AKs on the button (and on the bubble)

[Askilus]

Hi,

I don't have the hand history available so I'll do my best without it.

We are approx 35 players left in the Empire $2k guaraneeed, 30 players paid.

Blinds are 200/400. UTG is the trny chipleader. He is playing pretty tight but I have seen him fall in love with Ax a couple of times and having trouble letting it go. He has ~t14k. I have ~t10k and are among top five right now. Table is passive, and despite the bubble there hasen't been that much stealing going on.

UTG raises to t1000,
Folded (mediumstacks and smallstacks, all from t1000 to t5000) to a LP low stack who pushes his last t600.
I'm on the button with AKs, blinds are tight and are pretty much folding into the money.

Whats my line?

Thanks!

Regards,
Fredrik

[Pat Southern]

Raise to 3k and call a push

[JeanieJ]

I don't know if I like risking my whole tournament on this hand. You're in the top five and if he's pushing you're likely up against a better hand. I raise to 3k and fold to his push. I'm looking to place and put my money in when I'm sure I have the best hand. Better to be the pusher than the pushed.

[Pat Southern]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know if I like risking my whole tournament on this hand. You're in the top five and if he's pushing you're likely up against a better hand. I raise to 3k and fold to his push. I'm looking to place and put my money in when I'm sure I have the best hand. Better to be the pusher than the pushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

If he's pushing with QQ+, AK you have more than enough odds to call getting 2-1.

[JeanieJ]

So I guess it doesn't matter if he's on the bubble and in the top 5 already? If he folds he still has a chance for placing higher. Calling could cost him the whole tournament.

I don't think this is a MUST go broke hand.

I'm folding to the push. If he doesn't have a real hand I doubt he's calling the 3k raise anyway.

[Pat Southern]

[ QUOTE ]
So I guess it doesn't matter if he's on the bubble and in the top 5 already? If he folds he still has a chance for placing higher. Calling could cost him the whole tournament.

I don't think this is a MUST go broke hand.

I'm folding to the push. If he doesn't have a real hand I doubt he's calling the 3k raise anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you're not willing to go broke with the hand then reraising is a bad a play. Either fold or call and take a flop in position. Folding to a reraise is turning your hand into 27o. If you're folding to a 3bet it means you put him squarely on KK or AA, or you're playing for a one buyin profit.

[Askilus]

[ QUOTE ]
Better to be the pusher than the pushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

What about if I push instead of raising it to 3k, just plain wrong? (Why?)

[Sam T.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Better to be the pusher than the pushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

What about if I push instead of raising it to 3k, just plain wrong? (Why?)

[/ QUOTE ]

I think pushing may be a bit much here. It will fold out most/all of the weaker aces who might pay you off if you hit, but will get called by KK and AA, which you don't want. Pushing would make sense if you wanted to isolate against shorty, but his 600 chips aren't worth fighting for. (If he had 2k, you had 5k, or your hand was a bit worse, I'd like a push better. But in this case you've got a damn good hand and position.)

I understand the urge to push, but with a stack as big as yours you have to play post flop. (Unless you fold your way into the red zone. Then you could push.)

[Askilus]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Better to be the pusher than the pushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

What about if I push instead of raising it to 3k, just plain wrong? (Why?)

[/ QUOTE ]

I think pushing may be a bit much here. It will fold out most/all of the weaker aces who might pay you off if you hit, but will get called by KK and AA, which you don't want. Pushing would make sense if you wanted to isolate against shorty, but his 600 chips aren't worth fighting for. (If he had 2k, you had 5k, or your hand was a bit worse, I'd like a push better. But in this case you've got a damn good hand and position.)

I understand the urge to push, but with a stack as big as yours you have to play post flop. (Unless you fold your way into the red zone. Then you could push.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, great responses, thanks. The reason I posted this hand is that I have bubbled out three times in the last ~6 trnys with this exact hand, AKs. The two previous I pushed against AA. This time I pushed and got called by AQo. Needless to say, he rivered a Q. So I guess this is kind of a BBP but I really needed some help with this hand. I will continue to play it strong, but ease down a bit, thanks! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]