10+1 NLHE 15k Guaranteed, 9th hand, AK from CO

[Valsuvious]

I'm just posting this trying to ensure myself that it was the correct play in the circumstances. Hand is about the 9th hand or so in the tournament. I haven't played a hand yet. Villian has won two hands already, first one he check-min-reraised someone after the flop on an AJ9 board and then again on the turn after a 4 came. He raised the river again and his opponent folded. The other hand was folded to him in the bb. My take on him was that he was very loose. He had in the hand before just lost a smallish pot and in the 9 hands or so he had tried to see 5 flops.

PokerStars Tournament, Big Blind is t20 (9 handed) Converter on pregopoker.com

UTG (t1420)
UTG+1 (t1550)
MP1 (t1170)
MP2 (t1870)
MP3 (t5130)
Hero (t1490)
Button (t900)
SB (t2690)
BB (t2410)

Preflop: Hero is in CO with K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls t20, MP2 raises to t1000, MP3 folds, Hero raises to t1490 (All-in), Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls t490


Now obviously, the results of the hand was that I lost it to the guy who called the bet with Q6 and flopped a set of 6s. I'm more concerned with, is this an easy all in raise for me, or should I have folded this and waited for a better opportunity, because regardless the guy is going to call my all in because he's pot committed unless he's horrible.

[registrar]

Villain raises 50x BB over one limper? And you have AKs? You're so far ahead of his range it's not funny.

[Nakama]

Man, serious.. lately ive been praying to not receive AK at the the firt 3 rounds of blinds, for some reasons.

Early in the tournament (at least in this s pecifically tourney, 15k garanteed), say blinds 10/20 or 15/30 its just too difficult get HU action. Most of the pots are 3 way handed or even more. To drive people out of the pot (in these blinds) a standar raise of 3BB or a limp has no difference. In the blins 10/20, my minimum bet its 100 (5BB) with no limpers and 20 more to each limper in hand.

So, say you got this AK im MP3 with 10/20 blinds. UTG retard limps, CUTOFF donk limps and the MP2 elephant (Phil's animals) limp too. The minimum raise you have to put here to get HU action (at least its what has happened to me) in this case is a 140, 160 raise. But worse! When you do that, very often not just the guys who have limped before may call you, but the other guys still to act too. And if you don’t hit the board in a 3 way hand in a situation like that, do you think its worth a continuation bet and commit almost 1/3 of your stack?

This happen very, but very, very often to me. Actually, i have throwing away AQ and AJ in MP or worst in these stages. TT in early positions I just limp sometimes just to see how the action goes.

At least for me, a raise to 140, 160 dont worth the investment in so early stages. The money you dont waste in this stage make you more money at late stages, try stick it in mind.

I really would like to know if anyone have any thoughts about this matter, because it has been very difficult to me too to handle with this stage of the tournaments.

See ya…

[Semtex]

Yes this is an incredibly easy all in. Although many times A-K against total idiots early in these tournaments won't be a huge favorite, getting your money in as a decent favorite and doubling up is as good a situation as you could ask for.