AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

About 34 left, so I have an average stack. No reads on the villain, I just moved to this table a short while ago.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (9 handed) converter

UTG (t2755)
UTG+1 (t3965)
MP1 (t6055)
MP2 (t6440)
Hero (t7915)
CO (t13312)
Button (t13914)
SB (t7010)
BB (t8125)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t800</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises to t1600</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>

Hero shoves or calls?

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

Folding obviously isn't an option, but calling isn't really a viable option either in my opinion... I've faced similar situations and honestly, I have just shoved, and run into AA usually... I guess calling is your best option?

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

I'd see a flop since you have position. That's where the tough part of the hand comes into play.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

given this tournaments and what ive seen from reraises id just shove. people do this with 88,99,a10,aj,aq. its absurd, just gamble, heck,a lot of his range you have him dominated.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd see a flop since you have position. That's where the tough part of the hand comes into play.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assume that postflop skill doesn't make a difference in my preflop decision.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

Push. If he has AA then get high and watch reruns of Double Dare to console yourself.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

[ QUOTE ]
Push. If he has AA then get high and watch reruns of Double Dare to console yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hey, getting high while watching reruns of Double Dare is my bit!

Anyway, I push in this tournament (and similar low buyin donktacular fields) for the same reasons FGators does. I may shove in higher buyin fields, too, though I don't object horribly to seeing a flop with position here.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

i shove since i want to win this thing not make 18th

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

[ QUOTE ]
i shove since i want to win this thing not make 18th

[/ QUOTE ]

Could you please explain why shoving is superior to calling from a $EV standpoint?

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

If you are against a non-pair, and he c-bets a low board, you have to fold the best hand if you don't shove preflop. You also have fold equity preflop against hands you may not want to race with like 99 or TT. Some extremely tight players may also fold JJ or QQ in this spot if it is for all of their chips and you have a tight image (not so sure about QQ but I see people claiming to have folded JJ all the time).

I originally said I would call, now I'm not so sure.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

poooosh

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

[ QUOTE ]
given this tournaments and what ive seen from reraises id just shove. people do this with 88,99,a10,aj,aq. its absurd, just gamble, heck,a lot of his range you have him dominated.

[/ QUOTE ]

sounds good to me.

part of the problem with not pushing preflop will be a complete inability to bluff the flop if he cbets. if you call the raise to 1600, the pot will be 3500ish with each of you having about 5400 behind. assuming villain will cbet almost any board, after he cbets he'll have something like 3500 left and a pot of 5500. lets say the flop comes Q94 and he's got TT or 88, you probably still can't get him to fold his middle pair when it would be 3500 to call in a pot of over 12k.

so i push preflop to avoid a postflop mess and hope this guy is one of the many donks who will pull this kind of move with a lot of hands worse than QQ in a 180.

Re: AKs preflop decision in a Stars 20 180
 

call... see flop and evaluate villain's play OOP... normally a goot pair is gonna fire a bullet on the flop...