50/50 situations: Advice very welcome

[dlode]

I want some feedback on 50/50 situations in tournament poker.I was playing in a live $500 tournament today with about 62 runners, which I had won entry to. Anyway, with about 27 people left,2 and a half hrs in, and with the BB at 700 and SB at 350 and with the average chip count at 14000 chips I find myself under the gun with AK offsuit.I have around 12500 chips. I raise 4000 immediately (yeah, I know,probably too much of a raise) and the guy next to me goes all in. He has the same amount of chips as me,more or less. Everyone folds and it comes round and I call. He turns up 9-9. I catch nothing and bust out of tourney. In the 2 and a half hrs of play I had gone with these 50/50 situations three times. Once with my 9-9 against AK, which I won (ironically) and once with 10 10 against AJ (the other guy with AJ was short stacked so I called his all in raise.
This is the question. Is it bad play to force these situations? I know you have to come through a few of these in most tournies to build a stack, but some people on my table with decent chip counts never got themselves into these situations once. Should I have folded with my AK when the guy went all in even tho I put him on a low pair, which he had? What is the best strategy in these situations in tournies?

[zaxx19]

UB KRAZY KANUCK TOURNEY??

[Lloyd]

First of all, regarding this specific situation, you pretty much forced yourself to call. You were getting over 3 to 1 odds with 8500 to win 26050. But you never should have been in this "no-brainer" spot. A normal raise of 3-4XBB still would have made a call the right thing according to odds, but nobody would have faulted you to pass.

I like to be the one pushing chips versus calling an all-in bet. YOu clearly weren't in a push situation but I think awfully hard before calling an all-in that puts my entire tournament on the line. There has been lots of discussion on this board regarding the need to take chances to do well in a tournament. It's possible to cruise through to being in the money without taking lots of chances, but it's almost impossible to place high without doing so.

So you've got to take on some coin flips, but, if you're the one pushing it's only a coin flip if you're called giving you a nice edge. I would have called this bet because of the amount of your raise. But had I made a normal raise I probably would have folded and taking on the coin flip when I can be the aggressor.

[zaxx19]

With AK there i make a raise at the very maximum of the spectrum of getting away from it>>(mm 2300??) or i might limp raise all in if someone raises (that way there is folding equity(now yur the aggressor) and yu can size up who wants to play: i.e. their stack size how loose they are..)


Yes i believe as long as your approx. 8x BB FORCING 44% win situations are incorrect(notice this isnt a coinflip)

[Ross]

If you play tournament poker for any length of time it is hard to avoid playing big pots that are 50:50. AK v an under pair is probably the most common all-in situation in NLHE.

The trick is to avoid playing pots that are at best a 50:50 shot against players that can inflict serious damage to your stack.

Okay looking at the hand in question could or should have this been avoided ?

A few points

1. Early position raise. I cannot fault your decision to raise rather than call UTG it is costing 1050 to play a round just picking up the blinds is worthwhile although it does open up the possibility of a reraise.

2. I do not like the amount of the raise 2500 would work just as well and you are less tied into the pot.

3. Calling the all-in bet (by the way I really hate your opponents move here)I think you are little bit to deep into this pot not to call, but you must assume you are at best 50:50. You now putting in 8500 into a 17550 pot therefore you are getting better than even money. Okay not a bad scenario against a pocket pair but some of the time you are going to walk into AA or KK and be a big dog (90/10 & 70/30.) If your opponent could make this move with AQ (bad play I know but I have seen it) this more than compensates for the chances of being up against a monster.

If you were to win you are amongst the chip leaders with over half of the field gone, fold and you are getting short stacked. I think I would only fold here if the reraiser was very tight and therefore the chance of AA or KK was greater than average.

If the scenario was slightly different and you had 20,000 chips going into the hand and your opponent put you all-in I would be a lot more inclined to fold.

AK is difficult to play but it has to much potential not to play it.

Good luck


Ross