Sunday million hand with 70 remaining

[venom007]

I've been playing poker for about 4-5 years now online and recently believe that ive basically got the MTT's figured down to a science.....4th in a WPT staellite after losing AQ to KJ and JJ to A8 within 5 hands of each other to some idiot, 15th in a 50 rebuy last week after losing AK to AQ for the overall chip lead allin preflop.....and 4th in a 100+9 after losing to a player people might know -- D0000000nk or something like that after he pushed K8 and beat my AA. I have school so I havent been able to play very often, but since the 19th or so ive played about every day and the results are coming in fast. But poker is poker, and there is always shi* to learn......so I ask you the following:

Blinds 24/48K with about 70 players left last night in the sunday million on pokerstars. I had just pushed QQ and doubled up to about 1,030,000 chips, average stack somewhere around 500K if I remember correctly. Guy in early position min raises to 96K (i think min raising is garbage and rarely means a hand- so now when you see me on tables you can use that to your advantage [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]), guy directly after him pushes allin for roughly 500K even. At this point I believe the table was playing 7 handed....I pick up AK offsuit and essentially immediately pushed-- he had 77 and I lost the flip for 1.2 million, was pushed down to 460K or something and then eventually pushed an A on the button and SB wokke up with AQ and busted 62nd. I did not plan on trying to inch up the money ladder to get 18th or something I was playing for first. My logic is that I need all the chips and AK is rarely going to be worse than 50/50 and at this point in the tournament people are pushing a wide wide wide range of hands all-in preflop-- I could easily be dominating AQ/AJ/A10 and possibly even A9 suited or A8 suited. I was conferring with a friend afterward and I was getting pretty upset at him for telling me I shouldn't have called, saying I coul dhave waited for a better spot. I entirely disagree-- with the blinds so large and people's ability to push any mid/big ace and MAYBE even KQ since the UTG min raise was such weak garbage I HAVE to call AK here. If I lose the hand I STILL have an average stack of around 500 thousand and if I win im propelled to chip leader. Now granted, even 1.7 million doesnt even guarentee a top 18 finish, hell with 65 left it doesnt even guarentee a top 27 finish, but regardless-- I need ALL the chips in play to win this thing and that is my goal, so I feel the AK call is easy easy easy easy and I will make it every time. Thoughts?

[0evg0]

i'll be gentle

your play was okay (neither slam dunk obvious nor bad), but judging by your tone, proof of expertise, and reasoning, you have a long way to go before you have MTTs "figured out" like you seem to think.

[venom007]

Haha thanks 0evg ;P......but honestly I realize its not an AUTO call, that good players will fold AK here with a 20BB stack and bully around the blinds and such......but I didnt figure bullying the blinds was even possible-- some short stack was pushing allin every single hand-- it was not being played tight at all. People play the sunday million like its some sort of freeroll. And I dont mean to sound like an ass, just happy with my recent success, realized ive been playing way too loose the past 4 years-- didnt meant to sound like a know it all jerk, im young and I certainly have a lot to learn [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[venom007]

Also im curious if there is a time you dont push AK there......you know people are pushign all sorts of hands with the blinds being so large and the average stack only being like 9-10 BB's. People feel a lot of pressure.....playing 7 handed with the blinds about to increase I cant just sit there and try and raise to 150K and steal blinds, get played back at by some 400K stack and get forced into stupid pot odds call situations with something like J9, you know what I mean?

[Fiksdal]

lol...This post is kinda 40% questions about the hand, and 60% trying to introuce yourself and how you understand some theory concecpts, and proving that you aren't a newbie.

The spot is a bit marginal, but I think I'd do the same as you did.

[betgo]

Just call and next time win the race.

[T_Mac]

With reads, or 9 or 10 handed I might find a fold, but 7 handed and with the speedy million structure I think you gotta play.

[venom007]

Hm sorry if I post this twice but I just made a response and it wasnt posted. Anyway, betgo-- great advice, love it, was really expecting to win that flip in the first place.......and T-mac-- yes if it were 9 or 10 handed I could find a fold some of the time-- and great point about the speedy structure-- if I lose the hand I have 10 BB's, if I win 30 BB's-- not a HUGE difference since you can easily double up at the 25/50K blind levels back to 20 BB's-- unfortunatelt ran into a bit of unluck at the end.

And fiksdal-- yeah you basically caught me, gotta start convincing you guys i'm not a moron early right [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[RetiredAt22]

dont worry what people think of you. come here to get better, share info, and help some newbs. If someones gonna think little of you, big deal, they probably dont kiss many girls.

[Bond18]

[ QUOTE ]
i'll be gentle

your play was okay (neither slam dunk obvious nor bad), but judging by your tone, proof of expertise, and reasoning, you have a long way to go before you have MTTs "figured out" like you seem to think.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please untie 0evg0 and let him back on his computer. Your not fooling anyone.

As for the AK i think especially in this tournament your play was fine, next time win your flip.

Lets be clear though, a few results does not a tournament guru make. The best posters are on this site are still "figuring tournaments out" because they are incredibly in depth, keep reading and posting though and you'll realize theres a long way to go. GL and welcome.