($114) AQ 5-handed vs big stack?

[SABR42]

Basically, my point is that the majority of the time that villain folds to the flop push, you would prefer that he called because you're probably way ahead. For example if villain has a low pair but folds to a flop that paired you you'd prefer that he called instead because you're a huge favorite. The times he doesn't fold on the flop, well, that's the same result as pushing pre-flop.

[ilya]

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Basically, my point is that the majority of the time that villain folds to the flop push, you would prefer that he called because you're probably way ahead. For example if villain has a low pair but folds to a flop that paired you you'd prefer that he called instead because you're a huge favorite. The times he doesn't fold on the flop, well, that's the same result as pushing pre-flop.

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I understand your point, however I think you're not giving enough credit to those times when villain makes a favorable (for us) call on the flop even though I assume that he will fold. As for example in my A8 on a Q33 board example I gave earlier.

[SABR42]

I think I understand your point, so why not simply push-preflop? Isn't pushing pre-flop a better value play? Because the whole point of a SnG is to attempt to make the villain fold after seeing only 3 out of 5 cards to increase our chance of surviving, but the majority of the time he folds we have him crushed, so getting all the money in pre-flop would have been better, no? Because the times we go broke here it doesn't make a difference whether we pushed pre-flop or waited for the flop to push.

[ilya]

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I think I understand your point, so why not simply push-preflop? Isn't pushing pre-flop a better value play? Because the whole point of a SnG is to attempt to make the villain fold after seeing only 3 out of 5 cards to increase our chance of surviving, but the majority of the time he folds we have him crushed, so getting all the money in pre-flop would have been better, no? Because the times we go broke here it doesn't make a difference whether we pushed pre-flop or waited for the flop to push.

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Well first I think you're overstating your case. I don't think it's true that the "majority" of the time he folds we have him "crushed."

Second, even if he does only fold when we have him crushed, a stop and go is still often better!

Take 44 for example. If we shove preflop, we lose 4.4% over folding for an equity of 14.6%. But let's say we wait until the flop to push, he folds whenever we DO make a pair, and calls whenever we don't. so, 35% of the time he folds on the flop, leaving us with 27.6% equity. 65% of the time (those times we don't pair) he calls, but of those times, we still win 30% of the time. so, 0.3*0.65 = 0.195 of the time, our equity is 31.6%. adding that up, we get 15.8% - a 1.2% improvement over shoving preflop even though he got away every time we had him crushed on the flop, and called us every single time we were behind!