Question about 2 hands from ZeeJustin's Monday Tourney Report

[z32fanatic]

"I had 40,000 chips during 1500/3000 blinds when a 36k stack opened for 10,000 in MP. I found 99 on the button and pushed all-in. I took down the pot and this brought me to 52k chips.

I found AQo again when the aforementioned CSC pushed all-in in MP for 32k. I had an easy call in the big blind. Unfortanely, my AQ was no match for his K6s. This knocked me down to 30k chips. "

Is this play with AQo and 99 standard? I was confused why this was an "easy call" with AQ? Isn't this a likely coinflip situation that it is better to avoid? Should I be more inclined to take coinflips this late in the tourney? I'd like to hear the reasoning behind either of these hands. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[CardSharpCook]

[ QUOTE ]
"I had 40,000 chips during 1500/3000 blinds when a 36k stack opened for 10,000 in MP. I found 99 on the button and pushed all-in. I took down the pot and this brought me to 52k chips.

I found AQo again when the aforementioned CSC pushed all-in in MP for 32k. I had an easy call in the big blind. Unfortanely, my AQ was no match for his K6s. This knocked me down to 30k chips. "

Is this play with AQo and 99 standard? I was confused why this was an "easy call" with AQ? Isn't this a likely coinflip situation that it is better to avoid? Should I be more inclined to take coinflips this late in the tourney? I'd like to hear the reasoning behind either of these hands. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

the K6 vs AQo hand - I was on the button of a six or five man table with a stack size at about 4BB. It cost Zee 3BBs to call (though that was half his stack). He knew that in that position, I would be pushing with far less than even ace high. This isn't even specific to playing CSC. Against a tight player like ZJ, I had an "easy call" when he pushed AI with 8BBs in the CO at the final table. I knew the chances that my AK was not only a good pot odd call, but he could be pushing here with some really weak hands.

When the blinds are this high, opening standards go WAY down. So do raising/calling standards.

The 99 hand is a hand you might fold as late as MP3 to an earlier raise because you still have players to act behind you. But on the button, only two players are left to act. 99 is both probably good, and has FE against hands as weak as AQo/AJs. True there is always the danger that he has an overpair, but 99 is better than the large majority of hands the MP player would raise with.


CSC

[MLG]

with shallow stacks these are both standard plays. what exactly do you think you should be waiting for?

[z32fanatic]

Oh I didn't see that the blinds had gone up. As he described it CSC pushed 11BBs from MP and he called. If the BB was 3k and CSC had pushed 32k from MP would you still call with AQo? If the BB was 6k and CSC pushed 4BBs then yes that should be an easy call.

[MLG]

That makes it a much much closer decision, one that would depend on average stack sizes and depth and such.