if there are no callers, but you are likely to get one, especially after you just made the $$ and many people go nuts.

Nick

[fnurt]

Actually, I'm going to take the other side on this one. He's already in the money, and needs to take some chances if he wants to get to the real money at the final table. I don't think this is the time to get conservative with AA.

Someone may very well raise if you limp. Even if you get a couple limpers, each one is +EV, even though they "might" outflop you. It's simply a chance that's worth taking.

The danger with AA is that if you don't get enough money in before the flop, you lay a lot of implied odds, because someone will probably win your whole stack if they get a lucky flop. But here, where you don't have that much left after you limp, that consideration doesn't apply.

A sharp player might find it suspicious that you would limp with only 5BB but most people will not pick up on that.

[Cleveland Guy]

I think I agree with Fnurt here. Your going to go all in no matter what, and many people will raise here with a hand they might not call your all in with. Even so, be it pre or post flop it's a hand your likely ahead of So why not see if you can get some extra action from your AA.

[willie]

short answer yes,

but i think that you may have lost this hand anyway, cause itm a lot of people will gamble puttin you on overs and still hit a set with the 4s.

[Cheno5]

I agree with Chief, you should have gone all-in preflop. With only 5xbb, and the fact that everyone just made the money, you're likely to get called. Besides, what flop could possibly keep you from pushing after the flop? If you're gonna do it anyway, do it now.

[AceKQJT]

At this level of the tournament, I am going to be pushing with a LOT of hands....nearly any pair, any suited faces, A-9 or bigger. I would push here every time...If I just pick up the blinds, well, that's great too.

I won a live tourney last night at the local casino. At the final table, I was pushing at least twice a round. The first time I pushed with 5-5, picked up the blinds and showed my hand. Next hand I push with K-K and got called in two places...I sent them both home.

My point is that because you should be pushing a lot of hands at this level, you need to be pushing with A-A also.

--Casey

[Troy92]

AA doesn't come around that often. Sometimes you have to take a calculated risk and maximize the opportunity to get back into the tournament by limping with AA. However, I don't believe this is the right circumstance. As Nick pointed out, play loosens up just inside the money. Also, you stated this is an aggressive table. So there is a good chance that you are going to get called by at least one opponent. Let's get the money in pre-flop here.

The time to limp is when the table is super-tight and it is unlikely that you will get any action on a raise. Even then I would probably want a stack that is a little higher. With 5xBB, even if no one calls your all-in, you have still increased your stack by 30%.

[el_grande]

[ QUOTE ]
short answer yes,

but i think that you may have lost this hand anyway, cause itm a lot of people will gamble puttin you on overs and still hit a set with the 4s.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not necessarily. The button may have coldcalled his UTG raise, causing the SB to possibly fold his 44.