Move from BB in $10 Stars tourney. Down to 3 tables. Call or Fold?

Toddy · #1 09-12-2005, 01:37 PM

Ive been wondering about this hand for a couple days now and need advice for the next time this happens. Down to 20 people in the Stars $10 tourney. I have 35K in chips and the blinds are 6-12K. Im the BB. So after the BB and Ante I have about 22k. Folds around to table to extremely loose player in SB. He goes all in w/ 50K in chips. I have 5-7 suited. I thought about it for awhile and figured he had 2 overcards so I called. He had K10, and I sucked out with a gutshot straight on the river. He screamed at me for calling, but w/ the Blinds and I was near the bottom I felt like I had to pull the trigger and take a shot. I wasn't worried about making it a couple more spots higher, I was playing for the win.

Toddy · #2 09-12-2005, 02:26 PM

Anyone?

barry111 · #3 09-12-2005, 02:34 PM

I would call hoping for two live cards. I like the move, you were down to less then two BB you had to do something.

Toddy · #4 09-12-2005, 02:35 PM

Yes I just needed a 2nd opinion. The whole time I figured I had 2 live cards which would give me just under a 40% chance of winning. I used to make the mistake of waiting for premium hands while the blinds were eating me up.

barry111 · #5 09-12-2005, 02:37 PM

when I get someone that screams at me for calling I usually say something like 'quit your whinning' and that will send him over the edge. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

nsj · #6 09-12-2005, 02:39 PM

I think that's a call with just about any two.
Live suited connectors makes the decision easy.

illini43 · #7 09-12-2005, 02:42 PM

Your call was correct, and a large majority of the time both of your cards are live here.

A lot of people don't understand that by raising a short stack late in a tournament all-in sometimes give the shorty great odds to call with any 2. Don't second-guess this move if you are going for a win.

fnurt · #8 09-12-2005, 02:50 PM

Mathematically, this is a close decision. You are getting a little better than 2-1 on your money and, depending on what range of hands you give your opponent, you are right around 2-1 to win this hand. That makes it a pretty clear call based on the numbers, since even if it's -EV you have to take slightly -EV decisions when you're this short stacked.

However, the real reason it's not even close is that you simply have no money left to play with if you fold. If you fold this hand and your SB next hand, you will barely have one big blind in your stack. That's a hopeless position. What are your odds of doubling up on the next orbit? They're obviously not 50%; are they more like 40%? 30%? It doesn't even matter, because even if you get lucky and double up after folding your blinds, you will be right back where you are now, and that's your best-case scenario!

You simply have to take a shot at it right now. Good decision.