Down to three, put the shortstack all in?

[Morbo]

3 left in a live tourney. I have ~150k, the smallstack has 10.5k, other guy has about 150k too. Blinds at 4k/8k, with a 1k ante.

Payout structure:
1st 27k
2nd 14k
3rd 10k

So I'm the small blind, and the smallstack is big blind, and has just 1.5k left after posting. Button folds, and it's up to me. I have T3. Put him all in?

[schwza]

you have to put in 5.5k to win a total of 35k. how could you not put him in?

[gumpzilla]

Not sure where 35k is coming from. Putting the shortstack all-in results in a total pot of 22k, as far as I can see. Taking the 5.5k you're putting in back out, it looks like you're getting laid a little more than 3:1, which still suggests that you should do it, since T3 is not going to be that big of a dog to a random hand.

[schwza]

um, wow, i'm glad i'm nowhere near a game right now.

i did: SB (4k) x BB (8k) = 32k + 3k antes. i thought that number seemed really weird.

that said, it's still a push. i guess the best play is actually to just complete and then push the flop to give him a chance to make a horrible mistake.

[Loci]

yeah, you have to call here. you're probably a 60/40 underdog, but pot odds certainly are in your favor. Besides, you might even be ahead of the random hand. If he wins it doesn't affect you really, because he's still in a desperate spot, and you're still in a dead heat for first.

[LethalRose]

Depending how they are responding to your steals and what kind of feel im getting from the table, I probably fold and try to get heads up vs the small stack. In specific situations though i would try to knock the shortstack out.

[DireWolf]

You are heads up against the small stack.

[LethalRose]

[ QUOTE ]
You are heads up against the small stack.

[/ QUOTE ]

I mean fold, leaving the small stack in. and try to take out the big stack. making me headsup vs the smallstack for 1st place, a very good situation to be in.

There was a thread a while ago with discussed the dynamics and advantages of not busting out the shortstack, if you can continue to slowly build up your stack while leaving the shortstack in its better to do so. This all depends how the other big stack is playing.

Seems like everyone here goes for the push as pot odds say to. The smallstack must call this push, i dont make this move unless I want the shortstack to fold.

[fnord_too]

Yes.

[DireWolf]

ok, that makes more sense. But i think that will be a lot harder to do, plus you might get busted. The shortstack is so short, that he will probably bust, or keep doubling up, before you pick up a hand where you can bust the other large stack.