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End Game Strategy with No Post Flop Play

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  1. pnkranger pnkranger is offline

    Norman, OK
    United States

    Posts: 1,129
    Joined: Feb 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 10:18am)

    I feel fantastic about my play in MTTs recently. I have been getting deep with a decent sized stack and putting myself in position to build a massive stack entering the deep cash. But I have recently stalled out at the second table, including 6 second table finishes in my last 20 MTT.

    I have been playing at Paradise, where there is a premium on pre-flop play because of the blinds. I finished 13th the previous time I played the tourney, so that was on my mind. I was committed to making the FT this time, but I didn't want to play tentative.

    This hand came up, which brought up an interesting point about strategy in this type of tourney.

    blinds 20/40K

    My stack $180K
    Position is 11/13 but there are no "short stacks." Everyone below me has at least $140K.

    7 players at my table

    Big stack (and a bit of a maniac) raises to $120K from UTG + 1

    Folds to me in the small blind. I have $160K left in front of me....and look down to find AK o

    What do you do?

    I really didn't believe he had a pair, so I called and took a 50/50 and lost it to 77.

    My question is this: Do I have a better shot of winning the tournament by folding and trying to win the blinds and antes when I am the aggressor?

    If i fold and win the blinds from the button, I have $240K ... If I win the all in with AK (on a 50/50) I have $380K ...

    I feel like I am the most skilled player at my table...do I call the raise or wait until I can play aggressively?

    what do you think?!?
  2. brad3184 brad3184 is offline

    Lexington, KY
    United States

    Posts: 138
    Joined: Dec 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 10:26am) in reply to pnkranger

    First off, to say no one is short seems like an incorrect statment. Each pot starts out at 60k and you have 180k (M OF 3)...This is urgency time and you need to find a hand to get it in with. Feel blessed you were able to look down and find AK. Even if the guy that raised UTG was a tighter player, your only choice is to push the AK when it gets around to you. Since you're in the sb, there's only one player left to act who, when you push, will fold 99% of the time (being sandwiched between 2 raisers) and you're HU with AK v. whatever they're pushing with--in this case 77.

    You're playing to WIN the tournament, nothing less. Given that, this is a great spot to get your money in. Don't overthink the play, you really had no choice. Oh, and you being the most skilled player at your table, whether that is true or not, matters not when your stack is this low in relation to the blinds.
  3. Mennas Joint Mennas Joint is offline

    Victoria
    Canada

    Posts: 1,434
    Joined: Apr 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 10:59am) in reply to brad3184

    Hey bud,

    U played great last night.....and was fun sharing a table with you. I don't think u had a choice at that point. I am gonna agree with brad's comments above. At that point in the tournament, there were shortstacks, and u had to move. I make that call 10 times outta 10 in that particular spot.... Dont doubt the play, u had to make it! For example, when blinds were 15k/30k, i had a stack of 100k, and was basically, in my opinion, forced to move all in UTG with my deuces. Granted this is different than the situation u are speaking of, since u were calling and I was raising, but in those tournaments on dise, it's all a crapshoot at the end.

    gg buddy......... u played well

    ROLAND
     1
  4. pnkranger pnkranger is offline

    Norman, OK
    United States

    Posts: 1,129
    Joined: Feb 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 10:59am) in reply to brad3184

    when i said no one was short, i meant 2 bbs or less...this is dise after all. ;)

    And thanks, mennas...was fun playing with you...I was probably a bit too passive once we hit 15 players...especially in position, but it was a fairly loose table...didn't want to race with J4 o. :)
    Thread Starter
  5. pokerisnice pokerisnice is offline

    Santa Rosa, CA
    United States

    Posts: 927
    Joined: Apr 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 12:48pm) in reply to pnkranger

    IMHO you need to gamble more earlier... dont let yourself get to the point where your M is only 3. If you bust out earlier, then so be it.
    Theres nothing wrong with your play of AK, as it was stated before, you should be thankful that you got a hand that good. The guys 77 held, nothing you can do about it.

    You probably need to look for more opportunities to steal blinds so your stack wont get so desperately low. If you get caught, oh well. If you dont get caught with your hand in the cookie jar every now and then then you aren't playing good poker
  6. Aggie_E Aggie_E is offline

    Dallas, TX
    United States

    Posts: 1,313
    Joined: Oct 05

    Jan 4th, 2006 (1/4/2006 1:03pm) in reply to pokerisnice

    You need to read Harrington on Hold "Em (Volume 2) and realize that your stack in relation to the other players is less important than your stack in relation to the blinds and with an M of 3 you should have been playing more aggresively even b4 this hand arose. At this point though you had an easy decision of pushing all-in with AK....
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