was this too aggressive with AKo?

[xxx]

MTT, blinds at 75-150, I'm in bb with AKo

This is a very top heavy payout, with 1st being 5000, and 2nd being 300. 160 players left, I'm right at the average stack with 3500.

All folded to button who raises 300. He has been leaning on my blinds since I got to the table, and is an agressive guy.

sb folds, and I go all in. My thinking is that there is ~500 in the pot, so I'm happy if he folds, but also happy if he calls (I'm a coinflip or better unless he has KK or AA). Also, I don't want to pass up any chances this far out in what is almost a winner take all tournament.

Is this too aggressive?

Results in white below:

<font color="white"> He calls, and turns over a real hand of QQ. board misses us both and IGHN. </font>

[fnurt]

Nothing wrong with this play. You probably would have gotten him to fold a number of lower pairs that you would be a slight underdog against.

[JaBlue]

I'd say that in this spot if you're not comfortable reraising less than all in you might flat call. I really hate risking your nice stack of 3500 to win a measly 500. Also it is very rare that you'll win if you are called. QQ was probably the best hand you could see him call with except another AK.

[zaxx19]

Perfect example of when not too gamble with AKo.1) Chip position.2) Your gambling with someone who can bust you.3)There isnt a great amount of extram money in the pot to gamble for..(500)

P.S.
AGAIN YOUR NOT A COIN-FLIP YOUR 43% HERE THATS A BIG DIFFERENCE...

[TStoneMBD]

you should always provide chip stacks when posting a hand like this. regardless, in a tournament with such a topheavy payout structure you simply need to take your chances and therefore your play is fine.

[SossMan]

what are you suggesting he do?

(any advice that includes the F-word vs. a button open miniraise when the BB has AK should be kept to yourself.)

I'm not convinced pushing here is best, but I don't like being out of position on a flop that I'm probably going to miss. Any decent reraise that makes him fold hands I need him to fold is a third of my stack, so pushing is probably the only good reraise.

Flat call, and check raise if we flop a pair? maybe...I guess it depends on the difference between the range of hands that he would open with and the range of hands (especially the number of weaker aces) that he would call the all in reraise with...looks like a math problem

[ZootMurph]

You say he's been leaning on the blinds since you got to the table... is a mini raise his normal raise? Blinds 75/150 and he open raises for 300. If this is normal, then I raise 600 and fold to an all in. If he usually raises more, which I would think an aggressive player leaning on blinds would normally do, I'd be a little wary, just call the raise and fold the flop if I don't hit.

Simply, a mini raise from an aggressive player in steal position is an instant red flag for me. Actually, a mini raise from an aggressive player from any position is a red flag, LOL.

In any case, a reraise is in order, but I disagree with Soss that it has to be large. You want him to know you have a hand, but you don't need to get rid of all your chips to do it. A read on his previous open raises, specifically in steal positions, can really help you determine what the best play is.

[Lloyd]

Definitely a fold here. No way I'm gambling any of my chips if I'm the slightest underdog. Ooops, sorry. Guess I was channeling Zaxx for a second.

Was it a mini-raise? He says that he raises 300. To me, this means he makes it 450 to go. Versus raising to 300 which would be a mini-raise.

This has always been a tricky spot for me. If you make a normal pot-size raise to around 1125 and he comes over the top to put you all-in, you probably have to call given the range of hands he could have. So given that folding is not a reasonable option, pushing seems to be the best, if not only, move.

Zaxx, you cannot say it's a bad move because he's a 43% dog vs. QQ. We can't base decisions on information that we only get after the hand. He could have raised with a huge range of hands given how aggressive he's been. I'd be comfortable putting him on any pocket pair, A5-Ks, A8-Ko, KQ-KJ, and suited connectors down to even 98s. Given that range of hands we are nearly a 60% favorite.

[MLG]

If he makes it 300 to go, making it 600 is too smalll. Your pricing your opponent in if he has live cards. There are all sorts of hands that he would be right to call with now, and he gets to play the hand with position (JQ, J10, 78s all those funky little ones)

[patrick dicaprio]

generally if you go all in here and are called you are a coinflip and are never a big favorite. i much prefer to be pushing in first before any raises, but i cant fault your play i think it was the right one. at least it is what i would have done [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

pat